CHAPTER 2 • SECTION 4
When the Spanish and Portuguese founded their colonies in the Americas,
they brought the plantation system with them. At first they tried to enslave
Native Americans to work in the fields and mines. But the Native Americans
quickly died from overwork and disease. In some cases, they rebelled with
the help of local allies.
The Spaniards then looked to other sources of slave labor, including
Spanish slaves, black Christian slaves, and Asian slaves. But there was not
enough of any of these groups to meet demand.
More About . . .
Diseases and History
Both Africans and Europeans had developed
resistance to such diseases as measles,
chickenpox, and influenza because of
the long history of contact between
Europe and Africa. Native Americans
had little resistance or immunity to these
diseases, however. In addition, Africans
had immunities to certain diseases that
proved deadly to Europeans. For example,
many African adults had some immunity to
malaria.
The Slave Trade The Spanish and Portuguese enslaved Africans to provide
plantation labor. Africans proved to be their best resource. They enslaved
Africans for four basic reasons.
• Africans were immune to most European diseases.
• Africans had no friends or family in the Americas to help them resist
or escape enslavement.
• Enslaved Africans provided a permanent source of cheap labor. Even
their children could be held in bondage.
• Many Africans had worked on farms in their native lands.
Over time, the colonies came to depend on slave labor. European slave
traders ran the shipment of Africans to the Americas. On the coast of West
Africa, local kings captured inland Africans. The kings then traded these
captives for European goods, such as textiles, ironware, wine, and guns.
This trade made the coastal kingdoms rich while weakening inland African
societies. Before the slave trade ended in the late 1800s, between 12 and 15
million Africans had been enslaved and shipped to the Western Hemisphere.
Of these, perhaps two million died during the voyage.
More About . . .
Olaudah Equiano
Equiano’s ship took him to Barbados.
There he saw Africans who spoke many
languages. He saw his first horse and first
two-story building. Equiano was sent to a
plantation in Virginia, where he worked by
himself clearing weeds and rocks from the
fields. He suffered greatly from loneliness;
there was no one with whom he could
speak. Soon he was purchased by a sea
captain as a present for London relatives.
Equiano eventually became a sailor and
learned to read and write English. At
age 21, he was able to purchase his own
freedom. He published his autobiography
when he was 44.
Unit 1 Resource Book
• Primary and Secondary Sources, p. 104
The Middle Passage The voyage from Africa to the Americas was
called the middle passage because it was the middle leg of the triangular trade. The triangular trade refers to the movement of trade ships
between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
Olaudah Equiano (oh•LOW•duh•ehk•wee•AHN•oh) was one
of those captured Africans. He made the journey in the 1700s. He
was about 11 years old when he was taken from his home and sold
into slavery. Later, after he bought his freedom, he wrote about the
beginning of the middle passage.
PRIMARY SOURCE
“
The first object which saluted my eyes when I arrived on the coast,
was the sea, and a slave ship . . . waiting for its cargo. These filled me
with astonishment, which was soon converted into terror, when I was
carried on board.
”
—Olaudah Equiano, quoted in Great Slave Narratives
Olaudah Equiano was
brought to the West
Indies from West Africa
in the 1700s.
Equiano saw a row of men shackled in chains. He also saw a large boiling
kettle. He feared that he was going to be cooked and eaten “by those white
men with horrible looks, red faces, and long hair.”
50 Chapter 2
INTERDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITIES
CONNECT
to Science
Causes of Death on the Middle
Passage
Using information in the textbook and in
additional sources, have students compile a
list of the most common causes of death for
captives during the middle passage. Have
students write a paragraph describing the
characteristics they think would enable someone
to survive such a journey.
50 • Chapter 2
CONNECT
to Language Arts
Archaeology Presentation
Provide students with the lines (below) from
a chant, translated from the Kwa language of
West Africa, about the loss of Olaudah Equiano.
Have student write more call/response couplets
and perform the entire piece as a class.
Call: Who are we looking for? Who are we
looking for?
Response: It’s Equiano we’re looking for.
Call: Has he gone to the stream?
Response: Let him come back.
Call: Has he gone to the farm?
Response: Let him return.
CHAPTER 2 • SECTION 4
The scene on the slave deck below was even worse. Several hundred slaves
were crammed into a space so small that there was not even enough room
to stand up. Foul smells and disease, along with the shrieks and groans of
the dying, made the middle passage a terrifying experience.
