SLAVERY

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM. EVERYBODY KNOWS IT’S THERE BUT ARE RELUCTANT TO DISCUSS IT.

SLAVERY!! That dark period in America’s past that many would like to forget, ignore, and avoid discussing altogether.

…SOCIETY TELLS US… NEVER FORGET !!! The GREAT FOUNDING FATHERS

…SOCIETY TELLS US… Never Forget !!!!!!

…SOCIETY TELLS US… Never forget !!!! 9/11 attacks

BUT SLAVERY… !!!!

…SOCIETY TELLS US… But Slavery ……. GET OVER IT !!!!

Get over it ???? !!!!! HOW CAN YOU IGNORE HUNDREDS OF YEARS OF HISTORY?

Get over it ???? !!!!! EXCUSE ME……but DID WE ASK YOU TO BRING US OVER HERE?

Get over it ???? !!!!! HOW CAN WE BE CALLED “AFRICAN - AMERICAN “ BUT NOT TALK ABOUT HOW WE REALLY CAME HERE?

SLAVERY…. Let’s take a closer look on how it all began. Begin TAKING NOTES …….

REMEMBER ??? SONGHAI…..THE LAST GREAT AFRICAN EMPIRE.

WELL….. When Songhai weakened, the West African people were without a strong government and leader. Tribal wars existed and Africans enslaved one another.

SLAVERY IN AFRICA Yes, it is true. Africans DID enslave one another AT A POINT IN TIME.

EUROPEAN EXPLORATION During this same time, Europeans were exploring the world, in search of new trade routes and religious freedom.

EUROPEAN EXPLORATION Led by Portugal, and Spain these; Europeans nations spent lots of money and time sailing the seas.

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS Was financed by Spain to find an easier trade route to India to trade for spices.

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS Greatly underestimated the size of the seas while traveling west and ended up in a place he NEVER knew existed.

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS When he arrived, people were ALREADY living there. Believing he was in India, Columbus called them INDIANS… a term that is STILL used to this day.

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS This “New World” to Columbus was claimed for the King and Queen of Spain.

So in reality…. Columbus DID NOT “discover” AMERICA. As some give him credit for doing. The Native Americans were exploited and enslaved by the Europeans until they eventually died off.

The 1 st slaves in America The Native Americans were the first slaves in America. They died off very quickly from the alcohol and diseases brought to them from the Europeans.

EUROPEANS INVADE AFRICA

EUROPEAN INVADERS In time, African slaveholders began to trade other Africans to Europeans who were in desperate need of help in establishing their “stolen land.” from the Native Americans.

EUROPEAN INVADERS The following countries in Europe took slaves out of Africa to be made slaves in the “New World”. Portugal Spain England Netherlands France

THE AFRICAN HOLOCAUST aka TRANS ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE or TRIANGULAR TRADE

1ST LEG The first leg of the trip was from Europe to Africa Guns, alcohol, cloth, iron were sent to African villages in order to instigate wars and have Africans capture other Africans for trade to Europeans.

African Selling African

2ND LEG Captured Africans sent to the Caribbean/West Indies and the Americas. Known as the “Middle Passage”

SLAVE SHIP

MIDDLE PASSAGE The trip on the slave ships would last anywhere from 3 to 4 months. Ships were over packed and many Africans died along the way from starvation, disease, sickness, suicide, and exhaustion. Some of the women were even RAPED!

MIDDLE PASSAGE

Watch clip from Amistad.

3RD LEG Raw materials were sent to Europe. Europe could sell them to other countries for profit. sugar cotton indigo tobacco molasses rice

SUGAR CANE Sugar Cane fields were primarily in the Caribbean islands and the slaves produced the world’s supply of sugar during that time period.

MOLASSES Molasses was extracted from sugar cane and used to sweeten the rum created in Europe.

INDIGO Indigo is a plant where you can extract a bluish dye from. Indigo was used for color in making clothes.

COTTON Cotton was the main cash crop in the South. Cotton plants are low to the ground and takes a lot of work to pluck out the seeds.

TOBACCO Tobacco is grown in the fields and is the main ingredient in cigarettes and cigars. Virginia is the main region slaves harvested tobacco

RICE Rice is grown in the fields and takes a long process to harvest. Slaves picked rice in the South Carolina region.

Complete handout on the African Holocaust Map.

JUSTIFICATION

????????????? Have you ever wondered HOW a bad thing, such as slavery, could last for so long?

$$$$$$$$$ Many nations financed and backed the slavery system and made huge profits from the slavery system.

RELIGION Europeans mis- interpreted certain scripture in the Bible to MAKE themselves BELIEVE that enslaving BLACK people was in accordance to God.

HOW TO MAKE A SLAVE

HOW DO YOU MAKE SOMEONE DO SOMETHING THEY DON’T WANT TO DO ??

MAKING OF A SLAVE HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF WILLIE LYNCH ?

WILLIE LYNCH Willie Lynch was a white slave-owner who lived in the West Indies/Caribbean during the times of slavery

WILLIE LYNCH He was invited to Virginia to help the slave-owners manage their slaves better.

WILLIE LYNCH THE SLAVES IN THE AREA WERE GETTING OUT OF CONTROL AND SLAVE- OWNERS WERE RESULTING IN BEATING AND KILLING THEIR SLAVES TO ATTEMPT TO KEEP THEM IN LINE.

WILLIE LYNCH THIS TYPE OF PUNISHMENT WAS NOT THE ANSWER BECAUSE THE SLAVES NEEDED TO BE PHYSICALLY HEALTHY IN ORDER TO WORK

WILLIE LYNCH INTRODUCED HIS METHOD OF CONTROLLING SLAVES WITHOUT HARMING THEM PHYSICALLY.

WILLIE LYNCH SAID THAT HIS METHOD WOULD LAST FOR AT LEAST 300 YEARS BUT COULD LAST FOR EVEN THOUSANDS OF YEARS

THE WILLIE LYNCH LETTER LET’S READ IT ! ( distribute handout)

So if you really think about it… The slave mentality… STILL exists to this VERY DAY.