Question

Which text evidence best supports the authors' claim and purpose that enslaved people were more than mercilessly treated workers? "Bomba is a form of music and dance that the sugar workers invented." "They were not just labor, not just bodies born to work and die." "Similarly, in Brazil there is a dance called Maculelê." "People spin, jump, and seem to menace each other."

Answer 1

Answer:  "They were not just labor, not just bodies born to work and die."

This is the sentence that best supports the idea that enslaved people were more than mercilessly treated workers. Because of the stories we think of when we talk about slavery, there is a tendency to think of enslaved people as beings with absolutely no agency, and no inner life besides that of work. However, enslaved people also had goals, dreams, fun. They celebrated things, fell in love and laughed. In this text, the author wants us to remember this fact.

Answer 2

The answer is B "They were not just labor, not just bodies born to work and die."