Unit 1: The Formation of the African Diaspora

Mercantilism

An economic theory that emphasizes the importance of accumulating wealth through trade, commonly used to justify the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Chattel Slavery

A system where one person has total ownership over another, reducing enslaved individuals to properties rather than human beings.

Indigenous Servitude

Forms of servitude in Africa that were often temporary, humanizing, and linked to kinship rights.

Middle Passage

The horrific journey of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas.

Tight Packing

A method used by slave ship captains to maximize the number of enslaved individuals carried, often resulting in high mortality.

African Diaspora

The mass dispersion of peoples from Africa as a result of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Creolization

The blending of African, European, and Indigenous cultures resulting from the slave trade in the Americas.

Syncretism

The blending of different religious beliefs into a new system, seen in enslaved populations adapting their faiths.

Vodou

A religion that developed in Haiti blending Fon/Ewe beliefs with Catholicism.

Santería

A religion in Cuba that blends Yoruba beliefs with Catholicism practiced by Afro-Cubans.

Candomblé

A Brazilian religion that combines elements of African beliefs, particularly Yoruba, with Catholicism.

Gullah Geechee

A creole language spoken along the coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia, retaining much African grammar and vocabulary.

The Floating Tomb

A term used to describe the slave ships that transported enslaved Africans due to the appalling conditions on board.

African Polities

African nations and societies that participated in the slave trade by selling captives to Europeans.

Colonial Economy

The economic system developed in the Americas that relied heavily on slave labor for agricultural production.

Resistance

The various forms of opposition shown by enslaved Africans against their captivity, including rebellions and suicide.

Triangular Trade

The three-legged trade route that linked Europe, Africa, and the Americas during the slavery period.

Barracoons

Fortified enclosures where enslaved Africans were held before being transported on slave ships.

Hereditary Slavery

A system where the status of being enslaved is passed down through generations.

Cultural Retention

The preservation of African cultural elements among enslaved people despite their forced displacement.

Racialized Slavery

A form of slavery in which the enslaved status is determined by race, as seen in the Americas.

Economic Necessity

A driving factor for the establishment of chattel slavery due to the demand for labor-intensive crops.

Sugar Plantations

Agricultural areas in the Americas that heavily relied on enslaved labor for sugar production.

Agency

The capacity of enslaved individuals to act independently and make choices, often in resistance to their situation.

Insurrections

Attempts by enslaved peoples to revolt against their captors on slave ships or plantations.

Legal Rights (Chattel Slavery)

The absence of rights for enslaved individuals, who were considered properties under law.

Crops of the Americas

Agricultural products, such as sugar, tobacco, and cotton, produced largely through slave labor.