Many enslaved Africans died from disease or from cruel treatment at the
hands of slave traders. Many others committed suicide by plunging into the
ocean. It is believed that between 15 and 20 percent of the Africans aboard
each slave ship perished during the brutal trip. The captives who did not die
faced new horrors in the Americas.
CAUSES AND EFFECTS Discuss the results of the African slave trade.
Teach
Slavery in the Americas
Answer: weakened
inland African states;
about 2 million Africans
died from disease and
ill treatment
Slavery In the Americas
KEY QUESTION What were the long-term effects of slavery in the Americas?
Once the enslaved Africans arrived in the colonies, they were sold at auction.
Some worked as house servants. Most were forced to do hard labor in haciendas or mines. They were fed and housed poorly.
CONNECT
to the Essential Question
Expansion of colonial empires, destruction
of Aztec and Inca Empires; growth of wealth and power
Europeans
explore
establish
colonies
Spread of disease; spread of Christianity; brutal oppression of conquered
peoples; establishment of economiendas, haciendas, and missions
compete for
colonies
Treaty of Tordesillas (1494); establishment of New France and New
Netherland; defeat of Spanish Armada; growth of English colonies
introduced the
Columbian Exchange
Brought—to Americas: disease; livestock, grains, onions, citrus fruits,
olives, grapes, bananas, sugar cane
Taken—to Eastern Hemisphere: tobacco, squash, turkey, peppers,
cocoa, peanuts, potatoes, corn
Provides labor in mines and plantations; slave trade expands quickly
between Africa and the Americas; millions of captives die; racism grows
CONNECT
to the Essential Question
How did Europeans transform life in
the Americas?
Ask students what they have learned so far
that can help them answer this question.
Use the graphic on this page or display the
transparency.
Unit 1 Transparency Book
• Essential Question Graphic, TT10
When answering this question, students
might mention:
• The Spanish and Portuguese founded the
plantation system.
• The Spanish and Portuguese preferred
Africans over Native Americans for slave
labor.
CRITICAL THINKING Make Inferences What were the effects of European colonization
on the daily lives of native peoples?
European Exploration of the Americas 51
DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION: TIERED ACTIVITIES
OBJECTIVE Create a mural-sized map with information about the middle passage.
Have students use library or
online resources to create
a mural-sized map that
displays data or images
associated with the middle
passage.
• Ask students to add
specific data, images, and
captions about the middle
passage to a chosen area
of the map.
• What were the effects of the slave codes? (The
laws mostly punished slaves and kept them
from escaping.)
EFFECTS
CAUSES
Basic
• What happened to African slaves once they
reached the colonies? (They were sold at
auction.)
• Compare and Contrast How did Olaudah
Equiano’s life turn out to be different from the
life of a typical enslaved African? (Equiano was
able to learn to read and write and to buy his
freedom.)
How did Europeans transform life in the Americas?
introduced
slavery
Talk About It
On Level
Challenge
Have students use library or
online sources to learn more
about important locations
associated with the middle
passage. Locations should
include both the homelands
and destinations of the
enslaved peoples.
• Have students contribute
cartography to one section
of a mural-sized map.
Have students research
important people, events,
and facts about the middle
passage. Have each student
write a one-page summary.
• Summaries can be
biographies, a compilation
of facts, or short reports on
any aspect of the middle
passage. Attach these to
the map/mural.
• The slave trade lasted nearly 400 years
and formed part of the Columbian
Exchange.
CRITICAL THINKING ANSWER
Make Inferences They were exposed
to diseases, for which they had no
immunity, forced to accept Christianity as
their religion, forced to work as slaves,
and were brutally oppressed.
Teacher’s Edition • 51
CHAPTER 2 • SECTION 4
Connect to the World
Regionalisms
Discuss the various dialects, or regional
varieties of language, that are found in the
United States. Identify examples, such as
the accents heard in Boston, New York, the
northern Great Plains, and the deep South.
4
Connect to the World
Regionalisms
One legacy of African
slaves lives in the quickpaced language of Gullah,
a combination of English
colonial speech and the
language from several
West African societies. The
American descendants of
slaves still speak Gullah on
the Sea Islands of South
Carolina and Georgia and
on the mainland nearby.
