1. Notes – 10-2-13

2. - Only in a few areas, such as South Africa and Mozambique, were there signs of a permanent European presence. - Generally, European influence did not extend beyond slave trade in the coastal regions. - In general, traditional African political systems continued. - Monarchy was common by the 16 th century. Some were highly centralized, and the king was almost considered divine.

3. - Other African states were collections of small principalities tied by kinship or other loyalties. - Ashanti on the Gold Coast is a good example. To provide visible evidence of local ties to the king, each local ruler had a ceremonial stool of office that symbolized the kinship ties linking the rulers together. - The king had an exquisite golden stool to symbolize the unity of the entire state.

4. - In such societies as the Ibo of eastern Nigeria, Africans lived in small political units with authority vested in a village leader. - The Ibo region produced more slaves than almost any other area of Africa.

5. - Europeans did cause some changes in Africa. - The Songhai trading empire was weakened when slave trade routes shifted to the coast. This change also led to the emergence of a new Moroccan dynasty in the late 16 th century. - Morocco wanted to control the Saharan gold and salt trade. In 1590, Moroccan forces defeated the Songhai army and occupied the trading center of Timbuktu.

6. - Foreigners also influenced African religious life. - The main impact was from Islam. It became dominant in North Africa and spread southward into the states of West Africa. - Christianity was established only in South Africa and Ethiopia.

7.  What was the most common form of government throughout Africa? What other political systems existed?  The most common form of government in Africa was monarchy, others were collections of small principalities which were small political units led by a village leader.