I would like you to read a few sources related to the issue of Africa’s role in African-American history.

\ 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: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=495

2. View the lyrics to the spiritual “Go Down Moses” here: http://herb.ashp.cuny.edu/items/show/852

3. Read Henry Bibb’s account of conjuring among antebellum slaves here: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=494

4.  Laurie Miffly-Kipp’s overview of African-American Christianity: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nineteen/nkeyinfo/aareligion.htm

 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:

https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/06/16/how-fluid-is-racial-identity/race-and- 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. Ifraceisasocialconstruction,thenwhatisethnicity?Howdowedifferentiatethe two?

3. What does this definition of race mean for African-American history and culture?

it i Defining Terms from Chapter 1

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: Here I will ask you to provide an associated date with the term. Don’t worry about when Columbus was born or when he died, but think about the date we associate with Columbus. Remember, “In 14-hundred and ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” So for date enter “1492.”

Definition: Again, you don’t need to provide a biography for Columbus. We are only interested in his place in history. What did he do? Here’s how I would define Columbus: Christopher Columbus was a Genoese explorer who believed he could find a new route to Asia

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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.

Notice the length–only three sentences–and that I only addressed what he did (and why).

Significance: When stating the significance of a term, you’ll need to place it in a wider context. You’ll call upon the reading as a whole to provide the significance. Questions to ask yourself when determining the significance of a term include: what are the long-term consequences of this person’s actions, of the event, etc.? Why is this term so important it is worthy of inclusion in a textbook?

There is not one single right answer here–there are many things we could say about Columbus’s significance, but here’s one way to state it:

Columbus’s voyage resulted in British and European nations competing with one another to exploit the resources of the new lands. These wars for conquest were devastating for the Native Americans, who contracted new diseases and saw their greatest civilizations fall at the hands of Spanish and Portuguese conquerors.

Your statement of significance need not be this long. It can be expressed in a single statement, such as “Columbus’s voyage led to the conquest of the Americas.”

Now I’d like you to do the same thing with four terms from Chapter 1.

Chapter 1 Terms

1. creole people 2. Ethiopianism 3. GeorgeWashingtonWilliams

4. John Hope Franklin

s benefiting criminology. I haven’t heard anything about the research course. The general topics in criminal justice that interest me are, police brutality, death penalty, Juveniles, Drug

or talents I can think of. I’m really obsessed watching the tv shows law and order and criminal

r. I am a junior at UMass and haven’t taken any classes similar to this one just mainly been doing cla Terms to define from Chapter 2

Here is your list of terms from Chapter 2 to define .

1.Maafa 2.Olaudah Equiano 3.Middle Passage

4. Anthony Johnson 5.indentured servitude

sses that focus on criminal justice. \