Mr. Cohen

Christopher Columbus High School

Webquest- The Triangular Trade

I. Introduction

II. Task

III. Process

IV. Resources

V. Evaluation

VI. Standards

VII. Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

Imagine being kidnapped from your home just so you can harvest sugar in some far-away country?

Well, that is what happened to millions of African men, women and children between the years 1500-1800. Back home in Africa, they might have been working in the fields or hunting, or just enjoying a glorious African day- then suddenly, Europeans, Americans or even other Africans, kidnapped them and sent away to the Americas to be slaves. Can you imagine the horror they felt? These people were part of a larger slave and goods trading route known as the triangular trade.

Even before the first Africans were brought to the shores of Virginia in 1619, the slave trade had become the basis for most trading between Europe and the Americas. The Middle Passage of slaves from Africa to the West Indies (Caribbean) across the Atlantic became the essential part of a system of trading routes between Europe, Africa, and North America. The exchange of goods along these routes became known collectively as the triangular trade (see the map below). Developed primarily by sea captains from England and New England, ships in the triangular trade carried goods between Europe, Africa, and the new world, although not necessarily in that order. The triangular trade system was highly profitable because each region produced goods which were not produced elsewhere. England produced both textiles and manufactured goods which were not available in either North America or Africa. These products, along with rum obtained from New England would be traded in Africa for slaves and various riches such as gold and silver. Next, England would trade slaves and their domestic goods to the West Indies, where sugar and molasses were available. From there the sugar, molasses, and the remainder of the slaves, textiles, and domestic goods would be traded in America for tobacco, fish, lumber, flour, foodstuffs, or perhaps rum which had been distilled in New England.

TASK

You are members of a human rights organization that is making a presentation to the United Nations (which didn’t exist until 1942) about the triangular trade.

Your first task is to complete the five step Global History public policy analysis, which is outlined in the PROCESS section below this one. This five step process, which also has five separate worksheets, must be completed in a three student group.

Your second task is, in a group of three students, to make a power point presentation to the United Nations detailing the triangular trade and its effects on Africans brought into slavery. This power point presentation must include appropriate maps and pictures, must be at least 10 slides long, and must detail the relevant human rights abuses. Each of the five steps in the Global History public policy analysis (worksheets #1-#5) must be discussed in at least one slide. This power point presentation will be presented to the rest of the class.

Your third task is to write a two paragraph summary informing me of the work each group member did for the first two tasks. Each group member must sign this summary. You must inform me if a group member is not working and I will take the appropriate action.

Make sure all of the information you research on the internet is confirmed in the textbook or other printed reference materials.

PROCESS

As a public policy analyst, you need to develop the following policy skills:

• Defining the social problem
• Gather evidence to support the existence of the problem
• Determine the causes and factors contributing to the problem
• Evaluate the policy
• Comparative Analysis

Developing these skills will help you fill out the five worksheets due as part of the second task.

The links to the Five Worksheets are located at the bottom of each page linked below:

1. IDENTIFY THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS WITH THE TRIANGULAR TRADE. (Worksheet #1)

What social problems did the triangular trade system create for Africans? What social problems do you think it created for Europeans and Americans?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1narr4.html http://beatl.barnard.columbia.edu/students/his3487/lembrich/seminar53.html

2. GATHER EVIDENCE OF THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS WITH THE TRIANGULAR TRADE. (Worksheet #2)

How do you know that these social problems existed?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1narr4.html http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/triangulartrade.htm

3. DETERMINE THE CAUSES AND FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO TRIANGULAR TRADE. (Worksheet #3)

Why did the triangular trade happen? Look at the issue from all sides: the Africans, Europeans and Americans.

http://www.africanculturalcenter.org/4_5slavery.html http://beatl.barnard.columbia.edu/students/his3487/lembrich/seminar52.html

4. EVALUATE THE EXISTING POLICIES THAT PREVENT ANOTHER TRIANGULAR TRADE FROM TAKING PLACE. (Worksheet #4)

Is it possible for another triangular trade to take place or are there policies against such a practice?

http://ourdocuments.gov/content.php?page=transcript&doc=34

http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.amendmentxiii.html

http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=179

http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

5. COMPARE THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS OF THE TRIANGULAR TRADE WITH OTHER SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN GLOBAL HISTORY. (Worksheet #5)

What situations in global history are similar to the triangular trade?

http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/dictat.html

http://www.ushmm.org/

http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/sierra/

RESOURCES

I. SEARCH ENGINES (to find websites on your own):

https://www.google.com/

http://www.yahoo.com/

http://www.excite.com/

II. WEBSITES

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1narr4.html

http://www.africanculturalcenter.org/4_5slavery.html

http://beatl.barnard.columbia.edu/students/his3487/lembrich/seminar52.html http://beatl.barnard.columbia.edu/students/his3487/lembrich/seminar53.html http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=179

http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/dictat.html http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/triangulartrade.htm http://ourdocuments.gov/content.php?page=transcript&doc=34 http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.amendmentxiii.html

http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

http://www.ushmm.org/

http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/sierra/

http://faculty.njcu.edu/DSanders/Triangular%20Slave%20Trade_files/frame.htm#slide0013.htm

III. TEXTBOOK

IV. NOTES

EVALUATION

Each group will be graded according to the following simple table:

Performance	Excellent 5	Good 4	Satisfactory 3	Needs Improvement 2
Completion of Worksheets	Fully understand the social problem, its causes and public policy that arose from it, and fully completes worksheets	Good understanding of social problem, causes, and public policy. Completion of worksheets	Satisfactory understanding of social problem, causes, and public policy. Substantially completes worksheets.	Minimal understanding of social problem, causes, and public policy. Failure to complete worksheets
Completion of Power Point Presentation	Full completion of 10 power point slides with pictures, graphics and meaningful text	Professional looking power point presentation, with 10 slides, plus some pictures, graphics, and meaningful text	Completed power point presentation with some pictures, graphics and meaningful text.	Partially completed power point presentation. Absence of sufficient pictures, graphics, and text.
Oral Presentation (power point)	Full presentation of power point slides. Each group member presents one or more slides.	Good presentation of power point slides. Two out of 3 group members present slides.	Satisfactory presentation of power point slides. 1 of 3 group members present slides.	Presentation of power point slides. 1 of 3 group members present slides.
Organization	Group worked together on all projects and handed in signed group summary (or spoke to Mr. Cohen regarding any group issues).	Group worked together on most projects and handed in signed group summary (or spoke to Mr. Cohen regarding any group issues).	Group worked together on most projects but failed to hand in group summary (or spoke to Mr. Cohen regarding any group issues).	Group did not work well together (and did not speak to Mr. Cohen regarding any group issues).

A= 20-17

B= 16-14

C= 13-11

F= 10-1

STANDARDS

This Webquest responds to the followings curriculum standards:

Social Studies: Standard 2

· The student will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments and turning points in world history, and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

Social Studies: Standard 3

· The student will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live- local, national, and global- including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.

English Language Arts: Standard 1

· Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

English Language Arts: Standard 4

· Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.

CONCLUSION

The triangular trade was a dark time in history in which humans were treated as commercial goods to be bought and sold. The world has learned from these mistakes and the buying and selling of humans have almost disappeared. Human rights are a never ending mission.

In this Webquest, you have used the steps of the public policy analyst, and the internet, to research a historical social problem. You have also used your analytical skills to compare the problems of the triangular trade to a similar social problem.