Embedded Files
The Middle Passage
Unit 1 Lesson 7.pdfDrop Inn:
Themes are Metaphor or Simile.
Copy: Chapter 7 - The Middle Passage
Copy: Chapter 7 - The Middle Passage
COPY: Instructional Goal #7
We will understand the Middle Passage
and explain the experiences of enslaved Africans.
COPY: Instructional Goal #7
We will understand the Middle Passage
and explain the experiences of enslaved Africans.
By: studying historical texts (pp. 54–55), primary sources (pp. 56–58 & 60), and historical images (pp. 57, 59 & 61) to find evidence. Unit 1 Lesson 7
Social Studies Skills
Social Studies Skills
Analyze Sources — study a text or image to learn about the past.
Use Evidence — use details from a source to support an idea.
I Can...
I Can...
I can explain to a partner what the Middle Passage was.
I can describe to a partner what enslaved Africans experienced.
I can explain to a partner what evidence supports my ideas.
Post-Lesson Essential Question
Post-Lesson Essential Question
What was the Middle Passage like for enslaved Africans?
Use one piece of evidence from today's lesson to support your answer.
COPY: Focus Vocabulary
COPY: Focus Vocabulary
Middle Passage — the forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean.
Enslaved — forced to work and live without freedom.
Evidence — information that helps prove or explain something.
Pre-Lesson Essential Question
Pre-Lesson Essential Question
Which would be hardest for you?
A. 🚫 Losing your freedoms— Someone else controls what you do.
B. 🌎 Leaving home — You are forced to go to a strange new place.
C. 👥 Losing your people — You are separated from family and friends.
Turn & Teach: Pick one and explain why to your partner.
Pre Lesson:
Go over anchor chart and questions handout -
1. The Journey What were the steps in the forced voyage to the Americas? (list them)
2. Conditions - What was life like for people trapped below deck?
3. Effects - What personal and cultural losses did Africans suffer?
4. Resistance - In what ways did Africans fight back against slavery?
Possible responses:
What was unclear about the first Africans who arrived in Virginia?
Answer: Whether they were slaves or servants.What happened by 1640?
Answer: At least one African was enslaved for life.What does this reading show about how slavery was beginning to change?
Answer: Slavery was becoming based on race and for life. or Slavery was becoming permanent.
Level 2 - Target Reading Page 54
Level 2 - Target Reading Page 54
While You Read:
Underline evidence that shows how life changed for Africans over time.
Then in partners discuss an answer in Notebook:
1. What was unclear about the first Africans who arrived in Virginia?
2. What happened by 1640?
3. What does this reading show about how slavery was beginning to change?
Turn & Teach:
What evidence shows that Africans were losing freedom?
Indentured servant: A person who works without pay for a few years to gain freedom.
Bondage: Being trapped in slavery or forced labor.
Vital: Super important or needed.
Status: A person's position or place in society.
Presumably: Probably or most likely.
Characteristic: A feature or quality that describes someone.
Transformation: A big or major change.
Primary Sources - Pages 56-58
Primary Sources - Pages 56-58
pages 50 enslaved priary.pdfDocument A: Excerpt from The Life of Olaudah Equiano
Document A: Excerpt from The Life of Olaudah Equiano
Shackled: Locked in metal chains to limit movement.
Bonds: Chains or ropes used to tie someone up.
Accompaniment: Music played along with another instrument or activity.
'Tween decks: The cramped space inside a ship located between the upper deck and lower hold.
Recreation: An activity done for enjoyment or exercise.
Document B: Excerpt from The Life of Olaudah Equiano
Document B: Excerpt from The Life of Olaudah Equiano
Roved: Moved or wandered around an area.
Slavers: Ships used to transport enslaved people.
Cat-o’-nine-tails: A whip made of nine knotted cords designed to cause severe injury.
Document C: Biography of Mahommah G. Baquaqua
Document C: Biography of Mahommah G. Baquaqua
Thrust: Pushed or forced into a space quickly and roughly.
Hold: The lower area inside a ship where cargo or people were packed.
Nudity: The state of wearing no clothes.
Crouch: To bend low with your knees bent close to your body.
Fatigue: Extreme tiredness from hard work or suffering.
Document D: Excerpt from The Life of Olaudah Equiano
Document D: Excerpt from The Life of Olaudah Equiano
Middle Passage: The forced ocean voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas.
Inclement: Harsh, cold, or stormy weather.
Scrounge: To search around to find or gather small amounts of something.
Stagnant: Water that is still, dirty, and not flowing.
Impure: Dirty, unsafe, or mixed with waste.
Document E: Excerpt from The Life of Olaudah Equiano
Document E: Excerpt from The Life of Olaudah Equiano
Ration: A fixed, limited amount of food or water given to a person.
Pannikin: A small metal cup or pan.
Humane: Treating others with kindness and care.
Pulpy: Soft, mushy, and crushed.
Document A: Excerpt from The Life of Olaudah Equiano
Document A: Excerpt from The Life of Olaudah Equiano
Shackled: Locked in metal chains to limit movement.
Bonds: Chains or ropes used to tie someone up.
Accompaniment: Music played along with another instrument or activity.
'Tween decks: The cramped space inside a ship located between the upper deck and lower hold.
