Africa’s key to becoming a civilized nation was because the government functioned, people could cooperate efficiently, and substantial amounts of data from travellers show how civilized Africa was. In Document 4, it states,“They are seldom unjust, and have a greater abhorrence [hatred] of injustice than any other people. Their sultan shows no mercy to anyone who is guilty of the least act of it. There is complete security in their country. Neither traveler nor inhabitant in it has anything to fear from robbers.” This is what each separate civilization at the time was able to achieve by themselves. Like any other country, there were conquests, inventions and military expenditures that further benefitted the progress that they made in becoming …show more content…
civilized. As it’s known, people first originated from Africa, clarifying that the ones who weren’t taken as slaves to other countries were left to have children that could develop these concepts and improve them in order to strengthen the military and protect the people. Each civilization started out when a group of people decided to work together to make shelter or another facility that would benefit everyone in the long run. Just the ideology behind teamwork depicts that civilization was bound to happen from the start since civilization requires the people to understand how they can make their lives easier for themselves and everybody else. First, Africa was able to become a civilized nation because the government made decisions that would protect the citizens and strengthen the military.
This process allowed for structures to be built, objects of beauty and hate to be established, and militaries that can be feared by the masses. In Document 1, the geography of Aksum gives some difficulty for the rulers to get around, but gives perfect resources to use for combating invading forces and for anything other miscellaneous task, especially with the capital city banking right on the edge of the water. In Document 2, the town of Kush gets captured by Egypt; however, the careful planning made by them allowed for a quick move to a new capital they had already established, not skipping a beat in the process. Both of these documents refer to the struggle geography caused in developing a strong empire. Noticing these downfalls, Africa had to capitalize on these downfalls, making them useful in anyway possible, whether turning it into a major water source and defensible position or realizing that other options are possible in order to survive. Using these methods of protection and ingenious strategizing, all citizens needed to know procedure to make sure that evacuation and transition were …show more content…
smooth. Second, a civilization relies on its people to act in accordance to the rules that are made.
They should feel like they are a part of the community and want to support their country every step of the way. In Document 3 it states,“Behind the king stand ten pages holding shields and swords decorated with gold, and on his right are the sons of the subordinate kings of his country, all wearing splendid garments and with their hair mixed with gold.” In Document 5, the people were taken care of, with lots of food and plenty of safety. In Document 6 it states,“The inhabitants, and especially strangers living there are exceedingly rich… The inhabitants are people of gentle and cheerful disposition, and spend a great part of the night singing and dancing through all the streets of the city.” With all of the comforts and benefits that these citizens are getting, there should be no point in a rebellion occurring. Who today can always say with a smile on their faces that they’re getting more than what they need and are happy? They know what positions they serve, and they know each consequence that could happen to them, so they possess enough spirit and cheerfulness that takes a traveller by
surprise. Finally, each visitor travelling through Africa saw that the people were sophisticated beyond expectation in trading, weaponry, and construction. Instead of seeing people act like undomesticated animals, they saw a civilization developing a community of people that could work together to get things done. In Document 7 it states, “Going along the coast from this town of Mozambique, there is an island hard by the mainland which is called Kilwa, in which is a Moorish town with many fair houses of stones and mortar, with many windows after our fashion, very well arranged in streets, with many flat roofs.” In Document 9 it states,“‘a prehistoric race built the ruins… and eventually developing into the more civilized races of the ancient world.’” Both of these well known men were going out to Africa for business and became flabbergasted at the sight of them working so efficiently. They didn’t expect things to turn out the way they did and how the people were able to do these things. In the end, Africa was just as civilized as their homes were, making both trips different than previously thought. In conclusion, if the Europeans had never invaded Africa, it would have stayed the same and grow into a more sophisticated nation by today. There would be no people spread across the Americas and there would be enough laborers that there would be clean water and internet in every home. They had a strong military that could strategize the best plans for the country. They had an understanding workforce, who were compensated and fed well enough to do the work they had to do. Every traveller into Africa could see this for themselves and they had to write down these odd people that worked just like them and as fast as them. Then just like that, they were whisked away from home and spread to America to be treated as slaves. Now they just have to slowly build themselves up to the levels that America is at after they were used to put America at that level. It was the selfishness of the Europeans that brought Africa and other countries to their knees, and now Africa can laugh as those who killed them now cower at the sight of Trump.
Document three explains the rich and powerful and fierce people Ghana. It was an extremely complex empire with many characteristics of a powerful nation. It had a strong army that had been armed with advanced weapons for its time, and it controlled the land and military forces of the Arabs and the Wangara. In addition, document six explains the strength of the people in Mali. Its sultan shows no mercy whatsoever to anyone who is guilty of some of the smallest crimes. A sultan is a Muslim sovereign. This shows that even if someone does a small crime and is convicted guilty for it they will get no mercy and will still get a harsh punishment, its people showed no favoritism or humanity to anyone These two documents explain the strengths of the people in African empires, kingdoms, and cities along with their military
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
During the late 19th century and the early 20th century many of the European nations began their scramble for Africa which caused Many Africans to suffer from violence like wars, slavery and inequality. Although the Europeans felt power as though they were doing a great cause in the African continent during the Scramble for Africa; Africans had many reactions and actions including factors as rebellion for freedom, against the white settlers and violent resistance.
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.
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.
