Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardEveryday Resistance and Cultural Retention

Read the excerpt from a historical narrative below:

"Not being allowed to hold meetings on the plantation, the slaves assemble in the swamps, out of reach of the patrols. They have an agreement to meet at a certain time and place, and when they assemble, they hang up a wet sheet or blanket, or turn a large pot bottom upwards, to catch the sound of their voices, so that they may not be heard by the white people."
—Peter Randolph, Sketches of Slave Life, 1855

Which of the following historical conclusions about life under enslavement is best supported by this excerpt?

  1. Enslaved people carved out covert, autonomous spaces to preserve community networks and practice their faith away from white surveillance.Answer
  2. B
    Enslaved people relied primarily on overt, armed uprisings to dismantle the legal and economic structure of chattel slavery.
  3. C
    Enslaved people successfully established permanent, independent maroon societies within the boundaries of active plantations.
  4. D
    Enslaved people completely abandoned African spiritual traditions to fully assimilate into the Euro-Christian denominations of their enslavers.

Answer

Enslaved people carved out covert, autonomous spaces to preserve community networks and practice their faith away from white surveillance.
The correct answer is correct because the clandestine meetings in remote locations like swamps, combined with techniques like using wet blankets or overturned pots to muffle sound, demonstrate how enslaved people actively carved out secret, autonomous spaces. These spaces allowed them to preserve their community ties, express their faith, and maintain agency despite legal prohibitions against their assembly.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the primary source stimulus.
The text describes enslaved people meeting secretly in swamps and using blankets or pots to muffle the sound of their voices to avoid detection by patrols.
Understanding the literal details of the text is necessary to identify the historical behavior being described.
2
Identify the historical concept represented by these actions.
These secret religious and community gatherings represent everyday resistance and cultural retention under enslavement.
Connecting the source to the AP African American Studies framework allows for the application of historical concepts.
3
Evaluate the options to find the most accurate historical conclusion.
The option describing the carving out of covert, autonomous spaces directly aligns with the evidence of secret assemblies and sound-muffling techniques.
Comparing the historical evidence to each option ensures that the selected answer is supported by the text and historically accurate.

Key Concept

Everyday Resistance and Cultural Retention
Rate this question

Topics

Everyday Resistance and Cultural Retention

More questions from this topic