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Economy vs. Humanity
Exploring the Triangle Trade and The Middle Passage |
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Prep for Teachers
Prior to the teaching, bookmark all of the Web sites used in the lesson
and create an Microsoft Word document with all of the Web sites as
hyperlinks for students to access the sites. Make sure that your computer
has the necessary media players to play the sound clips, such as Real
Player, and the appropriate software to view the
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documents, such as
Adobe Acrobat Reader. CUE the FREEDOM: A History
of US #5 videotape
to the opening shot of the episode. There is a shot of the ocean, and "The
Slave Trade" appears in the lower left corner.
When using media, provide students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION,
a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or
after viewing of video segments, Web sites, or other multimedia elements. |
The Triangle Trade
Step 1:
Explain to your students that you will be examining the American Slave
Trade and how enslaved people arrived in the United States. Explain that
you will be watching a video about this topic, and distribute the student
response sheets. Provide your students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA
INTERACTION,
instructing them to watch the video and record the answers to the questions
in the section of the sheet marked "Leg 1." They must record
when the American Slave trade began, what product was exported from America,
where those ships sailed, and for what products the goods were exchanged.
INSERT the video FREEDOM: A History of US #5 into your VCR. PLAY the
video at the opening frame of the episode, when you see a shot of the
ocean and "The Slave Trade" in the lower right corner. PAUSE the tape after the narrator says, "In England the tobacco was exchanged
for guns and cloth and trinkets," and there is a picture of a ship
on the screen. CHECK for comprehension by discussing the questions and
answers to those questions. (The American slave trade began in colonial
days, the ships were sailing for England and were filled with tobacco,
and these goods were exchanged for guns, cloth, and trinkets.) If the
students do not have the answers to the questions, REWIND that segment
of the video and let them watch it again. In the discussion, be sure
to go over the answers to all of the questions on the student response
sheets, as well as address any additional questions or observations students
may have.
Step 2:
After the students fully understand the first leg of the Triangle Trade,
provide them with another FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, directing students
to watch the video and record the answers to the questions in the section
of the sheet marked "Leg 2." They must record where the ships
sailed after they left England, for what products the British goods were
exchanged, and what the man's captors received as payment. RESUME
PLAY from the point when the narrator says, "Then the ships sailed south
for Africa," and there is an image of a man and a ship on the screen.
PAUSE the video after the man says, "They appeared to me the ugliest
creatures in the world," and you see a line drawing of a slave sale.
CHECK for comprehension by discussing the questions and answers to those
questions. (After the ships left England they sailed for Africa, the
goods were exchanged for African men, women, and children, and the captor's
payment was liquor and blue and red cloth.) If the students do not have
the answers to the questions, REWIND that segment of the video and let
them watch it again. In the discussion, be sure to go over the answers
to all of the questions on the student response sheets, as well as address
any additional questions or observations that they may have.
Step 3:
After the students have a clear understanding of the second leg of the Triangle
Trade, provide them with a third FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, instructing them
to watch the video clip and record the answers to the questions in the section
of their response sheets marked "Leg 3." They must record where the
ships sailed after they left Africa, what that leg of the journey was called,
the conditions that the Africans endured during the trip, and what happened to
the Africans when they arrived in America. RESUME PLAY from the point where the
narrator says, "On the final leg of the great triangle," and there
is an image of the ocean on the screen. STOP the tape after you hear the men
singing, and you see the picture of a man covered in a net. CHECK for comprehension
by discussing the questions and answers to those questions. (The ship left Africa
and sailed to America, and the journey was called The Middle Passage. The enslaved
Africans endured horrific conditions; they were cramped into the bottom of the
ship, they could not lie down, and they were given very little food and water.
When the Africans arrived in America, they were auctioned off as slaves.) If
the students do not have the answers to the questions, REWIND that segment of
the video and let them watch it again. In the discussion, be sure to go over
the answers to all of the questions on the student response sheets, as well as
address any additional questions or observations that they may have.
The Experience on a Slave Ship
Step 1:
Explain to your students that you will be taking a closer look at what
happened to the Africans who traveled to America on the Middle Passage,
and that you will be examining some images from the Web site, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/web05/
segment2.html. The pictures are entitled "A British Slave Ship" and "Slaveship Wildfire." Provide your students
with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, instructing them to look at the pictures
and answer the questions on their student response sheet for "Slave
Ship" and "Slaveship Wildfire." For "Slave Ship" they
must record the date of the diagram, how many people could be put on
the ship both legally and illegally, and what they think that life was
like on the ship. For "Slaveship Wildfire" they must record
the date of the engraving and where the ship was sailing. They must also
describe the people on the ship. Once the students have had ample time
to look closely at the pictures and record their responses, discuss what
they see in the pictures and the answers to the questions on their response
sheets. ("Slave Ship" is dated approximately 1788. The slaveholders
could fit 454 people on the ship legally, and an additional 35% illegally – approximately
159 people. Life on the ship was cramped and very dangerous. "Slaveship
Wildfire" is from Harper's Weekly, 1860. The ship was heading to
Key West, Florida. The people on the ship were seemingly emotionless,
and they were naked.) Explain that crossing the Atlantic Ocean on the
Middle Passage often took months, and that conditions were very poor.
