The following standards have been taken from the Utah State Office of Education Social Studies Objectives:

1. For 8th Grade United States History (Objective 3):


Students will assess the impact of European exploration on African slaves in the following ways:


• Examine the reasons for slavery in the New World; e.g., cotton, sugar, tobacco.
• Trace the beginnings of the slave trade in the Americas.
• Investigate the transportation of African slaves to the Americas, i.e. triangular trade routes and the middle passage.


2. For Studies of World Civilizations (Objective 3):


Students will compare and contrast the founding and organization of Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires to northern European trading empires as follows:


• Assess the expansion of Portugal and Spain into Africa, India, and Southwest Asia.
• Examine the political and military conflict between the Spanish, Portuguese, and the peoples of the New World.
• Assess the impacts of the exchange of ideas and goods on the New and Old Worlds.
• Investigate French, Dutch, and English merchants’ impact on European overseas expansion.


3. For Curricula in Economics (Objective 2):


Students will:


• Identify and describe selected periods or movements of historical change within and across cultures.


• Identify and summarize specific examples of international trade throughout history, such as the Roman Era; European, African, and Asian trade routes; mercantilism; and post-Cold War economic unions.

For Language Arts Studies, students may meet many language arts goals depending on the grade level at which this lesson is taught. Please refer to your own state’s curriculum guides to target specific objectives.