Historical Background I

Slavery

a) When and how did slavery begin in the southern state?

Africans were being "imported" in the 16th century by the Spanish. The Southern state s only begun practising it in 1619 in Virginia.

b) Which country were the slaves brought from?

West and Central Africa.

c) Who traditionally bought and owned slaves?

Europeans such as the Spanish traditionally bought and owned slaves but soon it spread to the Southern States.

d) Were there laws/rules that the slaves had to abide by? If yes what were they?

Yes, there were. Slaves cannot fight back when their "masters" abuse them is one among others.

THE CIVIL WAR

a. Identify the Southern states.

Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

b.Who was the US president who proclaimed war against the South?

Abraham Lincoln.

c.Why was the civil war fought?

Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America. A secession refers to the act of withdrawing from an organisation or union and refusing to adhere to the laws of that organisation or union. The Southern states relied heavily on slavery for their industries and when the Federal Government abolished slavery, the Southern states seceded.

d.When was the civil war fought?

It was fought from 1861 to 1865.

e.What was the outcome of this war?

The Southern States were defeated and 3.5 million African American slaves were released by Union armies.

JIM CROW LAWS

a. What/who is Jim Crow?
The origin of the phrase "Jim Crow" has often been attributed to "Jump Jim Crow", a song-and-dance caricature of African Americans which first surfaced in 1832. As a result of the song's fame, "Jim Crow" had become a pejorative expression meaning "African American" by 1838.

b.What were the Jim Crow laws?

Jim Crow laws allowed for segregation in businesses, neighborhoods, schools, and other facets of daily life. African Americans were forced to use separate sections of buses and trains, sit in separate sections of restaurants, and attend separate schools than white Americans.