TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Anthony Hazard: The Atlantic slave trade What too few textbooks told you

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Slavery, the treatment of human beings as property, deprived of personal rights, has occurred in many fmros throughout the world. But one institution stands out for both its global scale and its lasting legacy. The Atlantic slave trdae, occurring from the late 15th to the mid 19th century and spanning three continents, forcibly brought more than 10 miiloln Africans to the Americas. The imcpat it would lvaee affected not only these slaves and their descendants, but the economies and histories of large ptars of the world. There had been centuries of ccontat between Europe and Africa via the Mediterranean. But the Atlantic slave trade began in the late 1400s with Portuguese colonies in West Africa, and ssnaiph semeltetnt of the Americas solrhty after. The crops gwron in the new coeiolns, sugar cane, tobacco, and cotton, were labor intensive, and there were not enough settlers or innudreted servants to cultivate all the new land. acmreian Natives were enslaved, but many died from new diseases, while others effectively resisted. And so to meet the massive dnemad for labor, the Europeans looked to Africa. African slavery had eexitsd for centuries in various forms. Some slaves were indentured servants, with a limited term and the chance to buy one's freedom. Others were more like eeroaupn serfs. In some societies, slaves could be part of a master's family, own land, and even rise to positions of power. But when white cnpaitas came offering manufactured godos, weapons, and rum for slaves, African kings and merchants had little reason to hesitate. They viewed the people they sold not as fellow Africans but criminals, debtors, or prisoners of war from rival tribes. By selling them, kings enriched their own realms, and segthneenrtd them against neighboring enemies. African kingdoms prospered from the slave trade, but meeting the European's massive demand caerted intense cepmitotion. Slavery replaced other criminal sentences, and capturing slaves became a motivation for war, rather than its result. To defend themselves from slave radis, neighboring kingdoms needed European firearms, which they also bought with slaves. The slave trade had become an arms race, altering societies and economies across the continent. As for the slaves themselves, they faced ualmigabnnie brutality. After being marched to slave forts on the coast, shaved to prevent lice, and branded, they were loaded onto ships bound for the Americas. About 20% of them would never see land again. Most captains of the day were tight pakercs, cramming as many men as possible below deck. While the lack of sanitation caused many to die of disease, and others were thrown overboard for being sick, or as discipline, the captain's ensured their proifts by cutting off slave's ears as proof of purchase. Some captives took matters into their own hands. Many inland Africans had never seen whites before, and thought them to be cannibals, constantly taking people away and returning for more. Afraid of being etaen, or just to avoid further suffering, they committed suicide or steavrd themselves, believing that in death, their sluos would return home. Those who survived were completley duiemeaznhd, treated as mere cargo. Women and children were kept above deck and abused by the crew, while the men were made to perform dnceas in order to keep them exercised and curb rebellion. What happened to those Africans who reached the New World and how the legacy of slavery still affects their descendants today is fairly well known. But what is not often dcissuesd is the efcfet that the anatiltc slave trade had on Africa's future. Not only did the continent lose tens of minolils of its able-bodied population, but because most of the slaves taken were men, the long-term dperoagihmc effect was even greater. When the slave trade was finally outlawed in the acmearis and Europe, the African kingdoms whose eceooinms it had come to dimontae collapsed, lnaevig them open to conquest and colonization. And the increased competition and influx of European weapons fueled warfare and instability that cteoninus to this day. The Atlantic savle trade also cribetutnod to the development of racist ideology. Most African slavery had no deeper reason than legal punishment or intertribal warfare, but the Europeans who preached a universal religion, and who had long ago outlawed enslaving fellow Christians, neeedd justification for a pctcraie so obviously at odds with their iadels of eauiqtly. So they camield that anafrcis were biologically inferior and destined to be slaves, making great efforts to justify this theory. Thus, slavery in Europe and the Americas acquired a racial basis, making it impossible for slaves and their future descendants to attain equal status in sieocty. In all of these ways, the Atlantic slave trade was an itujinsce on a massive scale whose impact has continued long after its abolition.

