American Slavery Quiz

1. How was indentured servitude different from enslavement of Africans in the British North American colonies?

• a. Indentured servants were freed at the end of a set number of years.

• b. Children born during an indentured servant’s term had to serve until adulthood.

• c. Only men could be indentured.

• d. Indentured servants came from the West Indies.

2. Which of the following was NOT true of chattel slavery as it developed in the British colonies?

• a. Enslaved people were considered personal property.

• b. Enslaved people had no human rights.

• c. Enslaved people could be bought, sold or inherited.

• d. Enslaved people inherited the status of their father.

3. Which was NOT a common form of resistance among enslaved people?

• a. Violent armed rebellion

• b. Running away

• c. Feigning illness

• d. Breaking tools and slowing the pace of work

4. In the Declaration of Independence, what percentage of enslaved people were included in the line “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

• a. 0%

• b. 25%

• c. 50%

• d. 75%

• e. 100%

5. Which was NOT a condition of life for enslaved people?

• a. Hard work, even for women and children

• b. Isolation, subjugation and fear of punishment

• c. The ability to always keep families intact

• d. The ability to hunt, fish and grow gardens to supplement their diets

6. Which formally ended slavery in the United States?

• 13th Amendment to the Constitution

• Emancipation Proclamation

• Treaty ending the Civil War

• Civil Rights Act of 1968

7. Which was the reason the South seceded from the Union?

• a. To preserve states’ rights

• b. To preserve slavery

• c. To protest taxes on imported goods

• d. To avoid rapid industrialization

8. Communities of enslaved people created music to...

• a. Entertain enslavers in the Big House

• b. Pass the time

• c. Express dreams and frustrations

• c. Express dreams and frustrations

9. People enslaved by colonists in North America included all of the following except:

• a. Irish people

• b. Muslims

• c. West Africans

• d. Native Americans

10. Just before the Civil War, what was true of the North?

• a. Most people there opposed slavery.

• b. Northern banks, industries and shipping profited from slavery.

• c. It was separate from the South, with few economic or social ties.

• d. Free black people could vote and had other civil rights there