African American Life Through the 1800s

What were slave codes?

• Secret messages about escaping to freedom that were hidden in songs

• Laws that restricted the freedom of enslaved African Americans

• The price for a slave to purchase his or her freedom

• A traditional form of African art practiced by slaves

Who were the leaders, or "conductors," on the Underground Railroad?

• Slaves who paid to be snuck out of southern states to freedom

• Slave owners who paid others to recapture escaped slaves

• Groups of armed people paid by slave owners to hunt down escaped slaves

• People who worked to help slaves escape from the South

What was one restriction placed on free African Americans?

• They were responsible for paying for the freedom of their enslaved relatives

• They were not allowed to participate in antislavery organizations

• They were forbidden in many states to learn to read and write

• They had to pay for public services that were free for white Americans

Which numbered pair of statements best completes this diagram?

• (1) Many free African Americans moved to states with better laws. (2) It was difficult for free African Americans to change the laws

• (1) Many free African Americans could not be elected to government. (2) It was difficult for free African Americans to change the laws

• (1) Free African Americans revolted in order to change the laws. (2) It was difficult for free African Americans to change the laws

• (1) Many free African Americans could not be elected to government (2) Free African Americans revolted in order to change the laws

Identify three (3) ways African Americans resisted slavery.

• They escaped through the Underground Railroad

• They created laws opposing slavery

• They chose to work only on small plantations

• They organized slave revolts

• They built community organizations

What was the response to the events referred to in these headlines?

• More slaves tried to change the laws by voting and participating in government

• Slave codes became stricter, and new laws made it harder to set slaves free

• State changed laws to force plantation owners to treat their slaves better

• States passed new laws to make it illegal to stage revolts or help slaves escape

Why were free African Americans often forbidden from getting an education?

• White Americans believed educated African Americans would not work

• White Americans wanted to remain in a higher social position than African Americans

• There were already more educated African Americans than educated white Americans

• Jobs legally had to go to educated African Americans over white Americans

What action led to the event described in this headline?

• Vesey led a rebellion that killed dozens of slave owners

• Vesey purchased his own freedom from slavery

• Vesey helped lead slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad

• Vesey planned a slave revolt but was caught

What is true about life under slavery?

• Enslaved African Americans had equal rights to those of white people

• Slave owners discouraged slaves from adopting elements of white culture

• Slaves had a great deal of freedom other than choosing where to work

• Slave owners did not pay slaves for their work

What happened because of the event described in this headline?

• South Carolina placed harsher restrictions on African Americans

• Nat Turner led a slave revolt that freed dozens of slaves

• Many states ended their slave codes

• Harriet Tubman started the Underground Railroad to lead slaves to freedom