Open Cloze

Slavery, the treatment of human beings as property, deprived of personal rights, has occurred in many _____ throughout the world. But one institution stands out for both its global scale and its lasting legacy. The Atlantic slave _____, occurring from the late 15th to the mid 19th century and spanning three continents, forcibly brought more than 10 _______ Africans to the Americas. The ______ it would _____ affected not only these slaves and their descendants, but the economies and histories of large _____ of the world. There had been centuries of _______ between Europe and Africa via the Mediterranean. But the Atlantic slave trade began in the late 1400s with Portuguese colonies in West Africa, and _______ __________ of the Americas _______ after. The crops _____ in the new ________, sugar cane, tobacco, and cotton, were labor intensive, and there were not enough settlers or __________ servants to cultivate all the new land. ________ Natives were enslaved, but many died from new diseases, while others effectively resisted. And so to meet the massive ______ for labor, the Europeans looked to Africa. African slavery had _______ for centuries in various forms. Some slaves were indentured servants, with a limited term and the chance to buy one's freedom. Others were more like ________ serfs. In some societies, slaves could be part of a master's family, own land, and even rise to positions of power. But when white ________ came offering manufactured _____, weapons, and rum for slaves, African kings and merchants had little reason to hesitate. They viewed the people they sold not as fellow Africans but criminals, debtors, or prisoners of war from rival tribes. By selling them, kings enriched their own realms, and ____________ them against neighboring enemies. African kingdoms prospered from the slave trade, but meeting the European's massive demand _______ intense ___________. Slavery replaced other criminal sentences, and capturing slaves became a motivation for war, rather than its result. To defend themselves from slave _____, neighboring kingdoms needed European firearms, which they also bought with slaves. The slave trade had become an arms race, altering societies and economies across the continent. As for the slaves themselves, they faced ____________ brutality. After being marched to slave forts on the coast, shaved to prevent lice, and branded, they were loaded onto ships bound for the Americas. About 20% of them would never see land again. Most captains of the day were tight _______, cramming as many men as possible below deck. While the lack of sanitation caused many to die of disease, and others were thrown overboard for being sick, or as discipline, the captain's ensured their _______ by cutting off slave's ears as proof of purchase. Some captives took matters into their own hands. Many inland Africans had never seen whites before, and thought them to be cannibals, constantly taking people away and returning for more. Afraid of being _____, or just to avoid further suffering, they committed suicide or _______ themselves, believing that in death, their _____ would return home. Those who survived were completley ___________, treated as mere cargo. Women and children were kept above deck and abused by the crew, while the men were made to perform ______ in order to keep them exercised and curb rebellion. What happened to those Africans who reached the New World and how the legacy of slavery still affects their descendants today is fairly well known. But what is not often _________ is the ______ that the ________ slave trade had on Africa's future. Not only did the continent lose tens of ________ of its able-bodied population, but because most of the slaves taken were men, the long-term ___________ effect was even greater. When the slave trade was finally outlawed in the ________ and Europe, the African kingdoms whose _________ it had come to ________ collapsed, _______ them open to conquest and colonization. And the increased competition and influx of European weapons fueled warfare and instability that _________ to this day. The Atlantic _____ trade also ___________ to the development of racist ideology. Most African slavery had no deeper reason than legal punishment or intertribal warfare, but the Europeans who preached a universal religion, and who had long ago outlawed enslaving fellow Christians, ______ justification for a ________ so obviously at odds with their ______ of ________. So they _______ that ________ were biologically inferior and destined to be slaves, making great efforts to justify this theory. Thus, slavery in Europe and the Americas acquired a racial basis, making it impossible for slaves and their future descendants to attain equal status in _______. In all of these ways, the Atlantic slave trade was an _________ on a massive scale whose impact has continued long after its abolition.

Solution

claimed
dehumanized
competition
needed
atlantic
shortly
european
existed
effect
packers
economies
million
contact
colonies
settlement
demographic
ideals
practice
injustice
unimaginable
created
strengthened
goods
dominate
equality
leaving
grown
dances
indentured
spanish
souls
raids
eaten
impact
profits
contributed
parts
trade
slave
discussed
society
americas
american
captains
demand
leave
starved
millions
africans
forms
continues

