THE AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: A HISTORY OF BLACK AMERICANS from 1619 to 1890 Professor Quintard Taylor Department of History University of Washington Fall 2000 Not to know what happened before one was born is to always remain a child. --Cicero I am not ashamed of my grandparents for having been slaves. I am only ashamed for having at one time been ashamed. --Ralph Ellison Awful as race prejudice, lawlessness and ignorance are, we can fight time if we frankly face them and dare name them and tell the truth; but if we continually dodge and cloud the issue, and say the half truth because the whole stings and shames; if we do this, we invite catastrophe. Let us then in all charity but unflinching firmness set our faces against all statesmanship that looks in such directions. --W.E.B. DuBois TABLE OF CONTENTS THE MEANING OF BLACK HISTORY 1 INTRODUCTION 2 COURSE REQUIREMENTS 3 RESEARCH PAPER REQUIREMENT 6 OPTIONAL BOOK REVIEW ASSIGNMENT 7 AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY READING LIST 8 CHAPTER ONE: The African Background 18 Terms For Week One 19 THE ORIGIN OF RACE 20 THE "GOLDEN AGE" OF AFRICAN HISTORY 21 URBAN CIVILIZATION IN WEST AFRICA 23 TIMBUKTU: THE URBAN CENTER OF WEST AFRICA 24 THE WRITERS OF TIMBUKTU 25 SLAVERY IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE 26 THE TRANSFORMATION OF SLAVERY 28 SUGAR AND SLAVERY 30 THE SLAVE TRADE AND AFRICAN SOCIETIES 32 AFRICANS AND EUROPEANS ON THE GOLD COAST 33 THE SIGNARES OF SENEGAL 34 THE SLAVE TRADE OVER FOUR CENTURIES 35 THE SLAVE TRADE IN PERSPECTIVE 36 THE SLAVE TRADE: A PARTICIPANT'S ACCOUNT 37 THE SLAVE TRADE: OLAUDAH EQUIANO REMEMBERS 38 OLAUDAH EQUIANO DESCRIBES THE MIDDLE PASSAGE 39 AMERICAN SHIPS AND THE ILLEGAL SLAVE TRADE 40 OMAR IBN SEID: FROM SENEGAL TO NORTH CAROLINA 41 A DEFENSE OF THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE 42 AFRICANS IN BOLIVIA, 1992 43 CHAPTER TWO: The Evolution of Black Society 45 Terms For Week Two 46 COLOR CONSCIOUSNESS IN 16TH CENTURY ENGLAND 47 ESTEVAN AND THE "DISCOVERY" OF THE U.S. SOUTHWEST 48 ISABEL De OLVERA ARRIVES IN NEW MEXICO 49 MARRIAGE IN COLONIAL NEW MEXICO: THE RODRIGUEZ SAGA 50 THE FOUNDING OF LOS ANGELES 51 BLACKS IN BRITISH NORTH AMERICA: THE FIRST ARRIVALS 52 AFRICANS BECOME AFRICAN AMERICANS 53 BLACK SLAVES AND WHITE SERVANTS IN VIRGINIA, (1705) 54 AFRICAN VS. INDIAN SLAVERY 55 INDIANS AND BLACKS IN THE COLONIAL SOUTHEAST 56 OF CAPTAINS AND KINGS: SLAVERY IN COLONIAL NEW YORK 57 A QUAKER RESOLUTION AGAINST SLAVERY, 1652 59 EIGHTEENTH CENTURY BLACK SLAVE CODES 60 THE FAMILY OF ANN JOICE 61 THE SILVER BLUFF BAPTIST CHURCH, 1773 62 SILVER BLUFF BAPTIST CHURCH IN THE 1990s 63 AFRICAN SLAVES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF RICE CULTIVATION 64 JEFFERSON'S "NOTES" ON INDIANS AND BLACKS 65 THE DEBATE OVER THE BLACK MIND 67 BONES OF THE DEAD 68 CHAPTER THREE: Revolution, 1776, and American Slavery 70 Terms For Week Four 71 CRISPUS ATTUCKS AND THE BOSTON MASSACRE 72 LORD DUNMORE'S PROCLAMATION 74 BRITISH TROOPS AND BLACK FREEDOM 75 JAMES OTIS AND THOMAS JEFFERSON ON SLAVERY 76 THE WORLD OF THOMAS JEFFERSON 77 AFRICAN AMERICANS AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 79 A PETITION FOR FREEDOM, 1784 80 BLACK SOLDIERS IN THE SERVICE OF THE REVOLUTION 81 THE RHODE ISLAND FIRST REGIMENT 82 SOUTH CAROLINA CONTEMPLATES