A Study of Kenya
As one of the many different developing countries in Eastern Africa, Kenya is
unique in its own way. With its mangrove swamps, thick forests, crystal lakes, towering
mountains, and vast deserts; this is all wrapped up in a country the size of Texas. It
attracts millions of visitors in seek for an African Safari which is much appreciated by the
government as a source of foreign capitol for this poor region. We will take a look at the
history which shaped this country into what it is today, and become aware of the way of
life these Africans live and the place they all home.
Kenya is one location of some of the earliest human settlements. Some sites
indicate nominid habitation from as far back as 2.5 million years ago. Because the tools
they used, these people are known as 'Stone Bowl' people and are suspected to have
come from up north. After the nomadic, came the explorers who began to settle. "The
first wave of immigrants were the tall, nomadic, caustic-speaking people from Ethiopia
who began to move south"(Fletcher,13). As time passed, migration from the Muslims
and Arabs came in from the west. This process of migration occurred through small
population movements which lasted for centuries. These groups were fluid, representing
a process of ongoing social changes. Many of the settlers started out as traders, and
ended up settling in Kenya trading wheat, wine, and textiles. The various people
absorbed others customs, beliefs, and resources. Everything was running smooth until the
Portuguese came to trade spices. They wanted to take over trade in the east, but in the
end they were forced out in the mid-1700's. As the country began to develop it came up
with a railway system. Along with the railway came the white settlers in the mid-1900's.
Before independence in 1963, Kenya was governed by a British colonial
administrator who had complete power. "The aim of British colonialism in Kenya was to
integrate the country into an imperical system and to develop its economic potential,
while providing security of the indigenous population and improving their general
well-being as defined according to the prevailing mentality of colonial
authorities"(Nelson, 3). The people were not allowed to vote or represented by the
government. In 1964 the people cut its ties to the British throne, then Kenya turned to a
multi-party government with KANU as its ruler. KANU is a conservative nationalist
party standing for the Kenya African National Union.
It always amazes me how our forebears managed to find their way to Oklee, Minnesota. There were no roads, no cars, and no railroads. People from France, Norway, Sweden, and other European countries landed on the east coast, as they flocked to our country. When it became crowded, they moved west using the waterways and rivers for transportation. Much of the land was still wilderness. Many traveled up the Mississippi River and along the Red River, settling in the Red River Valley.
Portuguese were very grasping. Through their efforts to obtain more silver they also had a deep
During the seventeenth century, there was an immigration movement and several settlers from different areas settled in the Appalachians. Many of the settlers were 3Anglo-Celtic, English, Welsh and Irish. They originally settled in the east and slowly moved westward due to larger more powerful landowners forcing them out and into the mountains.
into the flow of settlers, and it was considered a wise move to have the
Debate started to arise when an archaeologist by the name of Thomas D. Dillehay found artifacts of people existing 14,600 years ago, before Clovis, in Monte Verde, a site in southern Chile. These people slept in hide tents, had access to seafood and potatoes, and shared similar characteristics to other artifacts found in North Ame...
1)Paleo-Indians, the first Americans lived in bands of fifteen to fifty people, and traveled within their territory to hunt. Archaic Indians experienced a warming climate. One of the results of the warming climate was better hunting. Forest grew larger with a greater variety of plants and animals. The changes allowed some Indians to reside in permanent homes. The ample supply of food allowed more peoples to live on less acreage. The weather also allowed for specialization of caring for plants; this was the beginning of controlling crops to better supply the people.
White settlers started moving westward to settle the land gained by the victory over the Native Americans. A major factor that caused this major movement, other than by the victory of the war, was the homestead act. This act provided and granted 160 acres of free land to any citizen who was the head of a house or family. While moving, the settlers were challanged by the new enviornment of the plains and they had to start adapting to the new enviornment. While moving west, all farmers were supported by the government on technical aspects and on agricultural education.
Many people see history as a set of facts, or as a collection of stories. The reality, however, is that history is a fluid timeline. Each act of an individual or a group has an effect on others. Each moment in history is a building block that, good or bad, contributes to the stability of the next. This can be seen clearly in American history, as there have been several developments since the 1800’s that have played major roles on the growth of the nation.
In East Africa, there is an area know as the Great Rift Valley. It is in this Great Rift Valley, where the world’s most dominant long distance runners come from, Kenya. In the past three decades, runners from Kenya have simply dominated the sport of long distance running in all facets including cross-country, track, and the marathon. In the world rankings for marathon running, Kenyans hold 8 of the top 10 spots for the men and 6 of the top ten spots in women’s rankings. (Entine, Par. 2) But how can one country be so overpowering in a sport that anyone can participate in? There are a number of factors that all work together to make Kenyan runners the best of the best. Rigorous training regimens, the physical geography of Kenya, country and world support of the athletes, genetics and early participation of children are all factors in the study of why Kenyan runners are by far the best long distance runners in the world. To start off, you must look at the physical geography in which the Kenyans train.
The early 1800’s was a very important time for America. The small country was quickly expanding. With the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition, America almost tripled in size by 1853. However, even with the amount of land growing, not everyone was welcomed with open arms. With the expansion of the country, the white Americans decided that they needed the Natives out.
The immediate cause of the European voyages of discovery was the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. While Egypt and Italian city-state of Venice was left with a monopoly on ottoman trade for spices and eastern goods it allowed Portugal and Spain to break the grip by finding an Atlantic route. Portugal took the lead in the Atlantic exploration because of the reconquest from the Muslims, good finances, and their long standing seafaring traditions. In dealing with agriculture, The Portuguese discovered Brazil on accident, but they concentrated on the Far East and used Brazil as a ground for criminals. Pernambuco, the first area to be settled, became the world’s largest sugar producer by 1550. Pernambuco was a land of plantations and Indian slaves. While the market for sugar grew so did the need for slaves. Therefore the African Slave start became greatly into effect. Around 1511 Africans began working as slaves in the Americas. In 1492, Columbus embarked on his voyage from Spain to the Americas. The Euro...
People came over to America, chasing their dreams. There was more than one attempt to colonize North America, and a strong colony was finally formed. And then it disappeared. The fate of the lost colony is a mystery to this day.
People have been moving over to get a better life Shortly after Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic trying to get to India and unknowingly bumped into South America. People started moving over very quickly after finding that gold was present in South America. Several countries moved into various parts of South America, Central America, what is now Mexico, North America, and Canada. This new place was ripe for the taking there was gold, plenty of game and a lot of farmland. In 1620, a group of Separatist Puritans called Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in the Mayflower seeking religious freedom.
to separate themselves from new immigrants of the second half of the nineteenth century. Her
The Iberian Peninsula had a rich history prior to the Spanish discovery of the American continent. Years prior to the discovery of the Americas, the Iberic peninsula was occupied by the Moors (a Muslim people) and then over thrown by the Spanish Christian Kingdoms. After driving out the Moors, the relationship between the King of Spain and the Muslims were too damaged to do any trading. The only country at the time that had access the Asian goods was Venice. Knowing that they were the only gateway to providing goods to Spain, Venice took advantage and started taxing all of the goods that were a necessity to Spain. Spices was a very important good at the time, because it was used to preserve food. This led the King of Spain to invest in a transatlantic