African History Final

Yowah

"Yaw Awoah" 1876 is the man who sold Abina to Quamina Eddoo. He comes back and testifies against Abina, saying did not sell her. Shows how the leaders of both African states and leaders of British colonies work together to turn a blind eye to the slavery problems.

"Haitian Constitution"

1801, was modeled after the constitutions of France and of the U.S. and established Toussaint L'Ouverture as governor, abolished slavery and racial restrictions on employment, and had Catholicism as the only religion. Saint Domingue was still a French colony but this was a case where slaves had rebelled and actually obtained their freedom and new leadership. However, this abolition led to expansion of slavery elsewhere to compensate for the loss in sugar production. The island is still in poverty. Haitian revolution initiated a dramatic transformation in the world's sugar market.

Anti-Slavery Squadron

1808, following Britain's abolishment of slavery in 1807, the Royal Navy began anti-slavery patrol. Between 1808 and 1860. It was a challenge enforcing abolition: The US refused to be searched by this British squadron until 1842, and to avoid search, Portuguese ships would just fly the US flag. Intercepted about 5% of ships post-1850. Operated off the coast of West Africa

Peyton Skipwith

1833. Was John Cocke's slave who went to Liberia on a mission from his master. He relates how it is a tremendous struggle, how his loved ones are dying and how difficult trade is half of the immigrants aren't living past a year. There is not enough work to do and he gets into debt; agriculture is difficult.

Kimberley

1867 two children found a large diamond. 1891 De Beers mining company took over and set up a mining system. Black Africans flocked there for this work. 100,000 laborers. Separated from family for long-term contracts and worked in horrendous conditions. 20% mortality rate. Diamond mines where 14.5 million carats of diamonds were found. Late 1800s. South Africa's northern cape. 90% of the world's diamonds, 80% of its gold. This did not make South Africa rich because of the way wealth was distributed. Extraordinary mineral resources for one place. Diamond rush to Kimberley from all over the world. Blacks get pushed out. 1880, all plots are owned by whites. Kimberley also became the headquarters of a collective conscience to separate from british rule -- 1902

W.E.B. Du Bois

1868-1963 a leading intellectual of black Americans. Very well educated: 1965 Harvard PhD, first African American to obtain a PhD. Sociologist, historian, Pan-Africanist and civil rights activist. 1903 talked about the "Talented Tenth" as the African-American intellectual elite who would bring about full civil rights and increased political representation. They could help African Americans gain economic mobility and redefine a culture. The path for economic and cultural mobility stands on the shoulders of elites who have credibility and set a motivational standard for people to step up to. He supported holistic education. He embraced working together interracially, which resonated with elites. 1905 he met with civil rights activists near Niagra Falls to write a declaration of principles, the Niagara Movement. Integrationist. Helped found the NAACP in 1909. Member of talented Tenth.

James Hutton Brew

1876 Lawyer in Cape Town who defends Quamina Eddoo. The only trained lawyer present. Son of Scottish merchants and had strong ties to British authorities. Mixed heritage and so he was distrusted. He was involved in the Fante Confederation in the early 1870s to create an independent local state around Cape Coast, hoping for British support which they didn't get and it got shut down. Believed that British civilization had a lot to offer the native Africans.

Marcus Garvey

1887-1940. Born in Jamaica, but leaves for school and work. 1914 he founds the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). This grass roots movement was inspired by Booker T. Washington, who had ideas of self-help, from the poor upwards. Garvey started it in Jamaica, a community center for Jamaica. In 1916 he meets Booker T Washington who advocates for industrial education so that the people who are migrating north can have marketable skills to get jobs. In Garvey's mind, integration was impossible, and he advocated for black nationalism and return to Africa. 1918 he started the newspaper, Negro World, and in 1919 he set up international UNIA headquarters in Harlem. 1920, his "Declaration" of the UNIA Congress stated his view of the world and how to change it. He rejected the possibility of integration and suggests Africa for Africans. An alternative to mobility in North America. Separatist views and the importance of African history. Looked at black as beautiful. He was viewed as militant but he calls for military and armed action. His UNIA was extremely popular and he accrued many members. 1000 community centers by 1927. His philosophy and organization had a religious backdrop with political and economic drive.

Indigenat

1887-1944 came off of the heals of the Berlin conference. Administrative sanctions applied to colonial subjects. A set of laws that produce an inferior legal status for Africans in French Colonies, called indigenes, where they were denied political participation. Also had an order that all males 15 years or older must give the French colonial governing officials two weeks of labor, but often longer more like months. "Labor tax" but more like slavery. First in Algeria, then across the whole Colonial French Empire. Example of how economic transformations spurred colonial rule.

