The Transatlantic Slave Trade: The Triangular System
This lesson introduces Year 8 students to the Transatlantic Slave Trade, focusing on the Triangular Trade route, the harrowing experience of the Middle Passage, and the economic motivations behind the system. It encourages students to look at the human impact alongside the economic structures.
Learning objectives
- Explain the three stages of the Triangular Trade route.
- Describe the conditions faced by enslaved Africans during the Middle Passage.
- Identify the economic motivations and the human cost of the slave trade.
- Analyse how the trade impacted the development of Britain and West Africa.
Lesson plan (60 minutes)
Introduction · 5 min
Do Now: Look at a map of the Atlantic. Students guess what goods moved between continents in the 1700s.
Instruction · 10 min
Teacher Explainer: The mechanics of the Triangular Trade and the Middle Passage.
Development · 5 min
Vocabulary Building: Students match key terms (Chattel, Plantation, Middle Passage) to definitions.
Analysis · 15 min
Source Analysis: Examining diagrams of the ship 'Brooks' and accounts of the Middle Passage.
Application · 15 min
Differentiated Worksheet Activity: Students complete Support, Core, or Stretch tasks based on prior attainment.
Consolidation · 10 min
Plenary Quiz: 8-question multiple-choice check for understanding.
Key vocabulary
- Middle Passage
- The stage of the Triangular Trade where enslaved Africans were transported across the Atlantic.
- Plantation
- A large farm, especially in a hot country, that specialises in one crop (e.g., sugar).
- Chattel Slavery
- A system where enslaved people are legally treated as property rather than human beings.
- Manufactured Goods
- Things that have been made by machines or by hand (e.g., textiles, weapons).
- Abolitionists
- People who want to end slavery.
Core worksheet (first questions)
- Explain how the 'Triangular Trade' worked.
- What items were traded from Europe to Africa?
- What items were brought back to Europe from the Americas?
- Describe the conditions for enslaved people during the Middle Passage.
Quiz (sample)
1. Which three regions were involved in the Triangular Trade?
- A. Europe, Africa, Asia
- B. Europe, Africa, the Americas
- C. Africa, Asia, the Americas
- D. Europe, Asia, Australia
2. What did ships carry from Europe to Africa?
- A. Sugar and rum
- B. Raw cotton
- C. Manufactured goods (guns, cloth)
- D. Gold and silk
3. What was the name of the journey for enslaved people across the Atlantic?
- A. The Great Journey
- B. The Silk Road
- C. The Middle Passage
- D. The Atlantic Crossing
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