KEY QUESTIONS:
- How have the contributions of individuals and groups from various ethnic, racial, social and religious backgrounds formed and enriched societies and cultures? (CS PNW 2.0)
- What were the motivations for, and resistance to, and the effects of exploration and expansion among peoples of Africa, Europe and the Americans, 1400-1750? (CS WH 14.0)
UNIT QUESTIONS
- What made Africa so attractive to explorers?
- What were the political, social and economic reasons for colonization of Africa?
- How was slavery in America different from slavery in Africa?
ESSENTIAL CONTENT/CONCEPTS
I. History of Africa
- A. Ancient African Kingdoms
- 1. Ghana
- 2. Mali
- 3. Songhai
- B. European Colonization
- 1. Portugal
- 2. Germany
- 3. Great Britain
- 4. France
- C. Slave Trade
- 1. Slavery in Africa
-
a. prisoners of war
- b. people sold themselves into slavery in times of famine
- c. slaves treated as servants not
property
- d. people for guns ivory and slave trade were used as a basis for consolidating power into Western African kingdoms (i.e., Tippu Tib)
- 2. Atlantic Slave Trade - 1400's-1800's; by 1700's
as many as 70,000 Africans a year transported to Americas
- 3. Primary source accounts
- a. Olaudah Equiano, To Be A Slave, by Julius Lester
- b. Middle Passage
- 4. 10-15 million Africans transported between 1500-1800's across Atlantic Ocean to North, Central and South America
- 5. Diaspora of Africans diffused diverse cultures throughout the world
D. European Colonization of Africa
- 1. Motives for colonization
- a. Economic
- b. Political
- c. Religious
- 2. African Resistance
STUDENT OUTCOMES
- Students will analyze the contributions various ethnic groups have given to Africa.
- Students will identify the contributions made by the Ancient Kingdoms of Africa.
- Students will compare slavery in America to slavery in Africa.
- Students will identify political, economic and religious reasons for colonization of Africa.
Web Sites for this Unit
Africa #1: Physical Features, Resources & Population Distribution
Africa #2: Human & Environment Interaction
Africa #4: Should there be a United States of Africa?
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