Original Text

Slavery, the treatment of human beings as property, deprived of personal rights, has occurred in many forms throughout the world. But one institution stands out for both its global scale and its lasting legacy. The Atlantic slave trade, occurring from the late 15th to the mid 19th century and spanning three continents, forcibly brought more than 10 million Africans to the Americas. The impact it would leave affected not only these slaves and their descendants, but the economies and histories of large parts of the world. There had been centuries of contact between Europe and Africa via the Mediterranean. But the Atlantic slave trade began in the late 1400s with Portuguese colonies in West Africa, and Spanish settlement of the Americas shortly after. The crops grown in the new colonies, sugar cane, tobacco, and cotton, were labor intensive, and there were not enough settlers or indentured servants to cultivate all the new land. American Natives were enslaved, but many died from new diseases, while others effectively resisted. And so to meet the massive demand for labor, the Europeans looked to Africa. African slavery had existed for centuries in various forms. Some slaves were indentured servants, with a limited term and the chance to buy one's freedom. Others were more like European serfs. In some societies, slaves could be part of a master's family, own land, and even rise to positions of power. But when white captains came offering manufactured goods, weapons, and rum for slaves, African kings and merchants had little reason to hesitate. They viewed the people they sold not as fellow Africans but criminals, debtors, or prisoners of war from rival tribes. By selling them, kings enriched their own realms, and strengthened them against neighboring enemies. African kingdoms prospered from the slave trade, but meeting the European's massive demand created intense competition. Slavery replaced other criminal sentences, and capturing slaves became a motivation for war, rather than its result. To defend themselves from slave raids, neighboring kingdoms needed European firearms, which they also bought with slaves. The slave trade had become an arms race, altering societies and economies across the continent. As for the slaves themselves, they faced unimaginable brutality. After being marched to slave forts on the coast, shaved to prevent lice, and branded, they were loaded onto ships bound for the Americas. About 20% of them would never see land again. Most captains of the day were tight packers, cramming as many men as possible below deck. While the lack of sanitation caused many to die of disease, and others were thrown overboard for being sick, or as discipline, the captain's ensured their profits by cutting off slave's ears as proof of purchase. Some captives took matters into their own hands. Many inland Africans had never seen whites before, and thought them to be cannibals, constantly taking people away and returning for more. Afraid of being eaten, or just to avoid further suffering, they committed suicide or starved themselves, believing that in death, their souls would return home. Those who survived were completley dehumanized, treated as mere cargo. Women and children were kept above deck and abused by the crew, while the men were made to perform dances in order to keep them exercised and curb rebellion. What happened to those Africans who reached the New World and how the legacy of slavery still affects their descendants today is fairly well known. But what is not often discussed is the effect that the Atlantic slave trade had on Africa's future. Not only did the continent lose tens of millions of its able-bodied population, but because most of the slaves taken were men, the long-term demographic effect was even greater. When the slave trade was finally outlawed in the Americas and Europe, the African kingdoms whose economies it had come to dominate collapsed, leaving them open to conquest and colonization. And the increased competition and influx of European weapons fueled warfare and instability that continues to this day. The Atlantic slave trade also contributed to the development of racist ideology. Most African slavery had no deeper reason than legal punishment or intertribal warfare, but the Europeans who preached a universal religion, and who had long ago outlawed enslaving fellow Christians, needed justification for a practice so obviously at odds with their ideals of equality. So they claimed that Africans were biologically inferior and destined to be slaves, making great efforts to justify this theory. Thus, slavery in Europe and the Americas acquired a racial basis, making it impossible for slaves and their future descendants to attain equal status in society. In all of these ways, the Atlantic slave trade was an injustice on a massive scale whose impact has continued long after its abolition.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
slave trade	6
atlantic slave	5
massive demand	2
african slavery	2
african kingdoms	2

ngrams of length 3

collocation	frequency
atlantic slave trade	4

Important Words

abolition
abused
acquired
affected
affects
afraid
africa
african
africans
altering
american
americas
arms
atlantic
attain
avoid
basis
began
beings
believing
biologically
bought
bound
branded
brought
brutality
buy
cane
cannibals
captains
captives
capturing
cargo
caused
centuries
century
chance
children
christians
claimed
coast
collapsed
colonies
colonization
committed
competition
completley
conquest
constantly
contact
continent
continents
continued
continues
contributed
cotton
cramming
created
crew
criminal
criminals
crops
cultivate
curb
cutting
dances
day
death
debtors
deck
deeper
defend
dehumanized
demand
demographic
deprived
descendants
destined
development
die
died
discipline
discussed
disease
diseases
dominate
ears
eaten
economies
effect
effectively
efforts
enemies
enriched
enslaved
enslaving
ensured
equal
equality
europe
european
europeans
exercised
existed
faced
family
fellow
finally
firearms
forcibly
forms
forts
freedom
fueled
future
global
goods
great
greater
grown
hands
happened
hesitate
histories
home
human
ideals
ideology
impact
impossible
increased
indentured
inferior
influx
injustice
inland
instability
institution
intense
intensive
intertribal
justification
justify
kingdoms
kings
labor
lack
land
large
lasting
late
leave
leaving
legacy
legal
lice
limited
loaded
long
looked
lose
making
manufactured
marched
massive
matters
mediterranean
meet
meeting
men
merchants
mere
mid
million
millions
motivation
natives
needed
neighboring
occurred
occurring
odds
offering
open
order
outlawed
overboard
packers
part
parts
people
perform
personal
population
portuguese
positions
power
practice
preached
prevent
prisoners
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property
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race
racial
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return
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scale
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serfs
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unimaginable
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ways
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west
white
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