Questions and Answers
What was the primary consequence of captivity for males taken during the transatlantic slave trade?
What played a significant role in the control of the slave trade in areas like Luanda and Ouidah?
Approximately how many African captives were taken during the four centuries of the transatlantic slave trade?
What percentage of those who crossed the Atlantic ended up in British North America and the United States by 1776?
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What was the overall condition of trade in captives at the West African coast described as?
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What was the fate of the majority of those who survived the transatlantic crossing?
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Which of the following regions received the highest percentage of transatlantic slaves?
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What was a significant factor that led to the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade?
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What significant assistance did the Patriots receive by 1781 that aided in the war effort?
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What event marked the end of the British invasion of Virginia?
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What disease outbreaks affected British and Loyalist soldiers during the siege at Yorktown?
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Which British general led the forces that were eventually besieged in Yorktown?
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What was the fate of many African-descended fugitives from slavery during the siege at Yorktown?
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How many former slaves were estimated to have joined General Cornwallis’s forces?
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What action did George Washington take in response to the British invasion of Virginia?
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What was a major consequence of the British siege at Yorktown?
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What contradiction exists in the context of American independence and slavery?
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What did Thomas Jefferson claim about the relationship between the Americans and the British during the imperial crisis?
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What did Boston King do during the War of American Independence?
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What was the outcome for Boston King after the war?
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What does the term 'chattel slavery' refer to in the context of the Chesapeake south?
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What was a common experience for African-descended Americans during the War of Independence?
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How did Patriots view their struggle against British authority?
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Which location was NOT a place where Boston King fled after the war?
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What action did South Carolina and Georgia planters take despite British closures of West Indies rice markets?
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What was a significant outcome of the Revolutionary state governments during the upheavals of war?
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What was a common consequence faced by free African-descended individuals in states where slavery was diminishing?
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Between which years did all states north of Maryland adopt measures that set slavery on the road to abolition?
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What was one of the ideals that abolition appeals by black activists were grounded in?
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What did enslavers in the Chesapeake begin to do in response to the demand for captive Africans?
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What does the term 'fragile confederation' refer to in the context of the newly independent United States?
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What challenge did those at the bottom of colonial hierarchies face as the new United States formed?
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Which of the following states adopted antislavery constitutions after being carved out of the territory mentioned?
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What practice did Indiana and Illinois impose on African American residents?
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What was the purpose of the Southwest Ordinance passed by the first US Congress?
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What did the Compact of 1802 between the Jefferson administration and Georgia promise?
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Which of the following individuals classified humans into subspecies, including Europeans and Africans?
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What negative attributes did Carl Linnaeus associate with African-descended people?
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What was a common perception about the status of slavery in territories south of Tennessee?
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Which of the following best describes the treatment of African Americans in Indiana and Illinois?
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Study Notes
Transatlantic Slave Trade
- Approx. 25 million African captives were taken during four centuries of the transatlantic slave trade.
- Males were sold at a ratio of one female for every two males.
- Captivity often led to death or severe mistreatment before transport to coastal trade hubs.
- Captives were sold to European enslavers through a network involving local authorities and middlemen.
- Trade in captives was heavily regulated in coastal regions like Luanda (Angola) and Ouidah (Benin), where local leaders imposed taxes on transactions.
- Approximately 12 million Africans crossed the Atlantic, primarily males, with survivors sold into slavery in the Americas.
- By 1776, 80% of those arriving in the Americas were of African descent.
Slave Distribution in the Americas
- About 560,000 Africans (4.7% of total) were brought to British North America and the US.
- 21% were transported to Spanish America, 22% to British West Indies, and more than 14% to French territories.
American War of Independence (1775–82)
- Patriots portrayed the war as a battle against British political slavery while simultaneously preserving slavery in the southern states.
- The struggle for political equality for whites was inherently tied to maintaining rights over enslaved individuals.
- African-descended individuals faced severe challenges, caught between opposing forces of liberty and bondage.
Boston King’s Experience
- Enslaved near Charleston, South Carolina, Boston King escaped to the British and later became a Loyalist.
- Following the British defeat, King became an expatriate, living in Nova Scotia, England, and eventually Sierra Leone.
Significant Events in 1781
- French military support shifted the tide of the war in favor of the American Patriots.
- British forces invaded Virginia and attracted thousands of African-descended refugees.
- Disease outbreaks in British camps, including typhus and smallpox, significantly reduced troop strengths.
- General Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, marking a pivotal victory for the Americans.
Post-War Slavery Dynamics
- Despite setbacks, South Carolina and Georgia planters continued importing Africans due to market demands.
- A burgeoning interstate trade in enslaved individuals emerged, particularly from the Chesapeake region.
- North of Delaware, states began to abolish slavery gradually, although societal perceptions of African descent remained prejudiced.
Evolution of Slavery Laws
- Individual states created their own laws as they transitioned from colonial to federal governance.
- Between 1777 and 1804, states north of Maryland began implementing abolition measures.
- Some states, like Ohio, adopted outright antislavery constitutions, while others imposed discriminatory measures on African Americans.
Federal Government and Slavery
- In 1790, the first US Congress passed measures to protect slave property, notably through the Southwest Ordinance.
- Federal government actions, including the Compact of 1802 with Georgia, facilitated the expansion of slavery into the Old Southwest.
Racial Theories and Prejudice
- Racial prejudice against African-descended people intensified in the 18th century, leading to concepts of white exceptionalism.
- Biologist Carl Linnaeus classified humans into subspecies, arguing that Africans were inherently inferior based on characteristics attributed to them.
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Description
This quiz explores the historical context and impact of the transatlantic slave trade, focusing on the demand in Europe and the brutal realities faced by African captives. It discusses the scale of this trade and examines the gender dynamics present in the captivity of slaves. Test your knowledge on this crucial aspect of history.
