In Africa, there were achievements in the empires or kingdoms and their cities before the Europeans arrived and took control. In the Kingdom (Empire) of Axum they developed a trade route. In the Kingdom of Ghana they had characteristics of powerful nations today. In the city of Timbuktu they had great morals and developed the center of Islamic Art. There are many other things that Africa achieved in. In the great empires of Africa they developed many things. In the Axum (Aksum) Empire (Ethiopia, in present time) they developed a trade route that stretched of Asia to Africa and back. Document one, states that people in the trade route traveled along the Red Sea. This affected the Axum Empire in many ways. They (Axum people) had gained wealth because it was a great trade point and from it, it was introduced to religions, Christianity and Islam. Another empire is called the Kingdom of Ghana in Western Africa. They became one of the richest civilizations due to commerce. In document two, it states that the amount of wealth was visible because of what the pages were wearing. They had on gold. Even the dogs guarding had on silver and gold. There was also a Kingdom called Mali that broke off from the Ghana Empire. At this time they had embraced the religion of Islam and had been under the great rule of Mansa Musa. This empire had the job of protecting the caravans or shipments carrying the goods, so that they can trade. They helped towards the function of trade so that both the importer and exporter gained something. In document 3 it explains how their wealth was great because of their trade. The document also talks about the fact that they had exhibited the characteristics of an advanced divination like sufficient food to feed its people, a strong army equipped with advanced weapons and income derived from taxes. Even though the Mali Empire had wealth there was very little corruption if there was with the ruler. He did not go mad with power but he was generous. In document four it states they there was no person who did not receive a sum of gold from him. There was also a great city in Mali called Timbuktu. It was very important because it was a center for trade and it aided the Muslim art and culture which helped to spread Islam.
In documents one and two they explain and evaluate the trading system and routes of the African empires, kingdoms, and cities. Document one shows the layout of the Aksum trade center and the routes which lead to and from it. Aksum is an empire located right by the Red Sea, its location made it an important international trading center. African trade centers mainly focused on the exchanges of salt and gold. Since the red sea ports are controlled by the rea sea and Aksum was located right by it, its locations made it the center of the trade center. However, in document two it describes the trans-Saharan gold and salt trade. The trans-Saharan gold and salt trade was controlled by the rich and powerful Ghana kingdom. The king had shields
The colonization of Africa gave the Europeans more workers and workspace that boost them economically and financially. According to Document D, many African colonies exports very many resources such as cotton for fabrics and various foods for processing and meals. The help of African colonies was very beneficial to Europe. The economical growth can be proven with Document E, where the amount of exports from Africa grew from less than 5 million British pounds in 1854 to over 20 million in 1900. So the most beneficial part of the African colonies was the boost they gave Europe in economical
African society used bodies of water such as the Nile, the Red Sea, and many more to transport goods across the continent and generate profit. For example, the city of “Aksum reached its height between 325-360. Aksum’s location made it an important international trading center.” After analyzing the map of trade routes in Document 1, it is clear Aksum was strategically built to have ties to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. These two bodies of water give the city the freedom to import and export goods. Additionally, this work of trade did not come without reward. Cities who succeeded in the business became overly wealthy and had surpluses of gold and other riches. A king, Mansa Mansa, who expanded the Mali kingdom to be twice the size of Ghana, was not afraid to show his wealth as he showered other cities in riches out of generosity. In Cairo, Egypt, “there was no person, officer of the court, or holder of any office of the Sultanate who did not receive a sum of gold from him.” This is just one of the many examples of wealth in african cities and empires. What is impressive is the fact that before European trade became an influence, African people had already created a successful and very profitable system of
Mali’s rise to fame can be attributed to its great trading networks and resources, Islamic faith, great leaders, and strong military. It also helped create stronger relationships with trading partners and allies as well. The Islamic people of Mali followed the lead of Mansa Musa and held academics and scholarly learning in the highest of regards. Many great works can be attributed to the people who learned and taught at Muslim centers of education.
Africa is a land of riches like no other, so as expected, European countries would have some sort of desire to conquer properties in whatever way they did. As stated in African Colonies and their Exports Chart, countless of natural resources are found in different areas in Africa. Not only does the data show plenty of resources, but also a variety (Doc D). This confirms that Africa is a wealthy land that Europeans grew fond of and hoped to take over. Specified in Imports and Exports Graph, following the 1900’s, after the conference to divide up Africa was held, Britain decided to use Africa’s natural resources and specialize in many industries. The imports doubled from 4 million pounds, while the exports boosted from 2.5 million all the way to 21 million pounds (Doc. E). With this lucrative increase in trading and selling, it is fair to conclude that not only were resources a factor of beginning imperialism in Africa, but also a successful result.
