African-Americans in the Thirteen Colonies (Cornerstones of Freedom)
What I Learned Section 1 -- Answer
the Following Questions:
1. Who was the first African-American doctor to
practice in the American colonies?
James Derham. James Derham was born a slave in 1767. His master,
also a doctor, provided Derham with medical books. Derham became
the first African-American doctor in the American colonies and
a leading doctor in New Orleans.
2. What year did the
Boston Massacre occur?
1770. In the late 1760's, talks of colonial independence began
to stir and tensions between the American colonies and Britain
increased. On March 5, 1770, a crowd of colonialists insulted
British soldiers, and the soldiers opened fire. Three people died
and eight were wounded. Crispus Attucks was one of the people
who died. Did you know Attucks
is considered by Historians to be the first casualty in the American
3. What happened on
July 4, 1776?
The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental
Congress in Philadelphia. The Declaration of Independence declared
the American colonies independent from British rule. It begins,
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable
Rights, that among that are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of
Happiness." With the approval and signing of the Declaration of
Independence it is puzzling to think how can it be said "all
men are created equal" in a nation that allows slavery.
4. True or False: About
5,000 African-Americans fought in the American Revolution.
True. The American Revolution was fought from 1775 to 1783. During
this war, approximately 5,000 slave and free African-Americans
served with local militia and the Continental Army and Navy. The
Continental Army was fully integrated. Did
you know African-Americans fought at the Battles of
Concord and Lexington (the first battles of the war) and the Battle
of Bunker Hill?
5. What year did Vermont
1777. Vermont prohibited slavery within its borders in 1777. By
1804, northern states passed laws abolishing slavery. The South,
however, depended on slavery. By the mid-1800's the United States
was divided over the issue of slavery: the North wanted to abolish
(end) slavery, and the South wanted slavery to continue.
When Abraham Lincoln was elected president
in November, 1860, South Carolina seceded (withdrew) from the
Union. In March, 1861, Lincoln was sworn in as the 16th President.
Eleven Southern states had seceded from the Union and formed their
own government called the Confederate States of America. Slavery
was legal in the Confederate States of America. The issue of slavery
was one of the causes leading up to the Civil War in 1861.
Four years later, in 1865, the North had
defeated the South, and the United States was again one nation.
The Thirteenth Amendment was added to the U.S. Constitution in
1865. It abolishes slavery in the United States.
Although slavery was unconstitutional,
African-Americans were not treated fairly and equally. One hundred
years later, during the 1950's and 1960's, the Civil Rights Movement
fought for equality, justice, and liberty for all Americans.
What I Learned Section 2 -- Define the
Bondage: Slavery; the state of being held or controlled
against one's will
Chattel: Piece of personal property
Indentured Servant: Person who
legally bound himself or herself to work for a master for a period
Insurrection: Revolt against a
Passive Resistance: Nonviolent
act of defiance toward authority, such as slaves stopping work
to protest an overseer's cruel treatment
Stamp Act: Tax placed on the American
colonies by Britain in 1765
Bonus Questions (Answer 1 of the
Following Questions for Your FREE
a. Describe a slave's capture in Africa and
journey to America.
When Africans were captured in Africa and brought to the American
colonies, there was no distinction between age, gender or social
classes. Raiding parties swept through villages in Africa and
captured men, women, and children from many social classes, including
princes and peasants.
The African prisoners were branded on the
chest with the mark on the slave trader, striped naked, and chained
together. They were loaded onto a cramped boat to begin the several
month journey to America. There was no bathroom. Disease was very
high -- about one in ten Africans died during the passage across
the Atlantic Ocean.
Between 1500 and 1800, European slave traders
brought approximately ten million Africans to the Americas. About
five percent of these slaves came to the American colonies. The
other 95 percent were shipped to the West Indies, Brazil, or Latin
Once in America, slave owners inspected
the slaves. They felt their muscles, examined their teeth, and
checked for disease. Slave families were often torn apart because
the family members were sold to different owners.
b. Name ONE African-American
mentioned in this book and describe one of his or her accomplishments.
was a trailblazer and guide during the early European expeditions
into what is now the southern United States.
