Week 2 Flashcards
What were the key determinants of acculturation of slaves?
1) Length of servitude.
2) Parallels between their culture and the culture of their masters.
3) The role of the master’s government and religious leaders in protecting, training, and converting the slaves to the faith.
4) Treatment of the slave.
How many Europeans were between the eight and the nineteenth century?
500,000 to 1 million by Arabs, Turks, and West Africans.
When did European servitude to Muslims begin?
When the iberian peninsula was invaded in 711.
How were Europeans enslaved after Muslims were forced out of the iberian peninsula in the 15th century?
Muslims raided the coasts of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, France, England, Ireland, and Icelandic, Sardenia, Corsica, and Cyprus, sacked towns, and bough captives back to north Africa where they were enslaved because they were infidels.
Who made up most of European Slaves?
Portuguese, Spaniards, and Italians captured during the centuries long religious wars bordering the Mediterranean sea.
How were accounts of European slaves similar to African Slaves?
1) They frequently believed that they would be eaten by their Arab captors.
2) They were marched through the desert and struggled to adapt to the diet.
3) Suffered from dysentery, became dehydrated, emaciated waling skeletons.
4) Forced exercise on North African coast to demonstrate their stamina,
5) Groped and examined by their captors.
6) Became more religious after capture. Prayed they would be ransomed or rescued.
7) Many went insane and some committed suicide.
8) Became resigned to their fate as their christian counterparts were either sold or killed.
How were European slaves treated by their Arab captors on the African coasts?
They were treated very terrible. Forced to march through the desert, stripped of their clothes, shoes, drank their urine or urine of camels for survival. Spit on, called fonta “bad” , and often beaten or stoned to death during their first weeks of captivity. Occasionally become so hungry they developed cannibalistic tendencies.
Captain James Riley
Shipwrecked on the African coast in 1815. Weight fell from 240 to 90 pounds
T/F Europeans were treated better by West Africans than Arabs?
True, due to abundance of food, nature of west african slavery, and culture of their black masters. Were enslaved out of curiosity as much as labor.
Robert Adams
American Sailor that was enslaved for several months in Timbuktu in 1810. Recalled that he was treated kindly and was the subject of curious and kept as a slave in the kings palace to entertain him as a guest.
How did Whites fair when captured at sea?
Stripped of clothes and transfered to the privateer. Locked in the small hold and given putrid water and food once every 24 hours during their 4 week journey to North Africa. Apprehension and fear upon seeing people who thronged around them. Marched through the city and featured in slave auctions.
Bagnios
Semi dark prisons which frequently housed European slaves on the north african coast. Contained taverns and chapels in the 18th century and had christian corporals who maintained order and assigned work.
M De Brisson
Enslaved in 1785. Wrote, “I was now the only slave in this clan; not a soul was left to sympathize with me in my misfortunes. My situation became every day more deplorable; yet i resolved to steel myself to the sense of it all.”
