1. Why did the emotional scenes during slave trades occur?
(a) Slave families rejoiced at being bought together.
(b) Slave families were being split apart.
(c) Slaves did not want to part from their original masters.
(d) Slaves didn't agree with the price they were being sold for.

2. Approximately how many Africans were taken from their continent during the years of slave trade?
(a) Ten million.
(b) Fifty billion.
(c) Ten billion.
(d) Fifty million.

3. What did some drivers, like Platt, become experienced at?
(a) Handling the whip such that when he was ordered to whip a slave, he could make it look real without actually hitting the slave.
(b) Whipping the other slaves throughly but not to the point of death.
(c) Encouraging the masters to not be present during whippings so that he could fake it instead.
(d) Handling the whip so well that he could get the whipping done very quickly.

4. Why did the attempt to use this second group of people also fail for the English colonists?
(a) They were lazy and did not do their required work well.
(b) They felt that because they too were white, that they deserved equal treatment and refused to work.
(c) The seven year turnover meant a continued supply of new people and they could easily run away and blend in with other whites people.
(d) They were susceptible to several diseases in the New World and many died quickly.

5. In 1860, less than ______ slave owners owned more than ______ slaves.
(a) 4000; 150.
(b) 3000; 100.
(c) 3000; 150.
(d) 4000; 150.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who said the following: "We never heard our names scarcely at all. First young man I went with wanted to know my initials! What did I know 'bout initials?"

2. Why did the attempt to use this first group of people for manual labor fail for the English Colonists?

3. Complete the author's sentence: "They were not slaves. They were people. Their condition was _______________."

4. What was the advantage to a slave for being sold in an auction that took place in his area?

5. Where did some of the most emotional scenes of slave trading take place?

(see the answer key)

This section contains 437 words
(approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page)

View a FREE sample