Apush Chapter 11/12 Focus Questions

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APUSH Chapter 11/12

1.Explain how the process of adaptation helped slaves develop their own separate culture. How was this a form of resistance as well? Men, women, and children were forced into slavery from all over Africa, which is a land of widely varying cultures and unique tribal groups. In addition to this natural diversity, slaves were separated intentionally from their friends and families to discourage rebellion and communication. However, slaves in the Americas overcame the language barrier by speaking in their own pidgin language. Music, hymns, and religious hopes they developed also added to their new culture far different than that of white America. This difference allowed slaves of many backgrounds to unite as a single entity and drive against slave owners. For example, slaves would break their tools in order to delay production and farming.

2. What role did language and music play in sustaining racial pride and unity for slaves? Slaves sang hymns to express their feelings of oppression and injustice, as well as their hopes of freedom. They sang songs during their fieldwork and labor in order to make the time and effort pass quicker and to motivate one another to keep pushing forward both figuratively and literally. Language was also key because it allowed slaves to create their own separate culture and identity. Slaves were able to grow closer despite their varying heritage and even formed families and had marriages (although they were often torn apart due to the frequent buying and selling).

3. Who were the transcendentalists? What was their philosophy, and how did they express it in literature? The transcendentalists were a group of young men and women, many of whom were artists or authors, who believed that every person finds truth within themselves and that self-reliance and individuality, should be key to development. They wanted social reforms and thought this would be achieved via distance from the controlling...
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