BLACK SOLDIERS 83 THE END OF SLAVERY IN MASSACHUSETTS, 1783 84 THE POETRY OF PHILLIS WHEATLEY 85 CHAPTER FOUR: American Slavery 87 Terms For Week Four 88 THE PLANTATION COMPLEX 89 HAITI AND THE FEARS OF SLAVEHOLDERS 91 HAITI: THE AFTERMATH IN THE SOUTHERN STATES 93 AMERICAN SHIPS AND THE ILLEGAL SLAVE TRADE 95 A NORTHERNER'S DESCRIPTION OF SLAVERY 96 TWO VIEWS OF SLAVERY 97 THE IMPORTANCE OF "BREEDING" 98 SLAVERY'S IMPACT ON RACE AND GENDER ROLES 99 AFRICAN AMERICANS AND SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES 100 SLAVERY AND SOCIAL CONTROL 101 BLACK PARENTS AND THE "SALE" OF THEIR CHILDREN 102 AN ACT PROHIBITING THE TEACHING OF SLAVES TO READ 103 SLAVERY AND SEXUAL ABUSE 104 THE SAGA OF LOUISA PICQUET 106 SLAVERY IN THE SOUTH, 1860 107 AFRICAN SURVIVALS: THE DEBATE 108 AFRICAN SURVIVALS: SLAVE RELIGIOUS MUSIC 109 THE GULLAH LANGUAGE 111 THE PERSISTENCE OF AFRICANISM: BLACK FUNERALS 112 AN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY SLAVE REVOLT 113 GABRIEL PROSSER'S CONSPIRACY 114 A REBELLION ON THE ANDRY PLANTATION 115 NAT TURNER'S CONFESSION 116 TURNER'S REVOLT: THE IMPACT IN THE SLAVE QUARTERS 118 A FUGITIVE SLAVE RESPONDS TO HIS OWNER 121 CHAPTER FIVE: Free Blacks in a Slave Society 124 Terms For Week Five 125 THE FREE AFRICAN SOCIETY 126 RICHARD ALLEN AND THE FOUNDING OF THE AME CHURCH 127 BENJAMIN BANNEKER'S LETTER TO THOMAS JEFFERSON 128 THE FREE AFRICAN SOCIETY, 1787 129 EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS AND AMERICAN RACISM 130 ELIZA GALLIE GOES TO COURT 132 BLACK WOMEN, MARRIAGE, AND SLAVERY 133 FREEDOM'S JOURNAL'S FIRST EDITORIAL 134 A BLACK WOMAN SPEAKS ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS, 1827 135 BLACK MEN ASSESS WOMEN'S RIGHTS 136 AFRO-SPANIARDS IN THE FAR SOUTHWEST 138 FREE BLACKS ON THE TEXAS FRONTIER 139 SANTA ANNA AND BLACK FREEDOM 140 FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED DESCRIBES SAN ANTONIO 141 SLAVE AND FREE BLACKS IN INDIAN TERRITORY 142 THE MORMONS AND BLACK SLAVERY 143 THE O. B. FRANCIS PETITION, 1851 144 BLACK RIGHTS IN ANTEBELLUM OREGON 145 OREGON TERRITORY BANS AFRICAN AMERICANS 146 AFRICAN AMERICANS IN GOLD RUSH CALIFORNIA 147 THE FIRST CALIFORNIA NEGRO CONVENTION, 1855 148 ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE OF CALIFORNIA 149 CONVENTION ADDRESS AT THE SECOND NEGRO CONVENTION, 1831 150 THE NORTH STAR: THE FIRST EDITORIAL 151 FREDERICK DOUGLASS ON THE MEXICAN WAR, 1848 152 BLACK VOTERS ENDORSE THE REPUBLICAN TICKET, 1856 153 THE DRED SCOTT DECISION 154 OSBORNE ANDERSON DESCRIBES JOHN BROWN'S RAID 155 ONE BLACK WOMAN'S RESPONSE TO JOHN BROWN'S RAID, 1859 156 CHAPTER SEVEN: The Civil War 158 Terms for Week Seven: 159 RACE AND THE CIVIL WAR 160 SEEKING THE RIGHT TO FIGHT, 1861-1862 161 BLACK "CONTRABAND" 162 CHARLOTTE FORTEN TEACHES THE EX-SLAVES 164 SUSIE KING TAYLOR AND BLACK FREEDOM 165 THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION 166 A CHRONOLOGY OF EMANCIPATION, 1772-1888 167 FREDERICK DOUGLASS CALLS ON BLACKS TO FIGHT 168 THE NEW YORK CITY DRAFT RIOT, 1863 169 THE NEW YORK DRAFT RIOT, AN EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT 170 RELUCTANT LIBERATORS: NORTHERN TROOPS IN THE SOUTH 171 A BLACK SOLDIER WRITES HOME, 1863 173 THE FORT PILLOW MASSACRE, 1864 174 SOJOURNER TRUTH MEETS PRESIDENT LINCOLN 175 A PROPOSAL TO ENLIST BLACKS IN THE CONFEDERATE ARMY 176 A BLACK SOLDIER DESCRIBES THE FALL OF RICHMOND, 1865 177 A DAY "WORTH LIVING FOR" 178 AN EX-SLAVE AT THE WHITE HOUSE 179 CHAPTER EIGHT: Reconstruction: Economic Transformation? 