Turbulent Centuries in Africa By Michaela Hoyt

European Outposts in Africa  In the 1400’s, Portuguese ships explored the coast of west Africa.  Looking for a route to India  Portuguese lacked power to push into the African interior.  Instead they attacked the coastal cities  Mombasa  Malindi  Drove East African cities into poverty while they gained a profit from them.  Led the way for other Europeans  Dutch, French, and English

The Atlantic Slave Trade  Soon Europeans saw slaves as one of the most important trades.  Slavery existed in Africa as well.  The word “slave” comes from the large number of Slavs taken as unpaid laborers.

The Atlantic Slave Trade (cont.) European and African Slave Traders  The Atlantic slave trade began in the 1500’s  To fill labor needs in Spain  Tens of thousands were imported  Worked on tobacco or sugar farms  Could also be traded for other goods  Textiles, rum, weapons etc.

The Atlantic Slave Trade (cont.) Triangular Trade  1 st leg  Merchants brought goods to Africa to be traded for slaves  2 nd leg (Middle Passage)  Slaves were transported to the West Indies and exchanges for sugar, molasses and other products  3 rd leg  The merchants took the goods back to Europe or the Americas 1 st Leg 2 nd leg 3 rd leg

The Atlantic Slave Trade (cont.) Horrors of the Middle Passage  Hundreds of slaves were packed below deck on a single ship.  The ships became “floating coffins” because half of the slaves on board died from disease or mistreatment.  Some slaves tried to take over the ship to return to Africa and others threw themselves overboard.

The Atlantic Slave Trade (cont.) African Leaders Resist  Affonso I became king in west-central Africa in 1505  Wanted to turn Kongo into a Christian state  Tried to stop the slave trade  Other officials kept the trade going because of how much they were offering  Believed that trading humans was evil  There were others too that also failed

The Atlantic Slave Trade (cont.) Impact of the Atlantic Slave Trade  In the 1500’s about 2,00 slaves a year were sent to America, by 1780 it was around 80,000 a year.  By the 1800’s when the slave trade stopped there was about 11 million enslaved Africans  About 2 million more died on the trip here  The slave trade destroyed some small states in Africa but caused others to flourish.

Rise of New African States  In the 1600’s and 1700’s large states rose in West Africa  Oyo, Bornu, and Dahomey.  The Asante kingdom emerged in present day Ghana

Rise of New African States (cont.) The Asante Kingdom  Osei Tutu  A military leader who took control of Kumasi. He later took control of surrounding states and formed the Asante Kingdom  Claimed that his rule came from heaven  Chiefs that formed his council bent to his will  The Asante traded with Europeans  Exchanged gold and slaves for firearms  They shrewdly pitted the Europeans against each other for their best interests.

Rise of New African States (cont.) Islamic Crusades  In the 1700’s and early 1800’s and Islamic revival spread across West Africa  The Fulani people, who lived in Nigeria, started it  Usman dan Fodio denounced the corruption of their rulers.  He inspired Fulani herders and the Hausa people to rebel  His successors set up a new rule  Increased literacy, local wars quieted, and trade improved

Battles for Power in Southern Africa  Bantu-speaking people migrated into southern Africa.  In 1652 Dutch also arrived in the area.  They built Cape Town  Boers, Dutch farmers, settled around cape town and enslaved Khosian herders that lived there  The Boers thought they were chosen by God and that Africans were inferior to them  In the 1700’s Boers began to push North  Had to battle many powerful African groups

Battles for Power in Southern Africa (cont.) Shaka and the Zulus  They migrated into southern Africa in the 1500’s  Emerged as a major force  Their leader was Shaka  Between 1818 and 1828 Shaka was constantly sending troops to war  Conquered many people  Took their young people and made them part of his troops  The wars disrupted the lives of other people  Some tribes moved north, took on the Zulu’s tactics and conquered other colonies  Shaka’s half-brother took over the Zulu’s  Soon the Boer troops arrived with weapons and horses.

Battles for Power in Southern Africa (cont.) Boers vs. Zulus  In 1815 the British took control of Cape Town from the Dutch  To avoid their rule, the Boers migrated north in the 1830’s.  It became known as “The Great Trek”  When the Boers ran into the Zulu’s fighting began.  At first the Zulu’s had the upper hand but they were defeated by the Boers guns  The war lasted until the end of the century.

Vocabulary/ Review  Triangular Trade- Gold, Slaves, sugar from Europe to Africa to America back to Europe  Repeal- to take back  Monopoly- total control of a business  Shaka- Zulu leader, lead conflicts with the Boer’s  Great Trek- Boers movement north from Cape Colony after British took control

 Triangular Trade- Gold, Slaves, sugar from Europe to Africa to America back to Europe  Middle Passage- Slave ships from Africa to Americas—extremely HORIFING conditions  Asante Kingdom- First Monopolies in gold and Silver in Africa  Boer- Dutch Farmer in South Africa  Shaka- Zulu leader, lead conflicts with the Boer’s  Great Trek- Boers movement north from Cape Colony after British took control Vocabulary/ Review