African Studies Exam Review

Montane Forest – Tundra = covers the least amount of area on the African Landscape Desert Tropical Rain Forest Savanna

Economic Activities in the African Rain forests consists of Hunting-gathering, lumbering and rubber tapping

* According to Dr. Diop man originated in the Central Eastern Part of Africa

* Dr. Diop believed in a monogenetic theory of man

We originated from one species of man

Dr. Diop believed the first man was dark brown; he would need the dark pigment to survive in the east central part of Africa.

“The Boldest Hoax” was motivated to prove that the original species was Caucasian, while disproving that man originated in Africa. This was supported by an attitude of white superiority.

DNA is supporting Dr. Diop’s belief, that all of our family trees all started in Africa.

The Sumerians = are considered the world’s first civilized people because of their ability to create a system of farming.

The Chiefdoms in Egypt controlled the flood waters for irrigation & farming

Hieroglyphics = the original writing system of Egypt

Portugal and Spain start the African slave trade in the early 1500’s

African Slaves were used for; Mining Gold, Planting and harvesting Sugar Cane; & Planting and Harvesting of Cotton in the “New World”

Olaudah Equiano was captured in Africa and put on a ship by the Aros (a group of black Africans). He was afraid of being eaten by white men or beaten for not eating. He also feared never returning home to Africa.

Ex-slave J. W. Fields said the most slaves wanted to read and write and it was illegal for slave owners to educate their slaves. Ignorance of the slaves was essential to keeping the system of slavery.

Slaves in the America’s relied on their own natural remedies to cure sickness and disease.

Slaves in the American South used Folk tales, religion and music to retain their African Culture.

Examples of active resistance used my female slaves in the Caribbean were Stealing, damaging tools and equipment as well as refusing sexual intercourse with masters.

In the “Missouri trial of 1855” the slave Celia murdered her master, in response to his continual rape of her. Celia was eventually put to death by the State of Missouri.

European Colonialism of Africa; it exploited African natives. Most profits made went into the hands of European capitalists and many of Africa’s natural resources were depleted. European colonialism had negative long term effects in the continent.

The Anglo-Boar War was a conflict between to separate white groups, the Afrikaner’s and the English colonists; who both wanted to control the government of South Africa.

The Afrikaners are a South African ethnic group descended from predominantly white Dutch settlers.  

George Washington’s believed that the establishment of slavery in the country should be gradually phased out.

The growth of the cotton industry and its dependence on free slave labor, deepened support for slavery in America’s south

The Colony of New Jersey in the year 1738; Most slaves lived in counties near Perth Amboy, which was New Jersey’s main port of entry at the time. Free blacks could not own land.