North America - Enslavement and Liberation in Jamaica

What happened to the Taíno in Jamaica when the Spanish colonists arrived in 1494?

• The Taíno population continued living in peaceful communities, fishing and wood carving.

• The Spanish killed most of the Taíno population through forced labor, war, and disease.

• Sam Sharpe stood up for the rights of the Taíno population by starting a rebellion.

• The Taíno helped abolish slavery by changing public opinion about it in Britain.

How does the text describe the triangular trade?

• a way to preserve food and water on long ships so it wouldn't spoil during the journey

• a British colony that relied on sugar plantations and enslaved labor to make large profits

• an international system of buying and selling goods and enslaved people to make a profit

• a rebellion that inspired other enslaved people and communities in the Caribbean to stand up for freedom

Read the following sentences from the text. "European enslavers made a lot of money through the triangular trade. A big reason for that profit was that they did not pay the people they enslaved for the work they did. The enslaved people worked long hours, from sunrise to sunset, under the hot sun. Sugar was a very difficult crop to grow and harvest. The overseers of the plantations treated the enslaved people extremely badly. Most thought it was cheaper to work enslaved people until they died rather than to give them time to rest." What conclusion can you draw from this evidence?

• The sun set very early in Jamaica, so people did not have a lot of time to work on the plantations.

• European enslavers did not care about making a big profit or making sure the sugar plantations continued.

• The system of slavery created extreme inequality, with Europeans making money off of the work of enslaved people.

• The sugar crop was easy to grow and required minimal labor, so enslaved people rarely worked hard.

How might the Christmas Rebellion have inspired other enslaved people in the Caribbean?

• It inspired enslaved people to form unions and negotiate for better working conditions.

• It caused enslaved people to form alliances with European traders to improve their working conditions.

• It led enslaved people to believe that their only option was to flee to Europe for freedom.

• It showed that organized resistance could challenge slavery and lead to the possibility of freedom.

What is the main idea of this text?

• Jamaica's history, from Taíno roots to colonization, slavery, and resistance, led to the Christmas Rebellion and the abolition of slavery in 1838.

• Though some free Black people lived in Jamaica at this time, most lived and died on the plantations as enslaved people.

• The Taíno were the first Indigenous group in Jamaica who were good at fishing, wood carving, and making pottery.

• European traders participated in the triangular trade, which was a trade system that connected many different parts of the world.

Read the following sentences from the text. "The journey was very dangerous, and conditions were cruel. Hundreds of people were crowded together. They were usually chained so they couldn't move." As used in this excerpt, what does the word "cruel" most closely mean?

• harsh and terrible

• beautiful and exciting

• calm and peaceful

• permanent and never-changing

Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below. ________ enslaved people arrived in the Caribbean, they were forced to work on sugar plantations in bad conditions.

• Even though

• Such as

• Before

• After

Based on the text, what were the conditions like for enslaved people in Jamaica?

What was the Christmas Rebellion?

Describe two reasons why rebels like Sam Sharpe are celebrated as heroes in Jamaica. Use evidence from the text to support your answer.