The Middle Passage

Chapter 4 Vocabulary & Terms

economy

a system where money and goods are made and traded

social class

society divides it's people up into groups according to jobs, income, education, etc.

rights

something that you are morally, legally, or officially given
example: the right not to be beaten 

petition

to make a formal request or demand for change

Magna Carta

an English document that limits the power of the king

 Parliament

the law making assembly in England

blue laws

laws written by Puritans that made skipping church and/or drinking on a Sunday illegal

 First Great Awakening

a time period in the 1730s and 1740s when Christianity became very popular

 The Middle Passage

refers to the time Africans spent packed onto slave ships and crossing the Atlantic Ocean

How Slaves Were Named

This is a scene from the television mini-series Roots based on the book by Alex Haley.

Slave Action

This is a scene from the television mini-series Roots based on the book by Alex Haley.

The Middle Passage

This is a scene from Steven Spielburg's film, Amistad.  The clip has NOT been edited for a public classroom.  Let it be known that the images in this video are both graphic and disturbing.

The Slave Trade from a Slave's Perspective

Equiano, Olaudah.  "The Slave Trade." Readings in World Civilizations: The Development of the Modern World. Kevin Reilly. New York City: St Martin's Press, 1995.  pages 44-52.

     The consequences of the European arrival in the Americas were devastating for the human inhabitants of three continents: North America, South America, and Africa.  The inhabitants of the Americas were decimated by diseases, especially smallpox, form which they had no immunities.  The inhabitants of Africa, especially western africa, were decimated by the European slave trade.

     This selection is part of the autobiography of one of the Africans who was enslaved, Olaudah Equiano. He was born in 1745 in what is today Nigeria.  Sold to British slavers at the age of eleven, and shipped off to the British West Indies.  In 1766 he was able to buy his freedom and become involved in the antislavery movement in England.  What was slavery in Africa like and how was it different from slavery in the Americas  For those, like Equiano, who survived, what were the worst aspects of the Atlantic slave trade?  What do you think Equiano's criticism of "nominal Christians"?

To read a primary source about slavery from a slaves perspective click here!!!

Happy Constitution Day

Mr. Zollar's: The Southern Colonies

Mr. Zollar's: The Middle Colonies

Mr. Zollar's: The New England Colonies

America the Story of Us: The 13 Colonies

The Mayflower Compact

Chapter 3 Vocabulary

Puritans

These are people who want to purify the English Church.  They had very strict moral  views and thought pleasure was unnecessary and wrong.

Mayflower Compact

While traveling on the Mayflower, the Puritans made a contract.  They decided how they would govern themselves, wrote it all down, and signed it

The Mayflower Compact is one of the earliest examples of self-government and lead directly to the U.S. Constitution. 

indentured servant 

a formal agreement to work as a servant for a certain amount of time, usually 3 to 7 years,  in exchange for transportation to the New World

Growing up, I often felt like an indentured servant in my own house.  My parents made me do chores in order to earn money for weekend activities.

slave trade

the business of capturing, transporting, and selling human beings

Contrary to popular belief, the slave trade is still active in the modern world.  Humanitarian groups world wide report that the majority of these human beings transported as slave are women and children.

cash crops

a crop grown in order to be sold rather than to be used by the people growing it
EXAMPLES: tobacco, sugar, & cotton

Coffee is a modern day cash crop. 

democratic

controlled by representatives who are elected by the people of a countryorganized according to the principle that everyone has a right to be involved in making decisions

During this election season we have the privilege of seeing the democratic process at work. 

assembly

a group of people who are elected to make decisions or laws for a particular country, area, or organization

The California State Assembly will meet this Saturday to discuss a bill that will effect middle schools and their students.

charter

a signed statement from a government or ruler which allows a town, organization, or university to officially exist and have special rights

Whittier was founded in 1887, but it did not have an official charter until 1955.

The 13 Colonies

Mr. Zoller Explains Indentured Servants

What happened to the lost colony at Roanoke?

In 1587, English colonists in Roanoke mysteriously disappeared, leaving only a few cryptic clues behind. For centuries since, researchers have wondered what became of the lost colonists. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more.

Click here to see a History Channel video.

Jamestown Explained in 5 Minutes

• What was the motivation behind starting the colony?
• 100 men
• 3 ships
• landed in the Chesapeake Bay 
• Why did the rich male aristocrates have a hard time living in the colony?
• What did these men spend their time doing
• Men started getting sick 
• What group of people saved the colonists?
• "He who does not work, does not eat"
• "Starving Time"
• The Indians and colonists stopped getting along.
• What did the colonists start grow, sell, and make a ton of money from?

Chapter 2 Vocabulary

slavery

treating people as property and forcing them to work for free

conquistador

one that conquers; specifically : a leader in the Spanish conquest of America and especially of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century

colony

an area or country under the control of a more powerful country

missionary

A Christian who travels in order to the word of God; The goal of a missionary is conversions 

trapper

people (men) who catch and kill animals for their fur

Triangle Trade

historical term; refers to trade between Europe, Africa, and "The New World"...
natural resources, slaves, and goods were being traded

Columbian Exchange

refers to a 100 year period where cultural and biological exchanges
were made between the "Old" and the "New" worlds

"The New World"

historical term; This is what Europeans called North and South America
after they were "discovered" by Christopher Columbus

America, the Story of Us: Jamestown & Tobacco

America, The Story of Us: Life in Jamestown

Jamestown