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AP®HistoryCollege BoardUS HistoryExam QuestionsPeriod 2: 1607-1754Transatlantic Trade

Transatlantic Trade (College Board AP® US History): Exam Questions

6 mins6 questions
11 mark

"The closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us. The shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable."

Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, 1789

What broader historical development does Equiano’s account most directly illustrate?

  • The expansion of industrialization in the British colonies

  • The increasing reliance on enslaved labor in the Americas

  • The decline of the transatlantic slave trade in the 18th century

  • The improvement of conditions for enslaved laborers

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21 mark

"The closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us. The shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable."

Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, 1789

Which of the following groups would have most strongly opposed Equiano’s perspective on the transatlantic slave trade?

  • Abolitionist societies in Britain and America

  • Plantation owners in the Caribbean and the American South

  • Freed African Americans in Northern colonies

  • European merchants who profited from free labor

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31 mark

"The closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us. The shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable."

Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, 1789

Which of the following is a limitation of Equiano’s account in understanding the transatlantic trade?

  • His narrative was published for an abolitionist audience and may have been shaped to persuade, rather than just inform

  • The narrative focuses on his personal experiences of one part of the transatlantic trade which may have been exaggerated

  • The focus of the account is on the poor conditions and does not mention other conditions on board the ship

  • It was written at a time when slavery was abolished in the British Empire and the account had little effect 

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41 mark

"No goods or commodities whatsoever shall be imported into or exported out of any British colonies except in ships that belong to subjects of England. Further, certain goods, including sugar, tobacco, and indigo, shall be exported only to England or its dominions."

British Parliament, Navigation Acts, 1660

The primary purpose of the Navigation Acts was to

  • Expand economic opportunities for colonial merchants

  • Limit colonial trade to benefit the British economy

  • Reduce British involvement in the transatlantic trade

  • Allow European nations equal access to colonial markets

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51 mark

"No goods or commodities whatsoever shall be imported into or exported out of any British colonies except in ships that belong to subjects of England. Further, certain goods, including sugar, tobacco, and indigo, shall be exported only to England or its dominions."

British Parliament, Navigation Acts, 1660

Which of the following was a direct effect of the Navigation Acts on the American colonies?

  • The British government were prevented from negotiating the highest price for their goods

  • A shift towards greater imperial control during the reign of King Charles II

  • Resulted in a British policy known as the “salutary neglect” under Prime Minister Walpole  

  • Colonial merchants sought to evade British trade restrictions through smuggling 

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61 mark

"No goods or commodities whatsoever shall be imported into or exported out of any British colonies except in ships that belong to subjects of England. Further, certain goods, including sugar, tobacco, and indigo, shall be exported only to England or its dominions."

British Parliament, Navigation Acts, 1660

The excerpt would be most useful to historians as a source of information about which of the following? 

  • Lax enforcement of mercantilist policies

  • Attraction to the Enlightenment Writings of John Locke

  • The American Revolutionary War  

  • The Bever Wars

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