Life Before Capture
Name two African kingdoms mentioned in the reading.
Benin, Mali, and Kongo (any two)
How were many Africans captured and brought to the coast?
Through raids or being sold by rival groups and African rulers working with European traders.
How many died before reaching the Americas?
Nearly 2 million people.
When the slave ships left Africa, where did they land?
Americas
Were slaves allowed to speak their native language?
What kinds of goods did Africans trade with the Portuguese at first?
Gold, ivory, and spices for cloth, beads, and metal tools.
What were “slave forts” or “factories”?
Coastal prisons where captives were held before being loaded onto slave ships.
Describe one condition aboard a slave ship.
People were chained tightly together with little food, dirty water, and poor air; disease spread easily.
Were there other voices besides Olaudah Equiano?
Yes
What happened to families once ships arrived in the Americas?
They were separated and sold to different owners.
How did most African societies view family and community?
They valued cooperation, respect for elders, and close family and kinship ties
What dangers did captives face on the march to the coast?
Long marches, starvation, exhaustion, and death.
Men, women, and children were forced to march for miles to coastal ____________.
Forts
How did enslaved Africans preserve their culture?
Through music, storytelling, food, and blending their traditions into new forms.
What crops did enslaved Africans often work to grow?
Sugar, cotton, and tobacco.
What caused the trade between Africans and Europeans to shift from goods to people?
The demand for labor in European colonies in the Americas.
About how many Africans were forced onto slave ships?
Around 12.5 million people.
What does Olaudah Equiano’s quote tell us about the Middle Passage?
It was a horrific, terrifying, and inhumane experience filled with suffering and death.
Name two cultural contributions from Africa that still influence the world today.
Music (roots of gospel, blues, and jazz) and foods like okra, rice, and black-eyed peas.
Why is it important to study voices like Olaudah Equiano’s?
They give firsthand accounts of slavery, preserve history, and honor those who endured it.
How might life have changed in Africa as the slave trade expanded?
Increased violence and raids, loss of population, broken communities, and political instability.
How long were the slaves kept at "factories"
weeks or months
How did enslaved people resist during the Middle Passage?
Singing secretly, sharing stories, trying to escape, or even jumping overboard.
What emotions might enslaved Africans have felt during their journey?
Fear, grief, anger, hopelessness, but also courage and hope.
How can remembering these stories shape our understanding of freedom and humanity today?
It reminds us of the value of human rights, empathy, and the importance of standing against injustice.