HIS 200 Module One Activity Template: Project Topic Exploration
You must pick a topic from the Research Topics Lists in the Library Research Guide. While it is
a good idea to choose your topic early, you may change it until the next module. Replace the
bracketed text below with your responses. Support your responses with specific details and
examples.
Identify the topic you chose to explore:
The theme that I chose is Globalization and the Research Topic I chose is the Act Prohibiting
the
Importation of Slavery. The reason I selected this Research Topic is that it articulates two
themes Globalization and Inequality and Human Rights. I am a person that always takes
the larger picture into consideration, I view things from a wider and broader perspective
when solving a problem. That Is why I chose Globalization because slavery is and has
always been a “world” issue, not just a “U.S.” issue.
Explain what you already know about the chosen topic based on your personal history or
experiences.
Slavery is to force someone to do hard labor in inadequate, unsafe, and unfair work
conditions for little or no pay. Slavery is when a human being is considered to be
another’s property, that is brutally raped and abused if they do not obey the slave owners.
This behavior is inhumane. I am also aware that slavery first started when the Portuguese
would go to Africa and kidnap people and force them to work as slaves. The Englishmen
adopted this way of living. During 1619 was the starting point for slavery in the United
States, when 20 enslaved Africans were seized from the Portuguese by the Englishman
and bought to British Colonies in Jamestown, which is an hour from my hometown of
Richmond, Va. In 1807, Congress banned the importation of Slavery, but the last slave
was not freed until June 19, 1865, which is now a holiday called Juneteenth.
Unfortunately, some countries still allow slaves, and therefore it is a Global issue.
Describe the beliefs, assumptions, and values you have related to the topic you chose.
Me being a black woman, I am considered to be a minority. Even though slavery is
abolished in the U.S., minorities like me encounter situations that remind us that we were
once looked at as not being worthy of living. The violence and brutality our ancestors
endured caused generations to come to live with a slavery mentality.
Explain why this topic is relevant to current events or to modern society.
This topic is relevant to current events and modern society because as I stated slavery is
a mindset of those that were enslaved and those who owned slaves. After hundreds of
years of slavery, that mindset does not just go away, and it is a taught and learned
behavior that we still experience today. That is why knowing the true history of any
situation could change your perspective on life. For example, the awareness of brutality
on black men was bought to the world as we watched a police officer murder helpless
and unarmed George Floyd in 2020. This situation bought attention to the inequality and
violation of black human rights it caused a worldwide protest, which ended with
agreements like new police reform and the recognition of Juneteenth as a holiday. I am
looking forward to learning about the timeline of events from when the first slave was
kidnapped until now. This will help me to learn not just about my history but the history
of those people with opposite views and upbringing and allow me to respect and
understand their thought and opinions.
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