Oklahoma Academic Standard 2. The student will analyze patterns of social, economic, political, and cultural changes during the rise of Western civilization and the Global Age (1400-1750 CE).

Objective 2.4  Explain how slavery and the slave trade was used for the development and growth of colonial economies.

In a Nutshell

Students should understand the repercussions of slave labor, which made large scale, cash-crop agriculture in the Americas very lucrative. Such plantation crops initiated the beginning of a global trade network that benefited from the enslavement of other humans. Over time, the use of enslaved labor allowed those nations engaging in such practices to develop their economies from an excess of capital.

Teacher Action 

Student Action 

• Assist students to gather, compare, and analyze evidence from primary and secondary sources on the same topic, identifying possible bias and evaluating credibility. 

• Provide opportunities for students to write independently over extended periods of time and for shorter time frames, to analyze different perspectives toward controversial eras in history. 

• Draw upon gathered information to analyze how a specific problem, such as the use of enslaved labor in expanding colonies, can manifest itself in local, regional, and global levels over time, 

• Explain how cultural patterns and economic decisions can affect  how places and regions change over time.

Key Concepts 

Misconceptions 

• African slave trade

• slavery in the Americas as financially viable 

• Triangular Trade, Middle Passage

• Many students will have prior knowledge of the transatlantic slave trade from previous coursework; however, may lack an understanding of global practices or the role of mercantilism on the institution of slavery and the accumulation of wealth.

Instructional Resources