Students learn how the establishment of European colonies led to the rise of the transatlantic slave trade. They are introduced to the concept of triangular trade. They work with the Voyages: Transatlantic Slave Database to analyze data related to the slave trade.
Students read an introduction explaining the scale, brutality, and economic impact of the transatlantic slave trade and how it developed alongside European colonization. They view an image titled “Convoy of Captive Women, probably Western Sudan” and respond to a word cloud prompt by completing the sentence “When I think of the word ‘slavery,’ I think of…” with their own associations.
Teacher MovesUse student responses to judge what students know about historic slavery and, if students mention contemporary slavery, facilitate a brief class discussion about this ongoing issue. Connect the discussion to the essential question, “Why do people migrate?” and highlight the lesson objectives.
Students watch the video The Atlantic slave trade: what too few textbooks told you to learn about the development, scale, and human impact of the transatlantic slave trade. As they watch, they complete two cause-and-effect graphic organizers that trace how plantation demand, arms trading, and demographic changes in Africa and the Middle Passage were interconnected. Then they respond on a discussion wall to the prompt about how African kings’ and Europeans’ differing views of enslaved people led to long-term effects on European and U.S. history.
Teacher MovesUse the sample answers in the organizers to review key cause-and-effect relationships and emphasize that an effect can itself become a cause of further developments. After students post to the discussion wall, explain that ideas of African inferiority helped create and sustain persistent racism in Europe and America, and guide students to connect these beliefs to long-term historical consequences.
Students read a brief explanation of triangular trade and examine a map showing the three legs of the transatlantic trading system. Using the map and information from the video, they post to a discussion wall explaining each leg of the triangle and how plantation owners, African kings and merchants, and European traders depended on one another.
Teacher MovesClarify for students that plantation owners in the Americas shipped cash crops to Europe, European traders sent arms and manufactured goods to Africa, and African kings and merchants sent enslaved Africans to the Americas. Highlight how each leg of the triangle supported the others in a continuous, one-way flow of trade.
Students read about scholarly estimates of the number of Africans forced into slavery and study a map of Atlantic slave routes and volumes from 1500 to 1900. They complete a drag-and-drop sentence identifying where most enslaved Africans were taken from and where they were transported. Then, using the Voyages: Transatlantic Slave Database, they follow step-by-step directions to adjust table settings, maps, and timelines in order to answer a series of poll questions about which countries transported the most enslaved Africans, where they disembarked, and how the trade changed over time, including during the American Revolution. Finally, they independently explore the database, capture a screenshot of a data view that reveals an interesting insight about the slave trade, upload it to a discussion wall, and explain why the data is significant and what they learned.
Teacher MovesIf students are new to databases, model the initial steps for using the interface and changing settings. Circulate as students answer the guided poll questions to ensure they are correctly reading the tables, maps, and timelines. During the independent exploration, support students who struggle by suggesting a focused question (for example, where most enslaved Africans disembarked in the United States) and, if needed, demonstrate how to take screenshots on classroom devices. Share one or more strong student examples with the class to prompt discussion of key patterns and insights revealed by the data.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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