Slavery Tori Gordillo W. Stiern Middle School Ms.Marshall CA Standard: HSS 8.7.2

The Portuguese started the slave trade in 1562 They thought of it as an opportunity for the African Americans to learn Christianity Many slaves came from the west coast of Africa in a place called Sundan Slaves were eventually called “Black Gold”

Spent nearly 30 years as a slave Born in Dorchester Country Helped the runaway slaves Was one of the leaders of the underground railroad Usually kept and fed persons in her house at a time Died in March of 1913

Underground Railroad A Large network of people helping fugitive slaves escape to the north and Canada South lost about 100,000 slaves from In 1868 George Washington complained of a “Society of Quakers” helping his slave run away People donated and fundraised money to help get the slaves to the north and buy them new clothes so no suspicion was attracted to them

“Slave Drivers” were trusted slaves that were promoted to assistants of the whites, who whipped fellow slaves in order to not get whipped themselves Slave children under the age of 8 had much free time and sometimes became friends of the white children but as they grew and went to work they lost their childhood friends Slave owners gave their children to slave women, often the slave was the first object of childhood affection Slaves were over crowded in small cabins

Men were usually chained together in pairs to help avoid uprisings, while women and children were allowed to wander around unchained Slaves were usually fed rice, beans, yams, and salted pork or beef When there was a shortage of food drastic measures were taken, in some cases sick slaves were thrown over board Many slaves died from disease that couldn’t be cured over seas such as, “flux” or scurvy Many slaves committed suicide and purposely jumped over board or starved themselves

When slaves didn’t communicate some captains made their ship a “living hell”, both for slaves and their crew Crews were often afraid of slaves revolting After a failed revolt the slaves responsible were severely tortured, they were usually whipped until there was no skin left on their back and afterward substances, such as salt, to increase the pain Another form of torture was the “thumb screw” which was tightened until a finger was crushed

Slaves were usually sold either on board or at a dockside In a “scramble sale” slaves that weren’t sold were given away at a discounted price or even for free, buyers would grab all the slaves they could Buyers would carefully examine the slaves before choosing and buying a slave, the slaves thought to be the most fit for hard labor were usually bought first About a week before the slaves were scheduled to come ashore they were fed well and rubbed with psalm oil to “appear” healthier

Slavery Timeline 1800: Gabriel Prosser attempts a slave rebellion 1808: It becomes illegal to ship slaves from Africa 1820 Missouri compromise was adopted 1831: Nat Turner leads a slave rebellion in Virginia 1833: the American Anti-slavery society was established in Philadelphia 1852: Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published : Civil War 1865: Slaves are freed

Bibliography “The African American: A Journey from Slavery to Freedom”. “The Underground Railroad” &gbv=2&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10&safe=activehttp://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=slave+trade &gbv=2&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10&safe=active Grant, Reg. Slavery: Real People and Their Stories of enslavement. New York, New York. DK publishing, 2009 Blassingame, John W. The Slave Community: Plantation Life in the Anti-Bellum South. Published in the United States. Oxford University Press, 1972