Part A 300 words
Why do we study African American History? Introduction to the Course 300 words
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STUDY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY:
(PLEASE ATTACH YOUR WORK IN A SEPARATE DOCUMENT)
1. How do we know what to believe about African American History? What do we do when sources disagree?
2. How do we think like historians and social scientists about the study of African American History? Should we question everything? How do we make a strong argument?
Part B 300 words
Read the following Passages and watch the videos attached to the assignment. Type at least a 1 paragraph summary about each passage/ video.
ANCIENT AKSUMLinks to an external site.
The Kingdom of Aksum
100 — 940
Aksum was the name of a city and a kingdom which is essentially modern-day northern Ethiopia (Tigray province) and Eritrea. Research shows that Aksum was a major naval and trading power from the 1st to the 7th centuries C.E. As a civilization it had a profound impact upon the people of Egypt, southern Arabia, Europe and Asia, all of whom were visitors to its shores, and in some cases were residents. The Aksumites developed Africa’s only indigenous written script, Ge’ez. They traded with Egypt, the eastern Mediterranean and Arabia.
EMPIRE OF GHANALinks to an external site.
The Empire of Ghana
300 — 1100
The Empire of Ghana grew from trade routes crossing through land occupied by the Soninke people. The Soninke used the term ghana to refer to their ruler. Traders also began using the term to refer to the region itself. By 700AD Ghana was a kingdom, thriving on the taxation of goods carried by traders. Ghana was also known as the "Land of Gold" due to its rich gold deposits, and the empire also traded in iron and salt.
In 1076 the Almoravids of North Africa gained control (and then withdrew) from the crumbling Empire of Ghana. The war significantly disrupted the trade of goods in the region, and the Empire of Ghana did not recover.
THE OYO EMPIRELinks to an external site.
The Oyo Empire
1160 — 1835
The Oyo Empire was a powerful Yoruba state of what is today Benin and Western Nigeria. Oyo-Ile was a large urban center in the empire, and the capital city was surrounded by high walls. The surrounding farms produced a surplus of food which was sent to the city, enabling city-dwellers to pursue craft and trade activities. The Oyo Empire became the largest Yoruba state, due to the skilled administration and organization of the Yoruba people. The empire was also renowned for their cavalry forces, being the only Yoruba state to adopt a mounted infantry. The empire fell after being defeated by external forces and many years of internal conflict.
EMPIRE OF MALILinks to an external site.
1235 — 1670
EMPIRE OF MALI
The Empire of Mali emerged from Mande speaking people who resided south of the previous Empire of Ghana. The Empire of Mali was also built on the trade of gold and other goods, and new gold deposits were discovered to the east. This caused a shift of the trade routes eastward, and the people of Mali experienced increased wealth and state organization, resulting in a powerful empire.
The Mali people used the title mansa for their emporers, and Sundiata became the first ruler of the Mali Empire. Sundiata secured additional territories for his empire through successful military campaigns, and the empire enjoyed a peaceful and prosperous period.
Empire of ZimbabweLinks to an external site.
Great Empire of Zimbabwe
1300 — 1450
Great Zimbabwe is a now ruined city in sub-Saharan Africa which flourished during the period 1300-1450. The site is an imposing collection of stacked boulders, stone towers and defensive walls assembled from cut granite blocks. The rock citadel has long been the subject of myths and legends—it was once thought to be the residence of the Biblical Queen of Sheba—but historians now know it as the capital city of an indigenous empire that ruled over a large chunk of modern day Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
It was particularly rich in cattle and precious metals, and stood astride a trade route that connected the region’s gold fields with ports on the Indian Ocean coast. The remains of artifacts such as Chinese pottery, Arabian glass and European textiles indicate that it was once a well-connected mercantile center. The fortress city at the Great Zimbabwe was mysteriously abandoned sometime in the 15th century after the kingdom went into decline, but in its heyday it was home to an estimated 20,000 people.
SONGHAI EMPIRELinks to an external site.
The Empire of Songhai
1461 — 1591
As the Mali Empire started to decline, a group of Songhai people from the east resasserted control by establishing an army and extending their terriroty. The capital of the Songhai Empire was Gao, a city located on the Niger River.
Sunni Ali was ruler of the Songhai Empire from 1464-1492, and centralized the Songhai government administration. He was also a skilled military commander, and defeated the city of Timbuktu which was previously part of the Mali Empire.
After the death of Sunni Ali, his son Sunni Baru succeeded as ruler of the Songhai. However, Sunni Baru was challenged by Askia Muhammad I (born Muhammad Ture) and was defeated. Known later as Askia the Great, he proved himself as a skilled administrator, implementing an effective taxation system, as well as appointing officials to serve as ministers of the agriculture, treasury, army, and navy.
The Songhai Empire collapsed in 1591 after the Battle of Tondibi, when the empire was defeated by Moroccan forces led by Judar Pasha.
Atlantic Slave TradeLinks to an external site.
Beginning of the Transatlantic Slave Trade
1500 — 1618
From their first contacts, European traders kidnapped and bought Africans to be sold in Europe. However, it was not until the 17th century, when plantation owners wanted more slaves to satisfy the increasing demand for sugar in Europe, that transatlantic slaving became the dominant trade.