Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyShipboard Rebellions and Middle Passage Resistance

Read the excerpt from the account of English slave ship captain William Snelgrave, published in 1734, and answer the question below.

"I asked them, why they had mutinied... They answered, that I was a great Rogue to buy them, in order to carry them away from their own Country; and that they were resolved to regain their Liberty if they could."

Based on this excerpt, which of the following statements best describes the primary motivation of the captive Africans who participated in shipboard rebellions?

  1. A
    A reliance on covert everyday resistance, such as breaking tools and feigning illness, rather than direct physical confrontation.
  2. B
    A spontaneous expression of confusion over ship rules, as captives generally accepted their passive status.
  3. A deliberate and active attempt to reclaim their personal freedom and prevent their forced displacement.Answer
  4. D
    A coordinated strategy to join existing Maroon communities in the Americas before the ship set sail.

Answer

A deliberate and active attempt to reclaim their personal freedom and prevent their forced displacement.
The correct option is correct because the excerpt demonstrates that captive Africans actively asserted their agency and were determined to regain their liberty rather than passively accepting enslavement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the primary source excerpt from William Snelgrave.
The excerpt shows captives stating they mutinied because the captain bought them to carry them away from their country, and they were resolved to regain their liberty.
To identify the explicit motivation stated by the participants in the rebellion.
2
Evaluate the choices to find the one that matches the captives' stated motives.
The option describing a deliberate and active attempt to reclaim freedom and resist forced displacement directly matches the text, while other options either downplay agency, confuse the chronology, or conflate it with everyday resistance.
To select the correct historical interpretation that highlights captive agency.

Key Concept

Middle Passage Resistance and Agency
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Shipboard Rebellions and Middle Passage Resistance

More questions from this topic