African Americans Seek Freedom (College Board AP® US History)

Summary

Timeline

Enslaved African Americans looked for ways to hold on to their unique identity while a part of the “Peculiar Institution” of slavery. This period of dehumanizing actions by some Southern Whites on Black people being held against their will did not break the spirit of those seeking freedom. 

Enslaved African Americans developed multiple forms of resistance to both cope with the brutal realities of slavery and preserve their culture. These methods allowed them to maintain their identity and challenge opposition despite the risks

Saving African Culture in the “Peculiar Institution” As They Seek Freedom

Avenues of resistance

• Enslaved African Americans used the following methods to keep their cultural identity and challenge oppression:

  • Keeping their African names and naming their children after ancestors 

    • Many African Americans resisted the dehumanizing practice of taking on their slave owner’s surnames

  • Speaking West African and Caribbean languages among themselves

    • Helped them maintain a sense of community and allowed them to communicate without being easily understood by their oppressors

  • Telling folk tales that related traditions and stories of the ancestorial past

    • The stories would often contain lessons and were a way of preserving their history whilst passing on tales of resistance and community

  • Continuing the music and dance they had learned before being enslaved

    • Music was often used to communicate and build solidarity among enslaved people

  • Retaining religious beliefs established in their homelands

    • Some were Muslims

    • Overtime some of the beliefs merged with Christianity 

  • The emergence of influential Black preachers, like Richard Allen (founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church)

    • They became influential leaders who provided spiritual guidance and a platform for resisting slavery

    • They used religious gatherings as a way to organize, inspire, and educate enslaved people about freedom

Haitian Revolution (1791−1804)

• The Haitian Revolution was a successful uprising of the enslaved population against Whites (French colonists)

  • Much of the White population on the island nation was killed

• It began in 1791 and ended in the formation of an independent Haitian state in 1804

• A new Black-led government was put into place

  • This was the first in the Western Hemisphere and inspired other enslaved communities to resist

Nat Turner’s Rebellion (1831)

• Nat Turner, was an enslaved preacher who led an organized armed uprising in Southampton County, Virginia

• The rebellion was the largest slave uprising in the U.S.

  • The rebellion resulted in the deaths of around 60 White people

• Nat Turner, and many of his followers, were captured

  • More than 50 were executed, including Turner

• This uprising intensified fears of rebellion and led to stricter enforcement of slavery laws

  • This included higher surveillance of enslaved people and more brutal methods of control

The Amistad Rebellion (1839)

• In 1839, a group of African captives aboard a Spanish slave ship, the Amistad, rebelled against their captors during their forced journey from West Africa to the Caribbean

• The enslaved Africans successfully overtook the ship

  • They directed it towards the United States, and it was run aground in New York

  • It was seized by U.S. authorities off the coast of Long Island

• The case of U.S. v The Amistad became a landmark legal battle

  • John Q. Adams represented the 53 Africans who won the case and their freedom in 1841

• The case showcased the rights of those who arrive in the U.S. and the cruelty of enslavement

  • It also demonstrated the growing legal and moral resistance to slavery

Results of Rebellions

• In response to the increasing resistance and revolts, Southern states passed a series of restrictive laws aimed at preventing further uprisings

  • They also aimed to maintain control over the enslaved population

• 1820−1840 saw Southern state legislatures enact new laws that

  • forbid the teaching of enslaved people to read and/or write

    • These laws aimed to prevent literacy, which enslaved people could use to understand and organize their legal arguments for freedom 

  • forbid the marriage of enslaved people to one another

    • These laws aimed to break up family bonds and reduce the sense of community among enslaved people

  • forbid the freeing of an enslaved person

• The purpose of these laws was to deny enslaved people access to the justice system

  • Enslaved people could not seek protection from the law or challenge their enslavement legally

• White Southerners saw enslaved people as needing their care and protection

  • Most white Southerners believed enslaved people were incapable of taking care of themselves and needed the protection of their white masters