The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Based on the visual evidence provided in the image, the activity involves mapping the routes of the Atlantic Triangular Trade.
The image displays a map centered on the Atlantic Ocean, clearly showing the coastlines of North America, Europe, and Africa. This geographical layout is the classic setting for the historical network of trade routes known as the Triangular Trade, which operated from the late 16th to the early 19th centuries. This system created a three-legged commercial network that profoundly shaped the history and economies of all three continents.
The first leg of the journey typically began in Europe. Ships would depart from ports in countries like Great Britain, France, and Portugal, loaded with manufactured goods. These items, including textiles, firearms, alcohol, and metalware, were sailed to the coast of West Africa. There, European traders exchanged these goods for enslaved African people. This part of the trade was driven by the enormous demand for labor on the plantations in the Americas.
The second and most infamous leg was the Middle Passage. This involved the forced transportation of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. The conditions aboard these slave ships were inhumane and horrific, characterized by extreme overcrowding, disease, and brutality. Millions of Africans did not survive this perilous journey. The map in the image, with its grid and instructions to draw routes across the ocean, is a visual aid for understanding the path of this tragic voyage.
Upon arrival in the Americas, the enslaved people were sold, and the ships were loaded with the products of their forced labor. This marked the third leg of the triangle. The vessels carried raw materials and commodities like sugar, cotton, tobacco, molasses, and rum back to Europe. These goods were then processed and sold, generating immense profits for European merchants and investors, which in turn funded more voyages and perpetuated the cycle. The exercise shown in the image is designed to have a student trace these three distinct yet interconnected routes on the map.
