Option I
In The Origins of Slavery and Origins and Consolidation, Betty Wood and Peter Kolchin, respectively, describe how several theories of the origins of slavery (economic, social, religious, and racial) actually work together to explain the creation of the system of chattel slavery in English Colonies in the Caribbean and the mainland North America. Using examples from both texts, describe how these forces (economic, social, religious, and others) worked together to give the English justifications for enslaving others and Africans in particular.
Option II
How is Equiano rhetorically effective in his narrative? Rhetoric is the art of persuasion through language. This includes appeals to emotion and logic, representation of the author’s character, as well as the targeting of the concerns and desires of the audience. How do you feel Equiano approached his audience? Who do you think he was writing for: those already disposed against slavery, those who were okay with slavery, and/or those who felt it was the right and proper delineation of groups of people and labor? What kinds of arguments does he use against slavery as an institution: economic, religious, emotional (or others)? Why do you think his narrative became as important and influential as it did?