Many Rivers to Cross Film Worksheet notes PDF

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Many Rivers to Cross Film Worksheet notes...

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Name______Stephanie Sandler__________________ Worksheet for the film “Many Rivers to Cross: The Black Atlantic” https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/video/the-black-atlantic/ 1. What did the first Africans in the North America do? Slavery in America began when the first African slaves were brought to the North American colony of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619, to aid in the production of lucrative crops like tobacco. 2. How and when did things change for Africans in the New World? When they came to the New World, Africans began adapting to their new situation through a process called acculturation. Learning a new language was a particularly important part of this process. The British wanted to start being involved in conducting their labor as well once they heard about it. 3. Why is the emergence of slavery in North America not a mystery? Slavery was not primarily an American phenomenon; it has existed worldwide and Africans were known for their primary labor force in producing wealth for Europe. 4. Who were the first slave traders in Sierra Leone and why did they practice slavery? The first slave traders were Black Africans and they practiced slavery due to being based off a system of ethnic difference and brute power. War was common in Africa so as a result people were taken hostage and made into slaves.

5. What misconceptions are usually held about the history of Africa during the slave trade? A misconception is that Africans sold their own people into slavery. This statement implies that parents sold their children. Another common one is that black men were selling black people to the white man in America. 6. Why did Europeans not enslave other Europeans? Europe didn’t enslave other Europeans because Christians didn’t enslave other Christians. Africans were an advantage because they were outside the European community and their race provided a marker of who’s enslavable and who’s not.

7. What were the steps in the dehumanization of Africans? African middlemen brought their slaves from Port Loko Creek to the beach near to sell them. Slaves were herded like cattle. They were branded and then held in pens for shipment to the New World. In the men’s slaveyard, they were examined by cattle. When they were put on the ships, they were branded with a letter S on their breast to show they came from Sierra Leone. 8. How common was death on the slave ships? Death was so common that sharks followed in their wake to feast on dead bodies.

9. Where was the center of the slave trade in the colonies—what percentage of slaves came through this location? Charleston, South Carolina was the center of slave trade in the colonies; Over 40% of slaves came through this city.

10. Why were the rice plantations death traps; how many slaves died in the first year? The swamp ground in the plantations were covered with snakes and the tropical air with malarial mosquitos; 1/3 of slaves died in first year of arrival and 2/3 of children.

11. What happened to slaves who tried to escape? They had to have two toes amputated if they tried to escape. If they tried again, they had to have their ears amputated. If it happened a third time, the result was castration.

12. Why was it important for slave owners to remove the identities of their slaves? It was important in the making of a slave. Slave owners removed it in order for them to be more productive.

13. What did slaves build, apart from buildings? Slaves created memorable cuisines that would be passed down for decades. 14. Why do St. Augustine and Fort Mose (pronounced Moh-say) have special meaning for African Americans; how did politics help them? While slavery was still going on in British colonies, Spain declared that runaway slaves could come there and be free. There was so much black people in St. Augustine that the Africans got their own town built called Fort Mose. Colonial Spain was locked in a ferocious rivalry with colonial England, so they welcomed any fugitive slaves who would convert to Catholicism swear loyalty to Spanish crown and serve in colonial militia.

15. What was Hutchinson’s Rebellion of 1739, and where did other rebellions occur?\ A slave rebellion that began on September 9th, 1739 in the colony of South Carolina. It was the largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies. The uprising was led by Africans who were from the Central African Kingdom of Kongo. Other rebellions occurred in Jamaica, Virginia, Barbados, Georgia and New York City. 16. Where did African Americans serve during the war of the American Revolution, and why?

They fought for their independence and freedom, even if it meant risking their lives, at Lexington and Concord.

17. Why was Washington D.C. chosen as the capital? Washington D.C. was chosen as capital in order to appease southern slave owners.

18. How did the Haitian Revolution provide hope; what was its impact? The Haitian Revolution provided hope for the possibility of a world where slavery ends. Due to its impact, Haiti become a source of immense pride.

19. How was African American culture born? A group of Haitian refugees came to New Orleans from Cuba and started the culture and tradition that came with it....