In medieval literature, the role of women often represents many familiar traits and characteristics which present societies still preserve. Beauty, attractiveness, and grace almost completely exemplify the attributes of powerful women in both present and past narratives. European medieval prose often separates the characteristics of women into two distinct roles in society. Women can be portrayed as the greatest gift to mankind, revealing everything that is good, pure, and beautiful in a woman's life. On the other side of the coin, many women are compared to everything that is evil and harmful, creating a witch-like or temptress quality for the character. These two aspects of European culture and literature show that the power of women in medieval narrative can be portrayed through both evil and good, and more often than not, power is derived from the latter.
Many reactions were given to Imperialism and the dividing and establishing of colonies in Africa from 1180-1914. Some justified "The Scramble for Africa" for economic reasons or in other words,for money, others justified it for political reasons, and others were motivated because they believed in "White Man's Burden" or the belief that it was the duty of civilized europeans to civilize the "lesser" peoples of Africa. These reactions lead to Europe owning an astounding 84% of the whole world by 1914.
In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, something is always contrasted against something else. Within the title itself, the contrast of light and dark is made. Throughout the book, the contrast is made between good and evil, between the pilgrims and the cannibals that Marlow encounters. Using the ironic opposition of the pilgrims and the cannibals will present a way into a post-colonial analysis of the book.
Imperialism in Africa took root in the late 19th century when European nations divided up the continent for their own benefit. Each nation practiced a certain type of rule over the Africans of which they conquered. For example, the Germans, the Dutch, and the French used the practice of Direct Rule over their colonies in Africa. This system is characterized by the colonizers need for the colonized to become assimilated into their culture. The purpose of this was to make the African people “civilized” and act like Europeans. The governing administrations forced on the native inhabitants by the colonial power were meant to undermine those institutions set in place by the indigenous people. By taking over the community’s government on all levels,
Africa has had a long and tumultuous road of colonization and decolonization the rush to colonize Africa started in the 17th century with the discovery of the vast amounts of gold, diamonds, and rubber with colonization hitting a fever pitch during World War I. However, the repercussions of colonization have left deep wounds that still remain unhealed in the 21st century. Early on, European nations such as Britain, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany and Belgium scrambled for territories. Countries wanted land so they could harvest the resources, increase trade, and gain power. The European colonization of Africa brought racism, civil unrest, and insatiable greed; all of which have had lasting impacts on Africa.
European colonization had an impact on the government of Africa. One day, a white man came to the African council and told them that they now had a king. The King of Europe was now their king and Africa was his land. A new council was made in the town of Nairobi, in which acted for their King and was Africa’s government. The council made laws for the Africans to follow (Doc.
The development Africa’s eastern coast was through maritime trade with Muslims and Chinese as early as the 13th century. Central Africa, on the other hand, was slow to develop due to geographic and climate conditions. The East and Central Africa played a unique role in the formation and rise of new and diverse cultures in Africa between 1300-1450 CE.
There’s many speculations on the reasoning for the Imperialism of Africa by many European countries, which started in 1870, when roughly 10% of Africa was under European control, it quickly got out of hand as countries all over Europe began seizing land in Africa. The scramble for African colonies ended up in the Berlin Conference in 1884 and 1885, where European countries met together to formally divide up Africa.
(a) Africans and Europeans have relations that date all the way back to the origins of humans and human migrations. Scholars have hypothesized that Homo erectus found in Europe about 800,000 years ago originated and migrated from Africa Europeans and Africans also had religious relations; which is evident from the spread of Christianity, introduced by the Byzantines, throughout Africa specifically in North Africa, the Nile Valley, and the Horn of Africa. Aside from religious relations, Africans and Europeans also had economic and political relations as a result of European colonization and conquest of the African regions. Economic relations were a result of Europeans coming into Africa and taking natural resources to benefit from in the production of goods and trade. Another specific example of economic relations between Europeans and Africans is the practice of mercantilism, in which European nations were the mother countries and countries of Africa were the colonies. As the mother country, Europeans, would take natural resources from the colony, African regions, to produce goods, which would then be sold back to the colony. This also attributed to the political relations between Africans and Europeans because the economic desires of the Europeans often led to them controlling the Africans to maximize profit and their own personal benefits; which is directly related to slavery, one of the biggest relations between Africans and Europeans. Slavery and the slave trade in turn created social relations because slaves were considered to be a class of their own. Another social relation that resulted from slavery was the creation a “new race” known as the...
In order to properly understand the effects of colonization, one must look at its history. Most of Africa was relatively isolated from Europe throughout early world history, but this changed during the 17th to the 20th centuries. Colonization efforts reached their peak between the 1870s and 1900 in the “Scramble for Africa” which left the continent resembling a jigsaw puzzle Various European powers managed to colonize Africa including Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, and Spain. This intense imperialist aggression had three major causes. The primary reason was simply for economic gain. Africa is refuge to vast, unexplored natural resources. European powers saw their opportunity and took it. Another motive was to spread the Christian religion to the non-Christian natives. The last major incentive was to demonstrate power between competing European nations. African societies did try to resist the colonial takeover either through guerilla warfare or direct military engagement. Their efforts were in vain, however, as by the turn of the century, only Liberia and Ethiopia remained not colonized. European powers colonized Africa according to the guidelines established by the Berlin Act (1885). Many of the colonized nations were ruled indirectly through appointed governor...