Royal African Company

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/royal-african-company

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 founding entity?Established by the House of Stuart and City of London merchants
2. What is the charter grantee?Received a royal charter granting a trade monopoly from King Charles II
3. Why did the Royal African Company transport enslaved Africans?The trade in enslaved people became very profitable and changed the company’s focus from gold to human bondage. It became the main transporter of enslaved Africans to the Americas.
4. How did the Royal African Company get its monopoly?King Charles II gave it a royal charter after the Stuart Restoration, giving it exclusive rights to trade along the West African coast.

House of Stuart: The royal dynasty that ruled England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1603 to 1714, with interruptions.
Royal Charter: A formal document issued by a monarch granting specific rights, privileges, or powers to an individual or organization.
Transatlantic Slave Trade: The forced migration of millions of Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas for enslavement, primarily from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
Insolvent: A financial state where a company or individual is unable to meet its outstanding debts or financial obligations.