The Slave Trade & African Societies & Long Lasting Economic Impact of College Essay
I don’t understand this Political Science question and need help to study.
First assignment:
In the document “The Slave Trade and African Societies”, author G.N. Uzoigwe discusses how the slave trade and its suppression form a major theme of African history between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. The author begins by stating how “many centuries of African slaves, he bast majority of whom came from tropical Africa, were transported to Arabia, Asia, and the Americas”. The author continues by discussing how recent slave trade studies have produced conclusions which may be summarized in five propositions. Those five being;” the so-called tremendous population loss to Africa as a result of the slave trade is a myth, the slave trade was part of a sustained economic development within the societies that participated in it with possible exception of the Congo and Angola, it is also led to sustained political development of the societies that participated in it although segmentary societies may have been adversely affected, the disastrous social consequences of the slave trade have been exaggerated, and though the slave trade may have brought ruin to some parts of Africa- especially the segmentary societies- generally speaking, it did not bring the ‘destruction and disintegration’ that have been credited to it” (187). Uzoigwe stated how these propositions appear in part to be a reaction against Blyden’s bitter accusation of the slave traders. It was determined by Professor John Fage, through a recent study of the Atlantic slave trade how the number of slaves who landed on the American continent during the four centuries of its operation did not exceed nine million and was probably less than that. Uzoigwe continues by discussing how the operation of the slave trade might have caused more disruption in east and central Africa than in the west due to the manner in which it was conducted in the interior, but it is difficult to discern the economic consequences of its suppression.
The slave trade included the transport of enslaved African people, being transported to Arabia to Asia and to the Americas. In the provided essay “The Slave Trade And African Societies” by G.N. Uzoigwe, the author breaks down the propositions from recent slave trade studies. The first being the myth that Africa has a mass depopulation episode due to the slave trade. Many people have come to believe that the down size in population in African is because of the slave trade when in reality it was certain areas that were becoming decreased, not the entire continent. Some even argue that the slave trade made the African population increase and rise. The second proposition is that the slave trade was included in a sustained economic development. Uzoigwe points out that nothing has been taken out of the significance between the economic development, commercial development, and sustained economic development. This is because the unknown and fear that developed in the areas affected any economic development. Yet there might not have been a growth in economic development, commercial development showed during the slave trade but it was hardly sustained. Though Africa itself didn’t have a good economic stand point, the slave trade made African rulers have a rise in profits which only increased their power and wealth. The third proposition discusses the sustained political development and of its societies and how they were affected. This argument stands different in different parts of Africa. In West Africa the slave trade helped sustain the development and political needs. Fage says “On the whole, it is probably true to say that the operation of the slave trade may have tened to integrate, strengthen and develop unitary territorial political authority…” The fourth proposition states that the disastrous social consequences of the slave trade have been exaggerated. Uzoigwe argues that the slave trade is not socially disastrous as it has been made out to be. This is because Africans made cultural increases from the Arab and European people.The Africans gain from the Arab includes the Swahili language and new ideas like religion and politicall relations. The Europeans also introduced their religion and forms of their own culture that some Africans copied. Though this is only one example as political impact on the slave trade is different from society to society. The slave trade also ended up changing the power structure of African polities.
Second assignment:
In the McArdle interview, I noticed that she says exactly what is in her article. She does not change her point of view or says that she is wrong. I agree with her when she says that college is good if you want to go somewhere in life, but if you want to do something that is does not require a college degree, then why go to college. She also mentions that people are in a lot of money in debt and the degrees that they have do not pay for that debt. I agree with that statement. She says to look at the cost early and not wait till the last year to look at the money. This is important because if you wait till the last minute with looking at money, you will be a lot in debt and that could be bad for your future.
In the strategies for synthesis video, I like the connection she made about a synthesis is like a bunch of people sitting around a table talking about a certain topic. I feel like people do this on a daily day without knowing about it. She also starts by saying that the first step is to summarize the sources. I think this is a great place to begin. I like the transitions she use when transitioning a quote or paraphrasing. I like the things she says that we have to think about when writing a synthesis. It all makes sense when thinking about the stage, audience, purpose, stance, genre, and how it all leads to the rhetorical situation. In the writing – analysis and synthesis video, I think it is interesting how analysis and synthesis are different but they still have similar parts. I like to use the 5 W’s and the 1 H, when writing a paper. I like the examples that she uses in the synthesis essay.
In the interview with Megan McArdle, they go over her article to express what she had written. She tends to just restate the article. She doesn’t provide much more information. I agree with her when she said it is best to go to a community college for the first two years, then transfer, but that is only if you’re looking at the money part of going to college. When you go to a community college, you don’t get the experience of living on campus, eating at the dining hall, and making a mass amount of friends. You don’t get the actual look of a freshman and sophomore college experience. I also agree with McArdle when she said she thinks it is best for teens to work for a few years before going into college. I happen to be working since I was 15, so I did kind of get the aspect of working, but I am so glad I chose to go straight to college instead of waiting.
In the synthesis video, she starts by explaining what synthesis is. She then states that synthesis is like a group of people sitting around a table expressing their ideas about one topic. She says the first step in synthesis is to summarize. I feel like this is a great start because it gives off a starting point about the topic. Next she says you need to engage. I really like the way she explains the engaging step. She says to agree to disagree with the author. I think I am best at expressing whether I agree or disagree with someone, so this step would be very easy for me. In the third video I watched, she explains analysis and synthesis. In this video, she says analysis is breaking down into parts, categorizing, and evaluating significants. She says synthesis is finding connections and links, identifying recurring themes, and evaluating significants. To do this you will use the six W’s; who, what, when, where, and how. To organize you will need to put your answers into a paragraph. First starting with a broad topic sentence, then your synthesized information, and lastly, the analysis of the source. I find this strategy useful. I think I will and could use this in the future to better organized my synthesis.
