How Did Ghana Gain Independence

Independence is the state of having self-rule and freedom. Ghana, a small country located in West Africa was the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence. Independence did not solve all the problems within the country, but it was a first step to advancement.( A country so prosperous and rich in natural resources was an appealing sight to European countries. Ghana )

To begin, many would anticipate that the British were the first Europeans to step foot in the Gold Coast, but that is not the case. In 1471, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in Gold Coast with intentions of increasing trade throughout their empire. While there, they built the Elmina Castle, which helped support ship captains and their vessels. Following the Portuguese, the Dutch came to the Gold Coast and took over what the Portuguese put together. Finally, the

British gained possession of forts which made them a dominant power in the Gold Coast.

The British not only had to worry about controlling their trade within the Gold Coast, but they also had to worry about the African states that occupied lands within the area.

The Asante were the most powerful state in the Gold Coast and they desired to expand their rule and protect their trade. The Asante challenged another state, known as the Fante for control of the coast. These two groups clashed due to the Fante refusing to give Asante traders access to the coast, the Fante prohibiting the sale of guns to the Asante armies, and the Fante supporting other states who wanted to undermine Asante authority. Due to the Fante wanting to make the Asante states decline, the Asante released three military campaigns which made the Asante the most powerful state in West Africa.

These campaigns alarmed the British because they knew that the Asante were after them. Unsurprisingly, in 1826 the Asante invaded the coast and attacked the British. A peace treaty was developed in 1831 and it allowed the Asante to engage in trade on the coast. In 1843, affairs with the British and Asante started to crumble. The asantehene of the Asante states suspected that the British and the Fante did not treat him with respect which led to thirty British villages being burnt. Another war came about due to the asantehene attempting to preserve his empire’s last trade outlet to the sea. This war ended in the Treaty of Fomena which forced the Asante to pay 50,000 ounces of gold for all of the damage. The British exiled the asantehene, Prempeh, to the Seychelles Islands. This treaty also officially made Ghana a colony of Britain. The last Asante war occurred in the beginning of the 20th century. The British attempted to take control of the Asante Golden Stool in which led to the Asante launching an armed rebellion. This resulted in the British defeating the Asante and exiling the leader of the rebellion, Yaa Asantewaa.