Introduction
Imagine being taken from your homeland against your will, shackled, and placed on a ship with many other African captives, frightened and uncertain of your journey and terrified of your unknown destination. You are faced with barbaric captors who care nothing about your comfort, your health, your pain, or your suffering. Day in and day out, you hear the anguish of those around you, yet, you are powerless to help them or yourself. Surviving the journey to your final destination to the Caribbean island of Jamaica, you realise that the Middle Passage was only the beginning of your horror in captivity.
Students, you have a mission to undertake. Your quest is to go on a journey of exploration of the Middle Passage and return to share your findings with your class. Let's go!
Task
You will be the explorer!! You will be placed in pairs to explore the Middle Passage. At the end of your one-week quest, you will create a presentation for the class on what you have discovered using one of the following:
1. Digital Photo Story 2. Podcast 3. PowerPoint Presentation
Include in your presentation:
- Provide a clear and thorough definition of the term Middle Passage
- Describe specific examples of the inhumane experiences of African slaves during the Middle Passage
- Explain the effects of the Middle Passage on the African slaves and the ship's crew
- Assess the importance of the Middle Passage to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
Use the resources in the next section "Process" to accomplish your task.
Process
Explorers, follow the steps below to help you accomplish your task for this WebQuest.
Students will work in their pairs as assigned by the teacher. EACH PERSON IN THE PAIRING MUST PARTICIPATE IN THE PROCESS.
*IMPORTANT- Please remember to take notes of the important information that could be useful in your presentation.*
Step 1. Before you delve into the exploration of the Middle Passage, become familiar with the transatlantic slave trade and how it's linked to the Middle Passage using the links below. The goal is to develop some background knowledge of how the transatlantic slave trade and the Middle Passage are connected.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1narr4.html
https://www.ted.com/talks/anthony_hazard_the_atlantic_slave_trade_what_too_few_textbooks_told_you
https://slaveryandremembrance.org/articles/article/?id=A0002
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/abolition/africa_article_01.shtml
Step 2. Using the links provided below, arrive at a definition of the term Middle Passage. Keep in mind that your definition should be thorough.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Middle-Passage-slave-trade
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-the-middle-passage-4688744
https://scholar.library.miami.edu/slaves/slave_trade/individual_essays/adam.html
https://www.studentsofhistory.com/middle-passage
http://www.recoveredhistories.org/storiesmiddle.php
Step 3. Discover the inhumane treatment of African slaves during the Middle Passage from the links and video below. The aim is to be able to highlight specific examples of ways in which the enslaved Africans were ill-treated during the Middle Passage.
https://www.ushistory.org/us/6b.asp
https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/history-of-slavery/middle-passage
https://www.nps.gov/afbg/learn/historyculture/upload/FINALMiddlePassage.pdf
https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/zong-massacre-1781/
Step 4. Learn about personal accounts of life aboard a slave ship during the Middle Passage from the link below. You will get a glimpse of real-life accounts of enslaved Africans and crew members who experienced the Middle Passage.
https://www.nps.gov/articles/the-middle-passage.htm
Step 5. From the information gathered in STEPS 1- 4, create your presentation, using either Digital Photo, Podcast, or PowerPoint to share with your class what you have discovered on your quest of the Middle Passage.
Your presentation must be visually appealing and organized. The content presented must be relevant and accurate. Each element in the "Task" must be addressed in your presentation. Keep in mind that your presentation should be no more than 10-15 minutes long.
Evaluation
For this WebQuest assignment, students will be graded on presented content, organization and language, task, and presentation quality.
| Criteria | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Task | All the assigned tasks of the WebQuest topic were completed | Three of the assigned tasks of the WebQuest topic were completed | Two of the assigned tasks of the WebQuest topic were completed | One or none of the assigned task(s) of the WebQuest topic was completed | /4 |
| Content |
Content presented is relevant and accurate |
Content is mostly relevant and accurate | Content is somewhat relevant and accurate, | Content is irrelevant and inaccurate | /4 |
| Presentation | Presentation is visually appealing | Presentation is mostly visually appealing | Presentation is somewhat visually appealing | Presentation lacks visual appeal | /4 |
| Organization & Language | Highly organized and correct use of language presented | Good organization and mostly correct use of language presented | Fairly organized and somewhat correct use of language presented | Poor organization and numerous errors in language presented | /4 |
Total Score /16
Conclusion
Enslaved Africans endured more than any human beings should ever have to on voyages to Jamaica, and other North American colonies. It was one of the darkest times in human history. Captivity, enslavement, and inhumane experiences were defining features of the Middle Passage. My hope is that this WebQuest has offered students useful insight into this horrific time in history and that they would have grasped an understanding of a crucial aspect of British colonial society.
- What is your opinion of the Middle Passage?
- How do you think you would have managed as an enslaved African on the horrific voyage?
Teacher Page
Hello there! This webQuest was created to allow students to develop a deep understanding of the Middle Passage and its connection to the TransAtlantic Slave Trade.
Grade Level: 10
Curriculum: CSEC Caribbean History
- SECTION A -- THEME 2: CARIBBEAN ECONOMY AND SLAVERY
Author: Sherline Duncan