Crew Pay
Understanding historical context

As an introduction to the difficulties of “translating” history, hand out copies of the pay table under the heading “For Richer or Poorer” in Scuttlebutt I and ask the class if the crew were well paid. Ask students how they might evaluate the crew’s pay: compare to other jobs at the time or research the cost of living in the late 1700s. Using such criteria, does the pay seem high or low? Explore why the crew was paid so much or so little. Ask students to convert crew pay into today’s dollars.

Have on Hand- photocopies of "For Richer or Poorer" pay table in Scuttlebutt 1

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