Slavery and Human Trafficking
Only on page double spaced
Due in 5 hours
Prompt: Marcus Rediker argues the slave ship was the center of “four distinct but related human dramas” (6). These dramas began in 1700 with the first recorded slaving
voyage from Rhode Island. Rediker also argues the slave ship “itself was a strange and potent combination of war machine, mobile prison, and factory” and the “slave
ship and its social relations have shaped the modern world, but their history remains in many ways unknown” (9). In trying to shed light on this unknown history, he
identifies the four dramas of the slave ship as follows:
The relations between the slave-ship captain and his crew
The relations between sailors and slaves
The relations between slaves
The civil society of abolitionists
Assignment: Choose ONE of the dramas you would like to focus on. Using a medium of your choosing, analyze how this “drama” unfolded. Feel free to focus on one or more
of the following:
Who were the primary actors in the drama? What characteristics did these actors have? What were their roles? How did they go about fulfilling these roles? What did
they believe? What did they fear? What were they trying to achieve? Are they protagonists or antagonists in the story of the Slave Ship? Why? How has history
remembered these actors and what they did? Has historical memory been fair to these actors? How has this book changed your understanding of these actors and what they
did? How has this book changed your understanding of the slave ship and slavery?
Project Medium: You are free to use any medium you would like to complete the assignment. Be creative! Feel free to use one of the following or a completely different
option:
An essay (must be at least 1 page)
LINK FOR THE BOOK
http://historycourses.weebly.com/uploads/8/1/0/1/8101624/rediker_the_slave_ship_intro_ch_1_2.pdf
