‘The Columbian Exchange’.
1. Select 3 items or elements of the exchange in the Columbian Exchange that you think had the greatest impacts on the Old and New Worlds and history going forward. Explain in detail how and why?
2. Decisions for slavery: Why did the colonists make the decisions that led to race based chattel slavery rather than adopting other forms of labor like wage based work or continuing to use indentured servants? What were the steps creating the legal framework? What factors went into these decisions?
Do you think slavery was inevitable under the circumstances or could things have gone differently?
3.Research a big London slave trader, Humphrey Morice, at the link below or listed in the assignment folder. Describe his business operation in detail. What is your reaction to his story? How do you explain his participation and that of those like him in this trade? What kind of a man was he?
4. Search the article from the William and Mary Quarterly to learn about the operation and economics of the British slave trade, which supported the American colonies. Use highlights from the article to describe the many economic interests and persons involved in the slave trade in England and the colonies. Prepare 2 paragraphs discussing the various interests involved in the operation of the slave trade and what role they played and how they profited.
Think outside the box to include everyone who was in some way connected with the trade and slavery itself or who benefited, even those who never saw a slave, not just traders and owners.
In light of all this, can you make a case that nearly every American’s hands were in some way, directly or indirectly, sullied by slavery?