“Caravans of Gold”, a video by Basil Davison discovers and highlights numerous assets about gold and its prominent role in Africa. Additionally, the video examines some of the past and influential empires and their achievements. Davison discusses the history of Africa before the arrival of Europeans to demonstrate how Africa was already a well-flourished continent. “Caravans of Gold” also discusses many topics such as the Mali Empire, trading systems, and the use of gold which shows the audience of the video of how Africa was. In the long run, the aim of the video is to give the audience of the video an understanding of how the empires in Africa used its resource of gold to flourish.
Europe, in the late 1800’s, was starting for a land grab in the African continent. Around 1878, most of Africa was unexplored, but by 1914, most of Africa, with the lucky exception of Liberia and Ethiopia, was carved up between European powers. There were countless motivations that spurred the European powers to carve Africa, like economical, political, and socio–cultural, and there were countless attitudes towards this expansion into Africa, some of approval and some of condemnation.
Ghana was the first of the three great trading empires to emerge in West Africa. It was founded as early as A.D. 750 by a group of people called the Soninke, although some scholars think that it was founded as many as five hundred years earlier. By the year 800, Ghana had become an important trading power (Koslow 25). Ghana had the gold that the many traders from North Africa and Egypt were attracted to. Because Ghana had so much gold, it had to cautiously regulate the flow of gold across its borders to make sure that gold would not become so widely obtainable that the price value would decrease. However, although Ghana had ample gold, Ghana did not have the salt that was vital for survival. Because of this, it was suitable for Ghana to become a part of the gold-salt trade.
The first West African state of record was Ghana which had been ruled by over forty kings by the year 300 A.D. The early Ghanaians were a peaceful and prosperous people who developed an economy based on agriculture and...
There are many similarities between the kingdoms that formed Africa. To begin, trade was heavily relied on in the West, East, South, North, and Central kingdoms. Further, trade created strong links among different kingdoms across Africa. Most African kingdoms became wealthy through trade and the resources they had. The Eastern, Southern, and Western kingdoms bought or sold gold for trade. Moreover, family was very important as well as staying loyal to them and whomever was in the lineage. Finally, the main religion of the kingdoms was Islam. The majority of people were very faithful to their religions.
The Kingdom of Mali was an African hub of wealth, trade and education for over 225 years. Mali is an Arab version of the Mandinka word that means, “Where the king dwells”, and was vitally important in spreading trade, education, religion and culture along the Niger River. The rise of Mali into an Empire occurred in the early 13th century, when Sundiata defeated his enemies and won control of the West African gold mines. In 1312 Mansa Musa became ruler of Mali. During his reign which was known as Mali’s, “Golden Age”, he introduced Islamic beliefs to many communities along the Niger and enhanced education after his historic pilgrimage to Mecca. Mali’s rise was attributed to the Trans-Saharan Trade routes leading to and from Western and Eastern Africa. These trade routes contributed to the rise and fall of powerful African Kingdoms for hundreds of years, but for 250 years, Mali was the crown jewel of Africa.
Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were similar in their roles in the gold and salt trade, gold and salt notably improved the empire’s economy. To start, gold was plentiful in Wangara while in the Sahara Desert, salt, an essential nutrient to the people, was abundant.ghf Acting as the middleman between the two parties, the empires were able to obtain great wealth by collecting taxes for all goods that entered and exited the empires. The traders of the gold-salt trade agreed to have a middleman because the empires could protect the traders and the goods that were carried using the military power they had over the area. The empires turned to their wealth from trade taxes to run the economy; when the Almoravids cut off Ghana’s trade routes in the 1000s,
There was one reason why people form all around west Africa and even to Arab states all came to Mali because of gold. They used and traded gold for salt that they very much needed for survival. Mali was located in West Africa. After the fall of Ghana, Mali rose in its place in the 1200s. Mali was built on goldfields, and Malis goldfields were one of the largest supplies of gold in the Afro-Asian world. IN West Africa south of the Sahara did not provide enough salt for the people so West Africans were eager to buy salt form Berbers who mine and sell it for gold. Another fact is, “The rulers of Ghana and Mali would not let any Arab or Berber merchant travel to the goldfields, and kept the location of the goldfields secret. No one wanted competition
Throughout history, imperialism has led countries to extend their rule over weaker countries and then colonized those countries to expand their own power. Imperialism allows the ruling countries to use the weaker countries for their resources. Colonizing other countries would then lead to growth and a better reputation for the dominating country. There are many examples of imperialism throughout European history. When many European countries “scrambled” for Africa, it seemed as though Africa had no say in anything. During the 19th century, Europe found a way to use Africa for their own growth and power. Using Africa for their resources, the Europeans colonized Africa without a second thought. European imperialism in Africa had a negative impact because of social disarray, cultural loss, and death it caused.
He was not offered his usual elite treatment upon arrival, and upon appearing to protest this alleged slight, the sultan did not even recognize him. Accordingly, he describes the sultan as “miserly” (Gibb, et al. 957). In contrast, however, he appreciated the devoutness of those Malians who were Muslim (Levtzion and Pouwels 67), and generally praised the region’s wealth and gold reserves (which had, under Musa I, literally placed the region on the Catalan map).