North America Jamaica: A Beautiful Island with a Dark History

Non-fiction: North America – Jamaica: A Beautiful Island with a Dark History North America Jamaica: A Beautiful Island with a Dark History If you hav...
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Non-fiction: North America – Jamaica: A Beautiful Island with a Dark History

North America Jamaica: A Beautiful Island with a Dark History If you have heard of Jamaica, you probably know that it is an island in the Caribbean. You may have listened to reggae, a distinctly Jamaican type of music whose most famous singer is Bob Marley. You might have seen pictures of its wonderful beaches. Maybe you have heard about the warm and sunny weather that makes it a very popular tourist spot. Many people think Jamaica is one of the most beautiful places in the world. What you might not know is that Jamaica has a very sad history. Today a Jamaican motto1 is “Don’t worry, be happy.” However, for years many of the residents of Jamaica were very unhappy. They were taken from their homes in Africa and brought to Jamaica to work as slaves. They worked on sugar plantations owned by Europeans. There they lived miserable lives. During the fifteenth through mid-eighteenth centuries, an international system of buying and selling connected Africa, the islands of the Caribbean, and New England. This system was called the Triangle Trade. The trade began in Africa. There, hundreds of slaves were put on ships and taken on a route called the Middle Passage. The journey was awful. Slaves were crowded on the ship by the hundreds. They were usually chained so they couldn’t move. The food and water they were given were often contaminated.2 This made many slaves sick. Diseases were spread quickly, and many slaves died. Sometimes, those that were allowed on deck jumped overboard. They chose certain death over the terribly painful life they knew waited for them in the Americas. When the boats arrived in the Caribbean, ship captains traded the slaves for sugar and molasses. Then, the captains set sail for New England. There the sugar and molasses were made into rum. The rum was then shipped to Africa and traded for slaves, starting the cycle all over again.

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motto: a popular saying contaminated: spoiled or harmful 1 © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

Non-fiction: North America – Jamaica: A Beautiful Island with a Dark History

What made the whole system work were the slaves on the sugar plantations of islands like Jamaica. Slaves worked from sunrise to sunset under the hot sun. The overseers of the plantations treated the slaves very badly. Most thought it was cheaper to work slaves until they died than to give them time to rest. Sugar was also a very difficult crop to grow and harvest.3 When Jamaica became a British colony in 1655, conditions did not improve. Though some free black people lived in Jamaica, most lived and died on the plantations. Many slaves revolted against these terrible conditions. In the 1830s Sam Sharpe, a Baptist preacher, led a large revolution known as the Christmas Rebellion. Several years later, slavery in Jamaica was finally abolished4 for good. Soon after, the sugar industry collapsed. Today, Sam Sharpe is remembered as a hero in Jamaica. The people of Jamaica are free. However, the country’s history continues to affect Jamaica’s economy and society.

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harvest: to gather from a field abolished: made illegal, outlawed. 2 © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

Answers: North America – Jamaica: A Beautiful Island with a Dark History

Name: ______________________________ Date: _______________________

1. What were the three items shipped in the Triangle Trade? a. b. c. d.

Sugar, molasses and coffee Coffee, tea, and rum Rum, slaves and plantations People, sugar, and rum

2. What was the first step in the Triangle Trade? a. b. c. d.

Slaves were traded for sugar and molasses. Slaves were put on ships in Africa. Slaves jumped overboard to escape. The captains set sail for New England.

3. What did the Spanish mean when they said that “sugar is made with blood”? a. The recipe for making sugar involved using goat blood. b. The dirt in Jamaica has a strong red color, like blood. c. The working conditions on the sugar plantations were so bad that many slaves died on them. d. Many Spanish died on ships transporting sugar. 4. Which of the following is an opinion about Jamaica? a. b. c. d.

Jamaica became a British colony in 1655. Jamaica has a very sad history. Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean. Slavery in Jamaica was abolished in the 1830s.

5. Which of the following items is not a reason people enjoy traveling to Jamaica today? a. warm weather b. many sunny beaches c. many famous museums d. reggae music

3 © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

Answers: North America – Jamaica: A Beautiful Island with a Dark History

6. Why did the sugarcane industry collapse after slavery was abolished? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 7. Why is Sam Sharpe considered a hero in Jamaica? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. The overseers of the plantations treated the slaves very badly ____________ most thought it was cheaper to work slaves until they died than to give them time to rest. a. once b. because c. until d. so 9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below. During the fifteenth through mid-eighteenth centuries the Triangle Trade was a system of trade that involved buying and selling goods and people from Africa, the islands of the Caribbean, and New England in order to make a profit. What? the Triangle Trade (was) What?______________________________________________________ When? _________________________________________________________ Where? _________________________________________________________ 10. Vocabulary Word: abolished: made illegal, outlawed. Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: ________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 4 © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

Answers: North America – Jamaica: A Beautiful Island with a Dark History

Teacher Guide and Answers Passage Reading Level: Lexile 810 Featured Text Structure: Descriptive – the writer explains, defines or illustrates a concept or topic Passage Summary: Jamaica’s history is a tragic one, filled with tales of slavery and abuse. People were taken from their homes in Africa to Jamaica where they worked on sugar plantations until they died. This continued until the 1830’s. 1. What were the three items shipped in the Triangle Trade? a. Sugar, molasses and coffee b. Coffee, tea, and rum c. Rum, slaves and plantations d. People, sugar, and rum 2. What was the first step in the Triangle Trade? a. Slaves were traded for sugar and molasses. b. Slaves were put on ships in Africa. c. Slaves jumped overboard to escape. d. The captains set sail for New England. 3. What did the Spanish mean when they said that “sugar is made with blood”? a. The recipe for making sugar involved using goat blood. b. The dirt in Jamaica has a strong red color, like blood. c. The working conditions on the sugar plantations were so bad that many slaves died on them. d. Many Spanish died on ships transporting sugar. 4. Which of the following is an opinion about Jamaica? a. Jamaica became a British colony in 1655. b. Jamaica has a very sad history. c. Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean. d. Slavery in Jamaica was abolished in the 1830s. 5. Which of the following items is not a reason people enjoy traveling to Jamaica today? a. warm weather b. many sunny beaches c. many famous museums d. reggae music

5 © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

Answers: North America – Jamaica: A Beautiful Island with a Dark History

6. Why did the sugarcane industry collapse after slavery was abolished? Suggested answer: The sugarcane industry collapsed because there were no longer slaves to work on the sugar plantations. The sugarcane industry depended on slave labor, which was very cheap for the owners of the sugar plantations. 7. Why is Sam Sharpe considered a hero in Jamaica? Suggested answer: Sam Sharpe is considered a hero in Jamaica because he lead the Christmas Rebellion which eventually lead to slavery being abolished and a better life for many people. 8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. The overseers of the plantations treated the slaves very badly ____________ most thought it was cheaper to work slaves until they died than to give them time to rest. a. once b. because c. until d. so 9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below. During the fifteenth through mid-eighteenth centuries the Triangle Trade was a system of trade that involved buying and selling goods and people from Africa, the islands of the Caribbean, and New England in order to make a profit. What? the Triangle Trade (was) What? a system of trade When? during the fifteenth through mid-eighteenth centuries Where? Africa, islands of the Caribbean, New England

10. Vocabulary Word: abolished: made illegal, outlawed. Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: answers may vary.

6 © 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.