Recreation: An activity done for enjoyment or exercise.
Page 56 - Equiano - Answer in complete sentences in Workbook.
1) Background Info: - Who wrote this account, and how old was he when he was kidnapped?
2) Identify Purpose: Why did the ship captains force the enslaved people to "dance" every morning?
3) Contrast: How was the experience on deck different for the men compared to the women and children?
4) Analyze Conditions:
What phrase describes the living conditions below deck?
pages 50 enslaved priary.pdfImage Analysis
("Forcing Captives to Dance"):
1. Look at the illustration at the top of Page 57.
What are the crew members on deck holding in their hands, and what are they doing to the captives?
Text Questions:
2. Why did crew members carry whips during the morning exercises?
3. Describe the "cat-o'-nine-tails" whip and the damage it could do to a person's body.
Document B: Excerpt from The Life of Olaudah Equiano
Document B: Excerpt from The Life of Olaudah Equiano
Roved: Moved or wandered around an area.
Slavers: Ships used to transport enslaved people.
Cat-o’-nine-tails: A whip made of nine knotted cords designed to cause severe injury.
pages 50 enslaved priary.pdfPage 58 — Baquaqua
Page 58 — Baquaqua
Read this key idea:
People were crowded below deck. There was so little room that they could not stand up and had trouble sleeping.
Question:
What was a major problem below deck?
A. Not enough space
B. Too much food
C. Too much free time
Read & Find: Underline two details describing conditions below deck.
Question:
What do these details tell you about conditions on the ship?
Document C Read Page 58 and answer in Notebook!
Document C Read Page 58 and answer in Notebook!
1. Separation & Clothing: How were the captives arranged and prepared when forced into the hold of the ship?
2. Physical Space: Why were captives unable to stand up inside the hold?
3. Analyze Impact: According to Baquaqua, why was sleep impossible for the captives?
4. Vocabulary / Close Reading: What two factors caused the captives to become "desperate"?
Document C: Biography of Mahommah G. Baquaqua
Document C: Biography of Mahommah G. Baquaqua
Thrust: Pushed or forced into a space quickly and roughly.
Hold: The lower area inside a ship where cargo or people were packed.
Nudity: The state of wearing no clothes.
Crouch: To bend low with your knees bent close to your body.
Fatigue: Extreme tiredness from hard work or suffering.
IMAGE ANALYSIS PAGE 59 and 60
pages 50 enslaved priary.pdfPAGE 61
Visual Explanation:
Look at the captives on the floor. What details in the picture show that the ship was way too crowded?
Picture & Text Connection:
Does this drawing prove Equiano and Baquaqua right or wrong about how bad conditions were? Why?
Historical Evidence Showdown - CASE FILE - The MIddle Passage
Historical Evidence Showdown - CASE FILE - The MIddle Passage
Building Visual Literacy (Visual Thinking)
Building Visual Literacy (Visual Thinking)
Objects vs. People: Page 59 The Brookes diagram draws captives as tiny people shapes.
Page 61 The Wildfire picture shows their faces and bodies.
Which image is more effective emotionally and why?
The repetitive shapes show the horrific scale of the slave trade.
Humanization: Showing their faces reminds us that they were real people.
Socratic Discussions - Group Think
Socratic Discussions - Group Think
Assessment
Both Level 1 and 2:
What was the Middle Passage like for enslaved Africans?
The Middle Passage was __________
because the evidence shows __________.
Turn & Explain:
Turn & Explain:
Which was worse:
being controlled,
being crowded,
or not being able to rest?
Why?
Visual the Response!
👀 Look Closely - Image Analysis - Study the image on page 61.
Notice → Think → Evidence.
👀 Look Closely - Image Analysis - Study the image on page 61.
Notice → Think → Evidence.
1. 👀 NOTICE
1. 👀 NOTICE
What do you notice first in the image?
A. The number of people
B. How close people are together
C. The small amount of space
Now think about the image:
What word describes how this image makes you feel?
Sad • Angry • Uncomfortable • Shocked • Worried
Turn & Teach: Tell your partner what you noticed and how it made you feel.
2. 💭 THINK
2. 💭 THINK
What does the image tell us about conditions on the ship?
A. Crowded — many people were packed together.
B. Uncomfortable — people had very little room to move or rest.
C. Little freedom — people could not choose where to go or what to do.
Turn & Teach: Pick one. Discuss with your partner:
What do you see in the image that made you choose it?
I chose ______ because I see ______.
3. 🔎 EVIDENCE
3. 🔎 EVIDENCE
What do you SEE that supports your answer?
Look closely for details. Think about:
👥 People — How many people do you see?
↔️ Space — How much room do they have?
🧍 Bodies — How are people sitting or standing?
😟 Faces — What do their expressions show?
Choose one detail from the image as your evidence.
I think the conditions were __________ because I see __________.
Turn & Teach:
Tell your partner your answer. Then ask:
“What evidence did you find?”
Possible examples:
I think the conditions were crowded because I see many people packed together.
I think the conditions were uncomfortable because I see people sitting with very little space.
I think there was little freedom because I see people being kept together on the ship.
Skip Lessons 8,9,and 10. Go to 11 - Three Colonial Regions
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