Relations between the kings of Kongo and Portugal started out well but later degenerated as both European and African profiteers turned their attention to the Atlantic slave trade. This unit investigates one of the most engrossing cases of first encounter between two peoples in early modern times. In addition to vivid primary source documents and a simulation activity, the unit includes short pieces of historical fiction that the authors, both high school teachers, wrote to accompany five of the six lessons. This teaching unit, complete with student readings and maps, examines the origins of the Atlantic slave trade, the role of both Europeans and Africans, the Middle Passage, and the differences and similarities between slavery in the Americas and Africa. These include a 1612 proposal to the King of Portugal regarding slavery, readings from Olaudah Equiano s classic description of Middle Passage experience, and the work of British reformers seeking to outlaw the trade.
Students engage in debates over the legality of slavery using documents from the historical era.
A role-playing activity involves them in a mutiny during the Middle Passage.