Anthony Johnson came to the American colonies as a slave.
He became a respected Virginia landowner.
Mathias Sousa was a servant. He became rich trading with
Native Americans and was elected to the Maryland Assembly.
Onesimus was a slave in Massachusetts. In 1721, Onesimus
told his master about inoculations. In Africa, doctors intentionally
infected healthy people with a small dose of a disease to prevent
them from becoming seriously ill with the disease later. Onesimus'
master shared this information with a doctor, and it led to the
first smallpox inoculations given in the American colonies.
James Derham was born a slave in 1767, and became the first
African-American doctor in the American colonies.
Benjamin Banneker was born a free man in Maryland in 1731.
He excelled in science and math, and he was interested in astronomy.
Although he had never seen a clock, Banneker built a clock which
kept perfect time for fifty years. He was only 22 years old at
the time. Banneker was also one of the surveyors who laid out
the boundaries of what would later became Washington, D.C.
Phillis Wheatley was born in Africa in 1753. She was captured
when she was eight years old and brought to Boston. Wheatley learned
to read and became an accomplished poet. Her book of poems was
published in 1773. Did you know
one of her poems was about General George Washington?
Samuel Fraunces owned a hotel and restaurant in New York
City which George Washington visited.
Emmanuel and Mary Bernoon ran a restaurant in Providence,
Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable was
born in St. Marc, Sainte-Domingue. He established a fur trader
trading business on Lake Michigan. Today, this area is called
Chicago. Did you know he was
the first non-Native American to settle in this area and is considered
the founder of Chicago?
Crispus Attucks was killed during the Boston Massacre on
March 5, 1770. Did you know
Attucks is considered by Historians to be the first casualty in
the American Revolution?
Elizabeth Freeman was a slave named Bett from Sheffield,
Massachusetts. She successfully sued for her freedom stating slavery
violated the new Massachusetts Constitution. She was a free woman
and changed her name to Elizabeth Freeman.
Salem Poor was a hero at the
Battle of Bunker Hill. He was praised as a "brave and gallant
c. Describe how African-Americans
were treated in the Thirteen Colonies.
The first written record of Africans coming to the American colonies
as slaves appeared in 1619. At first, Africans were treated the
same as white indentured servants. Indentured servants worked
on a farm for four to seven years in exchange for passage to the
American colonies. After that time, they were given their freedom.
Throughout the 1600's, however, the colonialists
depended more and more on slaves to work their large plantations
and grow crops like indigo, tobacco, rice, and cotton. Unlike
Native Americans, Africans were less likely to escape because
they were not familiar with the terrain. Unlike English indentured
servants, Africans could not appeal to their government for protection.
American colonies, including Virginia and Maryland, rescinded
its laws giving Africans their freedom, and slavery became a lifelong
Slaves were treated as chattel (or personal
property) and could be bought or sold. The children of slaves
became the property of the slave owner. Interracial marriages
In 1740, there were 150,024 slaves in the
thirteen colonies, mostly in the South. Most slaves worked in
the fields. Some slaves helped with household chores. Slave women
often looked after the slave owners' children.
d. Use five of the words
in Section 2 in a sentence.
Answers will vary. Here are sample sentences from our young readers:
institution of slavery or bondage
is unconsitutional in the United States.
My skateboard is my favorite chattel.
I sometimes feel like an indentured servant
when I'm doing my chores.
A country is not at peace when there is an insurrection.
Martin Luther King, Jr. practiced passive
The American colonies thought the Stamp
Act was an unfair tax.
e. Have a parent or friend give you
a spelling test with EACH of the words in Section 2.
More Valuable Information about African-Americans
in the Thirteen Colonies:
Mosaic: Abolition (Library of Congress)
African-American World (PBS)
Britannica Guide to Black History
Book Encyclopedia: The African American Journey