I Would Like You To Read A Few Sources Related To The Issue

I Would Like You To Read A Few Sources Related To the Issue Of Afri

I would like you to read a few sources related to the issue of Africa’s role in African-American history. We will focus on religion in particular, as religion played a vital role in sustaining community and offering resistance throughout the period of slavery. As you read, think about the concept of syncretism. Syncretism means a blending of traditions, and religious scholars often employ the concept to describe the way a culture might blend its own religious beliefs and practices with that of a conquering nation’s beliefs and practices. The spread of Catholicism is a case in point, and syncretism describes why Catholicism has such distinct identities across the world.

Syncretism need not only refer to religion, and it is also useful to think about the concept in relation to the creation of African America in general. The readings: 1. Read Olaudah Equiano’s description of West African religion here : View the lyrics to the spiritual “Go Down Moses” here : Read Henry Bibb’s account of conjuring among antebellum slaves here : Laurie Miffly-Kipp’s overview of African-American Christianity: Write* a 150-word response to at least one of these questions: 1. What evidence of syncretism do we see in the second and third sources? 2. Why do you think people of African descent converted to Christianity? 3. How useful is the concept of syncretism to understanding African-American history as a whole? Can you give other examples of syncretism in areas other than religion? The topic of our discussion this week is the social construction of race.

This is not an easy topic, as it challenges many of the assumptions we have all grown up with regarding how to define race. Start thinking of race as a concept with historical origins applied differently according to region or nation. To begin your exploration of this concept, go here: racial-identity-are-social- constructs#:~:text=In%20sum%2C%20the%20fact%20that,of%20consequence%20or%20tangi ble%20effects. and read this short discussion of the definition of race. Now that you’ve read this piece, think about these questions and formulate a 150-word response addressing one or more of the following: 1. What does it mean to call race a social construction? 2. If race is a social construction, then what is ethnicity? How do we differentiate the two? 3. What does this definition of race mean for African-American history and culture?

Now that you’ve spent some time thinking about the major themes of the chapter, I’d like you to spend some time going over key terms from the chapter. We will do this each week as a way of preparing for the midterm exam. After you have located the terms, I would like you to provide a date, a definition, and a statement of significance for the term. I will not grade these, but doing this exercise each week will ensure a good performance on the exams. Since this is the first week, let’s take a moment to discuss how to approach defining the terms. Below is a sample term and how to date, define, and state the significance.

Term: Christopher Columbus

Date: 1492

Definition: Christopher Columbus was a Genoese explorer who believed he could find a new route to Asia by sailing westward. He received funding from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain for his voyage, and in 1492, he set sail. Instead of finding a new route for tapping into the lucrative Asian trade, he discovered two continents--the Americas.

Significance: Columbus's voyage resulted in European nations competing to exploit the resources of the new lands, leading to conquest, colonization, and devastating impacts on Native American civilizations.

Your task is to do the same with four terms from Chapter 1:

1. creole people

2. Ethiopianism

3. George Washington Williams

4. John Hope Franklin

And from Chapter 2:

1. Maafa

2. Olaudah Equiano

3. Middle Passage

4. Anthony Johnson

5. Indentured Servitude

This exercise will help deepen your understanding of the key concepts and prepare you for the midterm.