Name: _____________________________Period: _______ Seat #: _______Date: ______________________

World History Homework #3 Level III

Instructions:
1. Read and annotate the following article
2. Answer the questions on the next page
Kanye West, "New Slaves" and a Long Tradition of Locking People Up for Profit
Adapted from: Carl Takei, ACLU National Prison Project
Kanye West rapped about prisoners being new slaves in his 2013 song:
I know that we the new slaves...
Meanwhile the DEA, teamed up with the CCA
They tryina lock n---s up, they tryna make new slaves
See that's the privately owned prison, get your piece today
They prolly all in the Hamptons, braggin 'bout what they made
Today, there are more African-American adults in prison than were slaves in
1850, before the Civil War.
The CCA (the Corrections Corporation of America) and other prison
companies make billions of dollars every year thanks to two things: prisons
for undocumented immigrants and over-incarceration of blacks and incarceration =
Hispanics. The US has the highest incarceration rate of any country in the imprisoning, keeping in
world, with over 2.3 million men and women living behind bars. Our prison prison
population grew by 700% between 1970 and 2005, even though crime has
been going down.
Over-incarceration especially hurts blacks and Hispanics. 1 in 3 Black men
born today can expect to serve time behind bars. Black criminals are
quickly becoming the lowest level of a new American caste system.
In the past twenty years, rising use of immigration detention has also
become a major profit center for CCA. In 2011, nearly 430,000 immigrants
were in ICE custody. The U.S. government now spends more on immigration
enforcement than it does on the FBI, DEA, Secret Service, U.S. Marshals,
and ATF combined. A lot of this money goes to CCA.
In the immigration context, people who cross the border from Mexico to
work here are not called "job seekers" they are "illegals." Like the word
"criminal," the term illegals helps prisons get more power by making
people want to keep them in prisons.
Learn History.
Do Work.
Mr. Cloward
956-422-0938

ICE = Immigration and

Customs Enforcement
DEA = Drug Enforcement
Agency
ATF = Alcohol, Tobacco,
and Firearms

Change the World.

World History

Comprehension Questions:
1. Who does Kanye say are the new slaves? __________________________________
2. How many prisoners are there in the US? _________________________________________
3. Which country has the highest percentage of its population in jail?
a. China
b. North Korea
c. United States
d. Mexico
4. How many undocumented immigrants (illegals) were kept in immigration detention in 2011?
_______________________________________
Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
5. What in the article did you already know? ____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. What in the article surprised you? __________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
7. Do you agree with Kanye that prisoners are the new slaves? Why or why not? ______________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Name: _____________________________Period: _______ Seat #: _______Date: ______________________

World History Homework #3 Level II
Instructions:
1. Read and annotate the following article
2. Answer the questions on the next page
Kanye West, "New Slaves" and a Long Tradition of Locking People Up for Profit
Adapted from: Carl Takei, ACLU National Prison Project
Kanye West rapped about prisoners being new slaves in his 2013 song:
I know that we the new slaves...
Meanwhile the DEA, teamed up with the CCA
They tryina lock n---s up, they tryna make new slaves
See that's the privately owned prison, get your piece today

DEA = Drug Enforcement

Agency
CCA = Corrections
Corporation of America
(a company that owns a
lot of prisons)

Today, there are more African-American adults in prison than were slaves in
1850, before the Civil War. The US has more people in prison than any
country in the world, with over 2.3 million men and women living behind
bars.
The CCA (the Corrections Corporation of America) is a prison company.
They and other prison companies make billions of dollars every year thanks
to two things:
- prisons for immigrants without papers
- many blacks and Hispanics in jail
Most prisoners are black or Hispanic. 1 in 3 Black men born today will go to
jail. Because they are criminals, the government can take their rights
without people thinking its racist.
Immigration prisons also make a lot of money for CCA. In 2011, nearly
430,000 immigrants were in immigration prisons. A lot of the money the US
spends on immigration prisons goes to CCA.
People who cross the border from Mexico to work here are called "illegals."
Like the word "criminal," the term illegals helps prisons get more power
by making people want to keep immigrants without papers in prisons.

Learn History.
Mr. Cloward

Do Work.
956-422-0938

Change the World.

World History

Comprehension Questions:
1. Who does Kanye say are the new slaves? __________________________________
2. How many prisoners are there in the US? _________________________________________
3. Which country has the highest percentage of its population in jail?
a. China
b. North Korea
c. United States
d. Mexico
4. How many undocumented immigrants (illegals) were kept in immigration prisons in 2011?
_______________________________________
Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
5. What in the article did you already know? ____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. What in the article surprised you? __________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
7. Do you agree with Kanye that prisoners are the new slaves? Why or why not? ______________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Name: _____________________________Period: _______ Seat #: _______Date: ______________________

World History Homework #3 Level I
Instructions:
3. Read and annotate the following article
4. Answer the questions on the next page
Kanye West, "New Slaves" and a Long Tradition of Locking People Up for Profit
Adapted from: Carl Takei, ACLU National Prison Project
Kanye West said in a rap that prisoners are the new slaves:

I know that we the new slaves...

Meanwhile the DEA, teamed up with the CCA
They tryina lock n---s up, they tryna make new slaves
See that's the privately owned prison, get your piece today

DEA = Drug Enforcement

Agency
CCA = Corrections
Corporation of America
(a company that owns a
lot of prisons)

Is Kanye West right?

-

The US has more people in prison than any country in the world

Over 2.3 million people are in prison in the US

Some companies (like CCA) make billions of dollars from prisons

Most prisoners are black or Hispanic.

In 2011, 430,000 immigrants were in immigration prisons.

Comprehension Questions:
1. Who does Kanye say are the new slaves? __________________________________
2. How many prisoners are there in the US? _________________________________________
3. Which country has the most people in prison?
a. China
b. North Korea
c. United States
d. Mexico

Learn History.
Mr. Cloward

Do Work.
956-422-0938

Change the World.

World History

4. How many immigrants were in immigration prisons in 2011?

_______________________________________
Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
5. What in the article did you already know?
I already knew that ______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. What in the article surprised you?
I was surprised that ______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
7. Do you agree with Kanye that prisoners are the new slaves? Why or why not? (Finish one
sentence)
I agree that prisoners are the new slaves because _____________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
I dont think prisoners are the new slaves because _____________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________