African American History Mid-Term
Write an essay response for all four of the questions listed below based on your textbook, lectures, films, and class discussions. The essay responses should be double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font with one-inch margins. Include a thesis in each of your introductions and support that thesis with evidence from the textbook, the lectures, and in class discussions. Your essay responses must be a minimum of two full pages in length for each question, anything less will result in a loss of points. All other sources of evidence (Internet, other history books) will result in point deduction if you choose to use them. You MUST cite your sources or you will not receive credit. You must answer each part of the question.
Questions:
Discuss the nature of slavery in West Africa before the beginning of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. How important was slavery to African society and to the African economy? What roles did slaves serve in African societies? How did slavery in West Africa compare with contemporaneous systems of coercive labor in Europe?
Discuss the nature of the Middle Passage. What were the worst aspects of the passage? Did those aspects result from malice, neglect, or were they an inevitable result of the scale of the passage? Did the capitalistic nature of the passage curb or aggravate the passage’s worst excesses?
Based on the development of colonial slave codes from the early seventeenth century to the early eighteenth century, to what degree were slavery and race connected in the early colonial period? Was slavery premised on racism or did slavery create racism? Use specific laws and episodes from colonial history to support your response.
Discuss the American Revolution’s impact on slavery. In what ways did the Revolution undermine the institution of slavery? In what ways did the Revolution help to preserve the institution? On balance, did the American Revolution do more to end or to protect the system of slavery in the new United States?