Assess & Reteach
Assess Have students complete the Section
Assessment.
Unit 1 Resource Book
• Section Quiz, p. 112
Interactive Review
@ ClassZone.com
The Slave Codes Many slaves resisted by running away. Across Peru and
New Spain, maroons formed communities, often with Native Americans. To
codes
prevent escape and rebellion, the Spanish government passed slave codes,
which were laws to regulate the treatment of slaves. Some of these laws tried
to soften the conditions of slavery, but most were designed to punish slaves
and keep them in bondage.
Over time, Europeans came to associate slavery with black Africans. To
many, dark skin color became a sign of inferiority. Slavery, which developed
racism, the belief that some people are inferior
to provide a labor force, led to racism
because of their race.
The slave trade lasted for nearly 400 years, from the early 1500s to the
mid-1800s. This contact between Africa and the Americas also formed part of
the Columbian Exchange. Africans brought to the Americas a vast knowledge
about farming and raising livestock. American crops, such as sweet potatoes
and chilies, made their way to Africa.
An African Heritage The slave trade brought together people from many
Answer: racism now
part of American
society; Africans
brought knowledge of
farming and animals;
brought strong artistic
contributions to
American culture
parts of Africa with different cultural traditions. Enslaved Africans brought
with them a strong artistic heritage of dance, music, and storytelling. In the
midst of the horrors of slavery, enslaved Africans helped create a common
African-based culture in the Americas.
By the 1700s, all the American colonies of European countries had African
slaves. African culture became one of the forces that shaped life in the American colonies.
CAUSES AND EFFECTS Explain the effects of the slave trade in the Americas.
Power Presentations
Test Generator
Reteach Working in small groups, have
students use information from the section to
create a table with three columns and three rows
showing the effects of slavery in the Americas.
The columns should be labeled Work, Family,
and Culture/Beliefs. The rows should be labeled
Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans. Have
each group present their completed table to the
rest of the class.
ONLINE QUIZ
4
Section Assessment
For test practice, go to
Interactive Review @ ClassZone.com
TERMS & NAMES
1. Explain the significance of
• slavery
• slave codes
• middle passage
• racism
KEY IDEAS
3. Why did Europeans bring Africans to the Americas?
4. What are three examples of bad conditions faced by
enslaved Africans?
USING YOUR READING NOTES
2. Compare and Contrast Complete the diagram
you started at the beginning of this section.
CRITICAL THINKING
5. Point of View Why do you think the slave traders
were so cruel to the slaves they transported across
the ocean?
6. Connect Economics & History How did the
enslaved Africans contribute to the Columbian
Exchange?
Unit 1 Resource Book
• Reteaching Activity, p. 116
Native
Americans
Both
Africans
8.
Unit 1 Transparency Book
• Cause-and-Effect Chapter Summary, TT9
Connect to Today What are some of the
long-term effects of slavery in the Americas today?
9. Writing Report Research the contributions of
Olaudah Equiano to our knowledge of slavery.
52 Chapter 2
SECTION 4 ASSESSMENT ANSWERS
Terms & Names
1. slavery, p. 49; middle passage, p. 50; slave
codes, p. 52; racism, p. 52
Using Your Reading Notes
2. Both—treated badly; Native Americans—died
from disease and overwork; local allies helped
them escape; Africans—had knowledge
of farming; no family or allies to help them
escape; children would be slaves; immune to
European diseases
Key Ideas
3. to work as slaves
4. Possible Answers: miserable voyage in slave
ships; being sold at auctions; separated from
52 • Chapter 2
families; forced to do hard labor; poor food
and housing; brutal treatment
Critical Thinking
5. Possible Answer: to keep them terrified and
thus unlikely to rebel
6. They brought music, dance, storytelling,
African culture, and knowledge of agricultural
methods.
7. Possible Answer: Racism continues to exist,
with discrimination against African Americans
in regard to housing and jobs.
8. Reports should indicate an accurate knowledge
of Equiano’s life and writings. Use the rubric to
score students’ reports.
Report Rubric
Content
Historical
Accuracy
4
excellent; describes many
contributions
no errors
3
good; describes several
contributions
few/minor
errors
2
fair; describes some
contributions
several errors
1
poor; describes few or no
contributions
many errors