•Class will begin with slides 6-8 from “Slavetrade, afst” and a brief discussion of how African slaves were obtained, and the conditions of the slave forts and ships.
•To demonstrate the conditions and general policies of slaving forts, the teacher will lead students through a photographic slide show of two of the largest slaving forts on the Gold Coast—Elmina and Cape Coast Castle. This is a great way to emphasize the transformation of Elmina from a trading post created to better engage in West African gold trade to its eventual role as a depot for the Trans-Altantic Slave Trade. The teacher will describe in detail, the journey of a captive from his/her entry into the fort, to his/her eventual embarkation by ship to the Americas. (See Above: Slideshow of Elmina and Cape Coast Castle)
•For a discussion of the Middle Passage journey, a teacher with limited time may wish to show the first 15 minutes of the movie Amistad. However, I prefer an assignment that explores the narrative of Olaudah Equiano.
•Before the class engages in a reading of Equiano’s captivity and transport, require the students to find a seat underneath their desks/tables. Explain that although you understand that they are uncomfortable, they must remain under the tables, legs and arms inside for the duration of the assignment. Turn down the lights and read Equiano’s story aloud. When the reading is complete, ask your students to reflect on how they are feeling—are they uncomfortable? Use this simulation as a means to partially convey the usual conditions of transport upon slaving ships.
•Using primary source images from the TAST Database, emphasize the poor conditions of the slaving ships by analyzing European drawings of actual ships and their cargo. (See Link Titled "Sketches of Slave Ships-Database")
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