Readings for September 27th

Onto the Enlightenment & mercantilism!

Your readings this week are Adam Smith (p.165), Declaration of the Rights of Man (p. 170), and Olaudah Equiano (p.182). These readings are a little bit denser than the past two weeks, so read carefully, and make sure to ask me any questions you might have.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

1) Adam Smith starts out by describing a feudalist society. What were the characteristics of feudalism? What does he think changed the system? What were the characteristics of the new system?

2) In the Declaration of the Rights of Man, where does the government get its powers from? What type of rights does it say man has? What limits do those rights have?

3) According to Olaudah Equiano, why should the British take up the cause of abolition? How will it benefit Britain and Africa economically? How about morally?

ACTIVITY - if you have not done one so far, you MUST do this one by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 9/26

Pick one of the three questions above and answer all three parts. Then, tell me one question you have about one thing that was unclear to you after doing the reading.

See you all on Thursday!

Reading for September 20th

Thanks for bearing with me last week when I wasn't feeling well. You guys have been participating well consistently, and I really appreciate that.

This is a really light week for readings for you guys - you have LITERALLY only four pages of primary sources, so it shouldn't be hard to prep for section. The readings are Captain William Dampier (p. 141) and Jahangir (p. 158). We'll also discuss your papers & my general feedback.

Also, I've had to revise paper pick-up times for Wednesday because I have a meeting with a professor. You can pick up your paper from me in my office, Dulles 009, between 8am and 9:55am or between 1pm and 2:45pm, or you can just wait until section on Thursday.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

1) According to Damphier, what was slavery like for slaves in Achin? What was the relationship like between master and slave? How does it compare to Atlantic slavery?

2) Jahangir and his father were Islamic rulers of the Mughal Empire. How did they view the place of other religions in the empire? What made religious practices acceptable or unacceptable?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, 9/19 if you chose to complete this week's activity

This week's readings describe religion and slavery in East Asia & India, while the past two weeks' readings discussed the same things in the Americas. How did the practice of religion or slavery (pick one) differ between the two regions? Make specific references to the readings. Then, give me a one sentence explanation of why YOU think the practices developed differently.

See you all on Thursday!

Readings for September 13th

Last week, everyone did a really fantastic job with the posts in the comments - keep it up this week! If you did last week's activi, you don't have to do any more until October; however, any extra posts will help your participation grade, so if you're quiet in class this is your chance to boost that grade.

For this week, you also had three readings from the course reader: Nzinga Mbemba, Richard Ligon, and Thomas Phillips.

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

1) What is Mbemba asking for in the letter he is writing to the King of Portugal? How do you think Mbemba sees the Europeans?

2) How does Ligon describe the practice of slavery in the Americas? In your opinion, does he consider slavery moral, immoral, or something different?

3) Phillips describes the process of acquiring slaves in Africa. How were slaves found? Who was involved in the Atlantic slave trade in Africa?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59pm on Wednesday, September 12th (if you choose this week's activity)

Think about what you know about the institution of slavery in the Americas and the Atlantic slave trade. Hopefully, reading these primary source will help give you a more global view of slavery & its impact. Pick something from the readings that you found surprising, or that challenged something you knew about slavery or the slave trade. State which reading it was from, what it was that was new to you, and how it creates a more complicated picture of the slave trade or slavery.

NOTE: if you've noticed, I've used two separate terms - slavery and the slave trade. Why do you think I make distinction between the two? We'll talk about this more in class.

Readings for September 6th

For this week, you were assigned three readings from the course reader: Christopher Columbus (p. 66), The Broken Spears (p. 68), and Arana Xajilá (p. 74).

THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR SECTION:

For Columbus, what was the relationship between science/exploration and his faith?

The Broken Spears is a translation from a native-language (Nahuatl) document. What types of information does this source prioritize? What problems might the translation cause?

What impact did the disease brought by the Spanish have on native peoples? What changes in their society resulted?

ACTIVITY - due by 11:59 pm on Wednesday (if you chose to do this week's)

Pick a quote (1-2 sentences) from any one of the readings. Give us the quote, tell us what you found interesting, surprising, confusing, etc about it, and then tell us one question that it raised for you. Please put your response in the comments section, and remember it only needs to be about 5-6 sentences total.

See you guys on Thursday!

-Kirsten