Step 2:
Explain to your students that they will now be reading an account of
a person on one of the Middle Passage voyages. These accounts are from the Johns Hopkins Teacher Resources that accompany the series, and are available through the "For Teachers" section in the "Student Pages" portion of Webisode 5.
(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/teachers/pdfs/segment5-2.pdf) The first account is from John Barbot,
a slave trader, and the second account is from Olaudah Equinao, an African
who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Your students will be working
in pairs, with one member of the pair reading the account aloud, and
the other member of the pair looking for definitions to new words in
the dictionary. Half of the pairs will read Barbot's account and report
back to the large group, and the remaining pairs will read Equinao's
account and report their finding back to the large group. Provide your
students with a FOCUS FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, directing them to read their
assigned account, define the vocabulary words, and record a summary of
the account on their student response sheet. They must include specific
details from the account in their summary. Once students have read their
papers, defined the words, and written their summary, lead them though
a discussion on what they read. The pairs that read Barbot's piece should
share their finding with the other members of the class, and they in
turn will share their summaries of Equinao's piece. They should record
the information that their classmates share with them on their student
response sheets. Discuss the readings with the class. How are the two
accounts similar? How are they different? Why did they see similar events
in a different way? How do their earlier predictions about experiences
on a slave ship compare to what these men wrote?
Step 3:
Next, explain to the students that you are going to look at another perspective
on the Middle Passage. Reverend Robert Walsh was on a ship that intercepted
slave ship off the coast of Africa to prevent them from making them from
making their way across the Atlantic Ocean. These ships were deployed
after the United States had outlawed the importation of slaves in 1808.
He recorded what he saw in a document entitled "Aboard A Slave Ship, 1829," which is available at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus
/web05/features/source/docs/C04.pdf. Provide the students with a FOCUS
FOR MEDIA INTERACTION, instructing them to read the first person account,
define new vocabulary words, and write a summary of Reverend Walsh's
observations, recording specific examples that the author shares. When
students have completed their summaries, CHECK for comprehension and
discuss what they read. How many people were on the ship? How long had
the ship been at sea? How many people died in that time? What were the
enslaved Africans feeling? How were they being treated on the ship? What
were the conditions like? What happened when they were allowed to come
out of the hull and onto the deck? What happened when water was put out
on the deck? Why did the people react in this way? In comparison with
the Feloz, what were other slave ships like?
After reading these first-hand accounts and examining the images of a
slave ship, students will have a fuller understanding of the Middle Passage.
Instruct your students that they will be writing in role, taking on the
persona of a United States citizen in 1807. Using specific examples from
the three accounts, as well as information from the printed images and
the video, have them write a persuasive letter to Congress, urging them
to outlaw the importation of slaves from Africa. When they have completed
their letters, have students share them with the whole class.
SOCIAL STUDIES/ECONOMICS
Slavery existed in many countries, but the Plantation System of slavery
seen in the United States was unique. It was because of the Plantation
System that there was a need for so many slaves, and this was also a
factor as to why they were treated so harshly. Have your students research
the Plantation System of slavery and how it affected the economy of the
United States.
ENGLISH/LITERATURE
The experiences of enslaved people, both on the Middle Passage and in
the United States, have been chronicled in many different pieces of literature.
Have students read a variety of genres relating to the slave trade and
the slave experience, such as poems, memoirs, essays, fiction, and non-fiction.
Some pieces that could be used are: "slaveship," a poem by
Lucille Clifton; excerpts from Frederick Douglass' autobiography "The
Narrative of the Life of a Slave;" and excerpts from the Federal
Writer's Project collection of Slave Narratives, available from the Library
of Congress (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html). Have students
compare and contrast the experiences that are presented in these different
pieces.
SOCIOLOGY/CULTURE
Many Africans brought customs and cultural practices with them to the
United States, and were able to preserve these customs, despite the harsh
circumstances they lived in. Many of these customs and cultural ideals
still are present today. Have your students research the African culture
and customs that exist within the United States, and create informative
posters about what they learn.
- If possible, take your students to the Schomburg Center for Research
in Black Culture, a branch of the New York Public Library. In addition
to their research materials, they have a number of rotating exhibits
focusing on African American writers and culture.
- People who spoke out against the Slave Trade and slavery itself
were instrumental in bringing about the end of such things. As a
class, identify issues that plague your community, state, or country,
and contact the appropriate community groups and governmental officials
to register your point of view and try to enact change.
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