Thinking Like a Historian: Close Reading

Definition Reading a text several times. First to understand the basic meaning of the words. Second to look for the main arguments and evidence used to support the arguments. Finally to try to figure out what the language and arguments used by the author tell us about his perspective or bias.

When you close read, you should ask: In the first read we ask: What are the main ideas? In the second read we ask: What claims/arguments does the author make and what evidence does he have to support his claims? What language (words, phrases, images, symbols) does the author use to persuade the document’s audience? In the third read we ask How does the document’s language indicate the author’s perspective? What does he want us to believe and WHY?

Close Reading: Example-Nigeria and the Slave Trade Thinking Like a Historian: Close Reading Background The Slave Trade: Beginning in the 15 th century Europeans began exporting slaves from Africa to their colonies in the New World. The trade routes were roughly triangular in shape. Europeans would send goods such as cloth, guns or beads to Africa, where the goods would be traded for Africans who were then enslaved. Ships leaving from Africa to the European colonies in the Americas would contain hundreds of enslaved people, tightly packed in horrific conditions for the journey to their new "home." Once in the Americas, the ship would unload the slaves trading them for payment in molasses, rum, sugar, or tobacco and then take these items back to Europe, completing the Triangle. The number of Africans shipped as slaves to America has been conservatively estimated at 10 million. That number doesn't include the thousands who died along the way. Some estimates have concluded that 15 to 25 of every 100 Africans died on those voyages.

Close Reading: Example-Nigeria and the Slave Trade Triangle Trade Account 1: Portugal Background: Portugal is important to the history of slavery. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to establish trading ports on the coast of Africa which were eventually used to begin exporting slaves. Portuguese ships fueled the slave trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Slavery was already on of the pillars of African societies. The prestige and power of the great lords was evaluated by the number of slaves on hand. The practice of slavery in Africa [made it easier] for the entry of European in the process. In Africa, a person could become a slave through war, but there were other means that led to a similar end, like the paying off of a debt. Since the 15 th century, some Portuguese accounts tell of markets where Africans traded their products, including their brothers in race. To try to interpret the slavery trade as a unique form of colonial exploitation is to forget that it was a practice practiced by the indigenous. The slave traders operated directly with the local slave masers... Generally the advantages to both parties were equal; the African obtained manufactured products from Europe and military help he needed to defend himself against his enemies both local and foreign. In 1529 King John III wrote to the king of the Congo saying that the slave trade would not contribute to the depopulation of the kingdom, because the Congo was so full of people that it seemed that no slave had come out of it at all. Read One: Read Two: Read Three: Paraphrase the main ideas of the text. (roughly 1 sentence per Paragraph) What does the author say about slavery in Africa before the arrival of the Europeans? (highlight the text that supports your response) What does the author say about how Africans benefitted from slavery? (highlight the text that supports your response) Based on the arguments he is making, who does the author want us to believe is responsible for the slave trade? Look at the sourcing information. Why might this be so? Is King John a reliable source about how slavery is affecting Africa? Explain.

Close Reading: Source 2 Triangle Trade: Account 2: Nigeria Background: Many of the slaves sent to the New World came from Nigeria. Nigerians who were willing to sell others into slavery received enormous profit and power. The Atlantic slave trade began from about when the Portuguese made contacts with the coast of West Africa..... But soon there were some developments in the New World”. The “New World” was the name given by Europeans to North America. In American and the West Indies, sugar plantations had been created... So from Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal, they [the Portuguese] began to supply slaves... By 1532 the trade had become more lucrative as the Portuguese began to make a direct shipment of the slaves to the West Indies. During the second half of the 16 th century the English and Dutch entered the trade. In the Caribbean islands the Portuguese, Spanish, English, and Dutch had all established colonies. All these colonies had sugar plantations and all the sugar plantations needed slaves. This is why the demand for slaves from Africa was so big. The trans-Atlantic slave trade was different from domestic slavery in many ways. For example, while domestic slavery involved a few people, the trans- Atlantic trade involved large numbers of people. Secondly, slaves were treated very cruelly both in the ships which took them across the Atlantic and on their arrival in the New World. They had not rights whatsoever. Instead, they were tied up with ropes and chains. They were sent to distant places among strange people. Many thousands of slaves died in the process. This contrasted with the humane treatment given to the domestic slaves. The bulk of the supply came from the Nigerians themselves. These Nigerian middlemen moved to the interior where they captured other Nigerians who belonged to the other communities. The middlemen also purchased many of the slaves from the people in the interior. These people in the interior sold war captives or those condemned to die for committing offences. Many of the slaves were social undesirables who had been condemned as thieves, adulterers or stubborn children. Read One: Read Two: Read Three: What are the main ideas of this text? (1-2 sentences per paragraph in your words ) Who does this author want is to believe is primarily responsible for the expansion of the slave trade? Look at the sourcing information at the top, given his background why might he want us to believe this group is responsible? According to this author, who was responsible for the expansion of the slave trade? Why? What are this author’s arguments about the Africans vs. the Europeans in regards to slavery?