In the 15th century, decades before they sailed into the Caribbean, Spanish merchants, captains,
Middle Passage: Olaudah Equiano, Enslaved African Man
Grade Range: 6-12
Resource Type(s): Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration: 12 minutes
Date Posted:
4/2/2012
Olaudah Equiano’s first-person account recalls his terrifying journey as an 11-year-old captive aboard a slave ship from Africa to Barbados in 1756. Listen to a dramatic reading of his narrative, and then study the supporting primary sources to answer the discussion questions. This resource is part of a series called “Life at Sea: 1680 to 1806,” which includes five perspectives on maritime life in the colonial period and early America.
This resource includes a teacher guide, student worksheet, downloadable audio, images of supporting primary sources, and discussion questions.
National Standards
United States History Standards (Grades 5-12)
Era 2: Colonization and Settlement (1585-1763)
1: Why the Americas attracted Europeans, why they brought enslaved Africans to their colonies, and how Europeans struggled for control of North America and the Caribbean
3: How the values and institutions of European economic life took root in the colonies, and how slavery reshaped European and African life in the America
3: How the values and institutions of European economic life took root in the colonies, and how slavery reshaped European and African life in the America
World History Standards (Grades 5-12)
Era 6: The Emergence of the First Global Age, 1450-1770
1: How the transoceanic interlinking of all major regions of the world from 1450-1600 led to global transformations
2: How European society experienced political, economic, and cultural transformations in an age of global intercommunication, 1450-1750
3: How large territorial empires dominated much of Eurasia between the 16th and 18th centuries
4: Economic, political, and cultural interrelations among peoples of Africa, Europe, and the Americas, 1500-1750
5: Transformations in Asian societies in the era of European expansion
6: Major global trends from 1450-1770
2: How European society experienced political, economic, and cultural transformations in an age of global intercommunication, 1450-1750
3: How large territorial empires dominated much of Eurasia between the 16th and 18th centuries
4: Economic, political, and cultural interrelations among peoples of Africa, Europe, and the Americas, 1500-1750
5: Transformations in Asian societies in the era of European expansion
6: Major global trends from 1450-1770
Era 7: An Age of Revolutions, 1750-1914
1: The causes and consequences of political revolutions in the late 18th and early 19th centuries
2: The causes and consequences of the agricultural and industrial revolutions, 1700-1850
3: The transformation of Eurasian societies in an era of global trade and rising European power, 1750-1870
4: Patterns of nationalism, state-building, and social reform in Europe and the Americas, 1830-1914
5: Patterns of global change in the era of Western military and economic domination, 1800-1914
6: Major global trends from 1750-1914
2: The causes and consequences of the agricultural and industrial revolutions, 1700-1850
3: The transformation of Eurasian societies in an era of global trade and rising European power, 1750-1870
4: Patterns of nationalism, state-building, and social reform in Europe and the Americas, 1830-1914
5: Patterns of global change in the era of Western military and economic domination, 1800-1914
6: Major global trends from 1750-1914
