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Course: World History Project AP® > Unit 4
Lesson 3: 4.2—Transoceanic Empires: Empires and Resistance- READ: Survey of Transoceanic Empires, 1450 to 1750
- READ: Yasuke – Graphic Biography
- READ: Overview of New Economic Systems
- READ: European Colonies in the Americas
- READ: Amonute – Graphic Biography
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: The Spanish Empire, Silver, and Runaway Inflation - Crash Course World History #25
- WATCH: The Spanish Empire, Silver, & Runaway Inflation
- READ: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz – Graphic Biography
- READ: The Transatlantic Slave Trade
- READ: The Disastrous Effects of Increased Global Interactions c. 1500 to c. 1600
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: Impact of the Slave Trade - Through a Ghanaian Lens
- WATCH: Impact of the Slave Trade - Through a Ghanaian Lens
- READ: Domingos Álvares – Graphic Biography
- READ: State Centralization and Resistance
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READ: Domingos Álvares – Graphic Biography
Domingos Álvares was one of more than twelve million Africans enslaved to labor in the Americas. But this did not define his identity. As historian James Sweet tells us, he was a healer who created a community and a network around him wherever he went.
The Graphic Biography below uses “Three Close Reads”. If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.
First read: skimming for gist
This will be your quickest read. It should help you get the general idea of what the graphic biography will be about. Pay attention to the title, headings, images, and layout. Ask yourself: what is this graphic biography going to be about?
Second read: understanding content
For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. You should also spend some time looking at the images and the way in which the page is designed.
By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:
- When and where was Domingos Álvares born?
- What was Álvares’ occupation, and why did this lead to his capture and sale to European enslavers by the King of Dahomey?
- Why was Álvares imprisoned in 1733?
- Why did the Catholic Church try to imprison Álvares in 1742?
- How does the artist use art and design to demonstrate the importance of community to Álvares?
Third read: evaluating and corroborating
In this read, you should use the graphic biography as evidence to support, extend, or challenge claims made in the course.
At the end of the third read, you should be able to respond to these questions:
- Using evidence from this article, explain how Álvares’ story supports, extends, or challenges what you’ve learned about social categories and practices in this era.
- How is Álvares’ biography evidence of the kinds of networks people built across regions, and the transfer of ideas from one region to another in this era? How does this evidence support, extend, or challenge your understanding of the impact of the Columbian Exchange?
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to read! Remember to return to these questions once you’ve finished reading.
Domingos Álvares (Graphic Biography)
Writer: Lindsay Ehrisman
Artist: Liz Clarke
Domingos Álvares was one of more than twelve million Africans enslaved to labor in the Americas. But this did not define his identity. As historian James Sweet tells us, he was a healer who created a community and a network around him wherever he went.
Download the Graphic Biography PDF here or click on the image above.