Unit 3 Quiz - Slavery Flashcards
Slavery in Constitution
3/5th Compromise, Gagrule, Fugitive Slave Clause, Euphemisms used.
In what Article and Clause is the Fugitive Slave Clause mentioned?
Article 4, Section 2
What does the Fugitive Slave Clause state?
That if any person held to service or labor (slaves/servants), escapes said labor, they shall be returned to their owners.
What is the 3/5 Compromise?
3/5 of “other” people (slaves) population would determine direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives
Where is the 3/5th Compromise mentioned?
Article 1, Section 2
How is the 3/5th compromise mentioned?
Refers indirectly to black people, a common trend in the constitution.
Status of Slave Trade in Constitution
Gagrule?
What is a Euphemism?
An indirect word or expression substituted for one considered too harsh or blunt, when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
What euphemisms are used in the Constitution?
phrases like “bound to service, held to service, other people, and importations of persons.”
Euphamism used for slavery:
The Peculiar Institution
Who would use a euphemism like this to refer to slavery?
White property owners, person of authority (Founding Fathers).
What are the ways in which slavery is “peculiar”?
Contradicts American values (freedom, liberty, justice for all, unity, equality, democracy, opportunity, individualism).
Arguments for constitution being pro-slavery?
- 10 out of 11 clauses in constitution promoted slave trade.
- Congress gagrule on slave trade
- The refusal to mention slaves directly
- 3/5th compromise
- Vast majority of Founding Fathers were slave owners
- Congress mostly controlled by slave-owning states
Arguments for constitution for being against slavery?
- Enslaved people were defined legally as “persons” and not property.
- Madison mentioned in secrecy notes that “slaves are not merchandise”
- Gagrule–> only 20 years (will eventually end)
How were Europe, Africa, and the Americas involved in the Triangular Trade?
Europe to Africa–> manifactured goods (pots, pans, guns, alcohol, horses)
Africa to Americas (North and South)–> Sold to Americas for goods
Americas to Europe–> Sugar, Cotton, Rum, Tobacco, Coffee
What is the Middle Passage?
Passage between Africa and Americas
What was the Middle Passage journey like?
- 2 to 3 month journey
- 500 to 600 slaves packed into shape space
- Captains only earned commissions on slaves they landed (more slaves survived–> more money)
How did Olaudah Equiano describe the middle passage?
Describe what took place
What stood out
In what year did the first Africans in America arrive?
1619, Jamestown Virginia
What is Indentured Servitude?
Signing a contract binding you to your master for 3-7 years (voluntarily)
Why would someone want to commit to indentured servitude?
- Passage to America
- Food (famine common in Europe)
-Clothing
-Shelter - Salary (skin color can determine if you have one or not)
Slavery is simply defined as
Forced against will to work, not payed, people used as property.
What would male servants work as/in?
Brick layering, cooking, coachmen, blacksmith, musician
What would female servants work as/in?
Laundry, sewing, housekeeping
What did Thomas Smythe mention when slaves started to come into the field?
He said that they kept Africans away from the indentured slaves for fear of shared rebellion.
“Society with slaves to a slave society”
Thomas Smythe
How did Thomas Smythe feel while serving for his master
Fell sick, only thought about survival, master not happy with him. Hates how he is living life, but has hope in God.
How did Thomas Smythe get treated?
Better than most because of his blacksmith skills
What was Thomas Smythe’s experience on the Middle Passage like?
-Crowded ships
-Rough seas
-Little food
-Illness, disease, death
How do slave owners justify slavery?
- “The Greeks and Romans had slaves too, and their government were Republics and Democracies like ours”
- “Slavery keeps troublemaking black people under control”
- “Slavery was in the bible, so it couldn’t be wrong.”
- “Slavery is good for economy.”
Why was the Fugitive State Law enforced?
White people belief that if slave runs away, will start murdering citizens.
What happened when the British economy improved in 1680?
British economy went up, more jobs available. Indentured servitude rates went down, so slavery became a commercial necessity.
Why did the cotton gin increase slave labor?
The more cotton being produced–> the more demand for it, the more slaves needed
What was the backbone of the slave economy?
The South
What is the Planter Aristocracy?
Southern Society run by elite wealthy planters, especially those holding hereditary titles or offices.
Yeomen/Subsistence farmers
- poor farmers
- bad soil
- lived in backcountry and mountains
What is Chattel Slavery?
Owned for life, children enslaved, property
Owned small amount of slaves..
but made up majority of masters.
How would a woman’s slave price be determined?
- Prices correlated with remaining years of fertility
- Price would be diminished if menopause
- How attractive the female slave was
Ways they promoted slaves for them to be sold:
- Young
-Speaks English - Make it known no disease on slave
Where would the slave auction sales be put in newspapers?
On the last page in a small part of page with property/animals advertised
What were some jobs that urban slaves performed?
Domestic labor
Industrial Work
Loading Goods into Ships
Transporting Goods
How was urban slavery different than rural slavery?
Urban slaves werent controlled by agricultural calender
When ships came in, when they were loaded
The rhythm of work was fast paced and different
What are cash crops?
profit crop which is grown only for selling and profiting (cotton and tobacco)
Urban slavery involved a lot of forced intimacy, such as…
Slave lived with owner, to have sleeping at foot of bed
Rung bell to bring food/water/anything really
Seperation from slave communities
