AP African American Studies Flashcards: Resistance and Revolts in the United States
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 21 cards to help you master important concepts.
What were maroon communities?
Maroon communities consisted of self-emancipated people who had escaped slavery and formed independent settlements.
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What were maroon communities?
Maroon communities consisted of self-emancipated people who had escaped slavery and formed independent settlements.
What was the relationship between the transatlantic slave trade and the potential for revolts in the Americas?
In some areas, the trade led to a concentration of former African soldiers, which enhanced the military and organizational capacity for enslaved communities to revolt.
What was the German Coast Uprising (Louisiana Revolt of 1811)?
It was the largest slave revolt on United States soil, where up to 500 enslaved people led by Charles Deslondes marched toward New Orleans.
What was the result of the *Creole* Mutiny?
As a result of the successful mutiny, nearly 130 African Americans gained their freedom in the Bahamas.
Why was sailing the *Creole* to the Bahamas a strategic choice for Madison Washington?
Washington knew the British had ended slavery in their West Indian colonies in 1833, ensuring that those aboard the ship would be granted freedom upon arrival.
Who was Charles Deslondes?
Charles Deslondes was a leader of the 1811 German Coast Uprising, the largest slave revolt on United States soil.
Who was Madison Washington?
Madison Washington was an enslaved cook who, in 1841, led a successful mutiny aboard the slave brig Creole.
What was the destination of the march during the Louisiana Revolt of 1811?
The enslaved people, led by Charles Deslondes, marched toward the city of New Orleans.
What were the multifunctional purposes of religious services for enslaved and free African Americans?
They served as sites for community gathering, celebration, mourning, sharing information, and political organizing.
Describe the earliest known slave revolt in what is now United States territory.
In 1526, Africans enslaved in Santo Domingo and brought to the South Carolina–Georgia coastline by the Spanish led a revolt and escaped into nearby Indigenous communities.
What was the outcome of the German Coast Uprising?
The revolt, despite being the largest in U.S. history, was violently suppressed by authorities.
How did the presence of former African soldiers in some enslaved communities impact their ability to revolt?
A concentration of former African soldiers, brought over by the transatlantic slave trade, aided enslaved communities’ ability to organize and execute revolts.
What was the *Creole* Mutiny?
In 1841, enslaved people led by Madison Washington seized control of the slave ship *Creole* and sailed it to the Bahamas to gain their freedom.
What were some daily forms of resistance used by enslaved people?
Enslaved people continually resisted their enslavement by slowing work, breaking tools, stealing food, or attempting to run away.
What role did churches and religious services play in the resistance to slavery?
They were instrumental in galvanizing resistance by serving as multifunctional sites for community gathering, sharing information, and political organizing, particularly in the North.
How did daily acts of resistance contribute to the larger abolition movement?
These daily methods of resistance helped sustain the larger movement toward abolition by consistently challenging the system of slavery.
How did religion inspire organized rebellions against slavery?
Religion inspired resistance in the form of major rebellions, such as those led by Nat Turner and Denmark Vesey.
Who participated in the German Coast Uprising alongside enslaved people from local plantations?
Charles Deslondes organized support from local plantations as well as from maroon communities, which included self-emancipated people from Haiti.
What major event inspired Charles Deslondes to lead the German Coast Uprising?
The German Coast Uprising was inspired by the successful Haitian Revolution.
Besides rebellions, how else did religion inspire the fight against slavery?
Religion also inspired the activism of abolitionists like Maria W. Stewart and Henry Highland Garnet.
Compare the outcomes of the German Coast Uprising and the *Creole* Mutiny.
The German Coast Uprising was violently suppressed, while the *Creole* Mutiny was successful, resulting in freedom for nearly 130 people.