Duc du Maine (slave ship)

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/duc-du-maine-slave-ship

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the vessel nationality?French
2. What is the historical era?18th century
3. What was the Duc du Maine?It was a French ship that carried enslaved people across the Atlantic in the 18th century.
4. Why did the Duc du Maine carry enslaved people?France used the ship to transport enslaved Africans to its colonies where they worked on plantations, making money for the country.

Mercantilism: An economic theory promoting government regulation of trade to increase national wealth and power.
Colonialism: The practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.
Human Trafficking: The illegal trade of human beings, typically for the purposes of exploitation and commercial gain.