181 Terms for Week Eight: 182 FREEDOM: THE DAY OF "JUBILO" 183 FELIX HAYWOOD REMEMBERS THE DAY OF JUBLIO 184 JUNETEENTH: BIRTH OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN HOLIDAY 185 THE FIRST YEAR OF FREEDOM 186 "SEND ME SOME OF THE CHILDREN'S HAIR" 187 HELENA CITIZENS CELEBRATE THEIR NEW RIGHTS 188 THE RISE OF INDEPENDENT BLACK CHURCHES 189 THE EVOLVING POST-CIVIL WAR BLACK CHURCH 190 HAMPTON INSTITUTE: THE FOUNDING OF A BLACK COLLEGE 192 ANNA COOPER AND ST. AUGUSTINE'S COLLEGE 193 SOJOURNER TRUTH ON EQUAL RIGHTS 194 MARY ANN SHADD: 19th CENTURY BLACK FEMINIST 195 BIDDY MASON IN SLAVERY AND FREEDOM 196 "IMPUDENT" FREEDWOMEN 198 POST CIVIL WAR COURTSHIP AMONG THE FREEDPEOPLE 199 MARRIAGE AND POST-BELLUM BLACK WOMEN 201 CLOTHING AND FREEDOM 202 TENANTRY OR SHARECROPPING: THE ROOTS OF BLACK POVERTY 203 THE LABOR CONTRACT: THE ROOTS OF BLACK POVERTY 204 A NORTH CAROLINA SHARECROPPING AGREEMENT, 1880 205 THE MEMPHIS RIOT, 1866 206 THE BLACK CODES IN LOUISIANA 207 FREDERICK DOUGLAS DESCRIBES THE "COMPOSITE NATION" 208 CHAPTER NINE: Reconstruction, The Politics of History 210 Terms for Week Nine: 211 RECONSTRUCTION AMENDMENTS, 1865-1870 212 RECONSTRUCTION: THE POLITICS OF HISTORY 213 MARY COGER DEFENDS HER CIVIL RIGHTS 214 FREDERICK DOUGLASS: WHAT THE BLACK MAN WANTS 216 PRESIDENT JOHNSON AND BLACK LEADERS 218 THADDEUS STEVENS DEMANDS BLACK SUFFRAGE 219 A DEBATE OVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS 220 BLACK VOTING RIGHTS: THE VIEW FROM THE FAR WEST 222 BLACK VOTING RIGHTS: A HAWAIIAN NEWSPAPER'S VIEW 223 THE RECONSTRUCTION AMENDMENTS: OREGON'S RESPONSE 224 BLACK RECONSTRUCTION POLITICIANS 226 FIRST RECONSTRUCTION LEGISLATURES 227 SOUTH CAROLINA UNDER BLACK GOVERNMENT 228 RECONSTRUCTION IN MACON COUNTY, ALABAMA 229 THE END OF RECONSTRUCTION IN MISSISSIPPI 230 APPENDIX 231 AFRICAN AMERICAN POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES, 1790-1890 232 THE MEANING OF BLACK HISTORY In the following passage New York Sun columnist Frank Harris offers one reason for the study of African American history. __________________________________________________________________________ Years ago, when I was a college freshman and black studies was still alive and well on college campuses across America, I took a black history course that, as expected, drew a roomful of fellow blacks. But the sight of a white student among the bunch was unexpected. When the professor introduced herself and confirmed the name of the course, he remained seated. Why was a white guy taking a course in black history? My feeling then was that black history was for black people. I felt this way, first, because it was our history that had been so routinely skimmed over by the American educational system, and we were the ones who needed to learn about ourselves; second, because whites, when presented with the option of learning about black history, had opted against it. But my curiosity about this white student evolved into respect by semester's end. I respected him not simply because he was there, but because he took a sincere interest in bridging the gap in his knowledge about the history of people with whom he shared this nation.