Human Geo 7.2 Questions Flashcards
What is a brief history of slavery in the US?
The first African slaves in the US arrived at Jamestown, VA on a Dutch ship in 1619. During the 18th, 400,000 Africans were shipped to the 13 colonies, and it was banned in 1808, but 250,000 more illegally came in. The height of the slave trade was between 1710 and 1810, and 10 million Africans were uprooted, with the British and Portuguese each shipping 2 million to the Western Hemisphere, British ones going to Carbbean, Portuguese going to Brazil.
What was slavery replaced by in Europe?
It was widespread during the Roman Empire, 2,000 years ago, but during the Middle Ages, it was replaced a fuedal system where laborers working the land (serfs) were bound to it and couldn’t migrate. Serfs had to turn over some of their crops to the lord and do what he demanded. Europeans, however, were responsible for diffusing the practice to the Western Hemisphere (Europeans in the US owning plantations and turning to cheaper labor, etc.)
Describe the start of the forced migration of Africans:
It began when people in the interior of Africa were captured and forcibly brought to coastal areas. The raiding expeditions were carried out mostly by Africans along the east and west coasts (with superior weapons). Sold to Europeans, shipped to the Americas, sold on consignment or in auctions. The Spanish & Portuguese started it in early 16th, & the British, Dutch, & French joined.
What were the hardships that forced migration caused for Africans?
-Separating families, destorying villages.
-Traders seized stronger/younger villagers, who were sold at high prices. The Africans were packed onto ships at high density, kept in chains, and provided with minimal food and sanitary facilities. About 1/4 of them died crossing the Atlantic. Nearly all Africans shipped to the 13 colonies ended up in the Southeast, where the large plantations (mostly of Cotton and Tobacco) were located.
Describe US attitudes toward slavery in history:
It was a big issue in politics in the 19th century, and there were bitter debates. The Civil War (1861-1865) was fought to prevent 11 pro-slavery states from seceding. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and the 13th Amendment, (adopted 8 months after the South surrendered), outlawed slavery.
What is the voluntary migration to the US from Latin Americans and Asians?
Until the late 20th, there were quotas limiting the number of immigrants to the US from Latin America & Asia. After the laws were changed, their populations in the US increased rapidly. At first, most Hispanics & Asians were recent immigrants coming in search of work, but in the 21st, most American Asians or Hispanics are children or grandchildren of immigrants.
What clearly defined channels did African Americans migrate out of the South along?
- Most traveled by bus/car along the major two-lane paved/sign-posted US roads that are now highways.
1. East Coast: From NC/SC to MD, Philly, NY, + more.
2. East Central: From AL & Eastern TN to Detroit or Cleveland.
3. West Central: From Mississippi & Western TN to St. Louis and Chicago.
4. Southwest: From TX to CA.
What 2 waves did Southern African Americans migrate north and west in?
- 1910s-1920s before and after WWI.
- 1940s-1950s before and after WWII.
-The WW’s stimulated expansion of factories to produce war material, but the demands of the armed forces created shortages of factory workers. After the wars, factories produced steel, vehicles, and other goods demanded in civilian society.
What is an example of African Americans moving from clustered communities into adjacent neighborhoods in the 1950s-1960s (following major avenues)?
In Baltimore in 1950, most African Americans were in a 1 mile neighborhood northwest of downtown. The rest were clustered east of downtown or in a large isolated housing project on the south side. There were very high density African American neighborhoods, and many families were forced to live in one room w/o bathrooms, hot water, heat.
-Baltimore’s west side African American area expanded from 1 mile to 10 miles in 1970, & a 2 mile area on east side was mostly Afr. American ppl.
What is the US “Separate but Equal” treatment
A concept upheld by the Supreme Court in 1896. Louisiana’s law that made black and white passengers ride in separate cars was apparently constitutional because it provided allegedly “equal” treatment of blacks and whites, and equality DIDN’T mean that blacks and whites had to mix.
What happened in the US after the “Separate but Equal” treatment was permitted?
Southern states enacted many segregation laws, called “Jim Crow” laws, a 19th century song that depicted blacks offensively. This was “equal” because blacks could patronize commercial establishments that served only blacks, they could send their children to all-black schools, and with bus seating everyone got to the destination at the same time.
What is more evidence of segregation throughout the country following “Separate but Equal”?
House deeds contained restrictive covenants that prevented the owners from selling to blacks (or RC’s and Jews in some places). Restrictive covenants also kept blacks from moving into all-white neighborhoods. And because schools, especially at the elementary level, were located to serve individual neighborhoods, most were segregated in practice, even if not by legal mandate.
Explain about the Brown V Board of Education decision:
The landmark Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, in 1954, found that having separate schools for blacks and whites was unconstitutional because no matter how equivalent the facilities, racial separation branded minority children as inferior and unequal. A year later, the Supreme Court further ruled that schools had to be desegregated. The civil rights movement forced the segregation laws to be eliminated in the ’50s-‘60s. Racial discrimination was outlawed in the ’60s.
What is a recent example of environmental racism?
The contamination of drinking water in Flint, MI, whose mostly African American residents have been exposed to lead due to insufficient water treatment. There were legal charges to public officials, and Flint’s water supply is now acceptable, but residents were told to use bottled/filtered water until 2020.
How did the South African government ensure geographic isolation and separate development of the groups designated by apartheid?
They designated 10 “homelands” for blacks, and they were expected to move and become a citizen there. More than 99% of the homeland’s populations were black, and the apartheid laws determined where different races could live, attend school, work, shop, travel, and own land. Blacks had restricted jobs, were paid far lower wages, and couldn’t vote or run for political office in national elections.
