In “Captain Canot, or Twenty Years of an African Slaver,” how does the author develop the central idea that transporting enslaved captives was a trade just like any other?

Question

Responses

by analyzing the day-to-day activities aboard a slave ship
by analyzing the day-to-day activities aboard a slave ship

by explaining how a captive’s condition was assessed
by explaining how a captive’s condition was assessed

by describing how captives were loaded on the ships
by describing how captives were loaded on the ships

by suggesting that captives led poor lives in Africa

Answer 1

In “Captain Canot, or Twenty Years of an African Slaver,” the author develops the central idea that transporting enslaved captives was a trade just like any other primarily by analyzing the day-to-day activities aboard a slave ship. This approach highlights the logistical, economic, and operational aspects of the slave trade, portraying it as a systematic and commercial enterprise rather than an isolated act of human cruelty. By detailing the routines, practices, and even the calculations made by those involved, the author emphasizes the normalization of this brutal trade within a wider economic context.