Building Blocks for History Lab s1

Building Blocks for History Lab:

SS.912.W.4.15 Explain the origins, developments, and impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade between West African and the Americas. Essential Question: How did people experience the Middle Passage?

Before introducing this history lab to students, they must be familiar with the trans-Atlantic trade routes that developed during the early modern era, and particularly the Middle Passage route from West Africa and the Americas in which enslaved Africans were transported to the New World. Students do not need extensive background knowledge about the Middle Passage, as students should be able to interpret each source based on its contents alone. For this reason, this history lab could potentially be used to allow students to discover the conditions of the Middle Passage before they have much background knowledge on the subject. Students should be familiar with the following concepts and terms:

 Slavery

 Slave trade

 Middle Passage

 West Africa Name ______Period _____ Date ______SS.912.W.4.15 Explain the origins, developments, and impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade between West Africa and the Americas. Essential Question: How did people experience the Middle Passage?

Source Main Idea / Message / Important Details How does this document answer the essential question? Source 1 Invoice for goods traded for individual slaves, 1720

Source 2 Poster illustrating the layout of a slave ship, 1789

Source 3 Excerpt, Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, 1789

Source 4 Excerpt from Alexander Falconbridge, An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa, 1788 Thesis: ______Source 1 – Invoice of goods traded for individual slaves, from John Atkins’s account of his journey to the west coast of Africa in 1721 Source 2 – Poster illustrating the layout of a slave ship, its physical dimensions, the number of people carried, and the conditions on board Source 3 – Excerpt from Olaudah Equiano’s narrative describing his experience of being carried on board a slave ship at age 11 or 12. Source 4 – Excerpt from Alexander Falconbridge, An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa, 1788