James CLR: The Black Jacobins (Ch. 1 The Property) -Davis Angela: Women, Race & Class (Ch. 1 The
Legacy of Slavery: Standards for a New Womanhood)
Your Task
To start, carefully study the assigned readings. Prepare an oral presentation, centering on the extreme
forms of exploitation, dehumanization, and cruelty that black enslaved men and women experienced in the
Americas. In particular, the focus will be on the role of slavery in the development of the capitalist
economy (James), and the economic and reproductive exploitation of Black women (Davis).
The presentation will be structured around 4 quotes, two per each reading. The quotes must demonstrate
a clear understanding of the authors’ main arguments. Thus, a good amount of time will be spent on the
readings, to identify central ideas and develop a critical perspective on the proposed discussion topic.
Notetaking is highly recommended.
Personal opinion will be strictly avoided: arguments will be grounded exclusively on the assigned
readings.
The presentation will be formal, as if the student were in front of a class. The presentation will be
structured, following a clear line of thinking. Presentations will be no shorter than 5 minutes, and no
longer than 7 minutes
Sample Solution