Roger Casement's Report

1904 it was published by this British diplomat/journalist to document the violent system of enforcing rubber taxes that occurred in the Belgian Congo. Children were mutilated. Rubber is obtained from the sap of branches, and these branches get damaged, so the people have to go farther and farther away to get it. Torture of individuals who would not meet their quota. 10 million people died. Mass starvation. Leopold's people were in horrible conditions. This shocked the world. King Leopold II was in charge of abusing the Congo Free State. He soon relinquished his holdings in Africa. Exposed power-hungry, greedy people to the public. An extreme example of how colonial rule affected Africa. Representational of the Congo, but not colonial rule at large.

The Great Migration

1916-1930, 1.6 million people go from rural south to urban north. Mostly North American blacks. This transformed northern cities. Detroit: 6000-120,000 African American population. The results of this was segregation and extreme racial tensions. In 1919 there was a Race Riot in Chicago with much damage- homes burned. Limited gains in these riots. Recruited by industrial jobs. Intense period of relocation economic despair, and white racism in the south.

F.D. Lugard

1922 wrote the textbook on British indirect rule. Colonial officer in Uganda/Nigeria. States that the primary duty of officers was to educate native chiefs to rule at "civilized standard." Bring the gains of civilization with as little interference as possible.Taxation is a sign of being civilized. Appoint and train a chief if here isn't one. Takes efforts to understand Islam. Don't have to spend as much money on government. Maintain tradition because Africans are not able to assimilate into the modern world.

Waruhiu Itote

1922-1993 was a key leader of the Land and Freedom Army ("Mau Mau"). WWII verteran for the British, served in Burma. Returned to Kenya in 1946. In 1950, took the Mau Mau oath and was an executioner of mau mau traitors. Kenya. Jomo Kenyatta was his opponent, not a Mau Mau member or leader. Called "General China." Kikuyu people were in the Land and Freedom Army, using violence to pressure settlers to move toward independence. Captured by the british in 1954 and imprisoned with Joma Kenyatta who taught him to read/write/talk. Imprisoned for 9 years until Kenya received independence. Served in Kenyatta's new government as top officer in Kenya National Youth Service.

Malcom X

1925-1965 Rough childhood, crime, loss and prison. In 1948 he joints the Nation of Islam, and in 1952 when he is released from prison he changes his name from Malcolm Little to Malcolm X. The X represents the empty hole in his family and culture that slavery has caused. He served as an important contrast to MLK, making it more attractive. In contrast to MLK, X's message seems more radical than it actually is. Mentioning of the bullet causes tensions. MLK is more poetic and inspirational. MLK v. X is the American Dream v. the American Nightmare. X is more blunt, but not more violent.

Martin Luther King Jr

1929-1968 Activist in the American civil rights movement. Believed in peaceful, nonviolent protests to gain civil rights. Montgomery bus boycotts. Comes from the NAACP. Born in Atlanta , 1957 travelled to Ghana on invitation from Nkrumah to experience the worldwide struggle for blacks.Supports positive action and nonviolence, and sees that it was effective in Ghana and should be applied to the U.S. NAACP uses its political clout to pressure the government to enact laws to alleviate the laws of segregation. Connection of Africa to America. 1957, he said there is "no difference between colonialism and racial segregation" and Malcolm X in 1964 says similar things. NAACP was the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, founded in 1909 to abolish segregation and discrimination, oppose racism, and gain civil rights for African Americans. Followed the Niagara Movement; WWII boosted membership. 1940s advocated for voter registration.

Warrant Chiefs

20th century. During indirect rule, local rulers were established in stateless societies. Previously, complex lineage systems provided the authority. The new systems were disliked and distrusted and often under the thumb of the colonial power. Indirect rule was cheaper, and only when an existing political leader was not present would a warrant chief be appointed by the colonial power. British indirect rule sought to rule through the African systems of authority whenever possible. But they also took efforts to understand local culture and language. It was easier on the populations. Sokoto Caliphate is an example of indirect rule having an impact. Fought willingly for the British.The notion of African stasis and inferiority underpinned indirect rule.Belief in the inability of Africans.

Jomo Kenyatta

A settler's worst nightmare because he showed how civilized an African could be. In 1947 he returned to Kenya to be President the Kenyan African Union (KAU) which was formed to demand independence for Kenya through a forceful approach. Erroneously accused in 1952 of being a member and managing the Mau Mau, State of emergency was put into place 1952-1959. Many killed, many more detained. 1963 became president of Kenya. Imprisoned with Itote. Released in 1961 and at the London Conference in 1962 he negotiated the constitutional terms leading to Kenya's independence. 1928 her launched a monthly Kikuyu-language newspaper to gain support. He is tried 1952-1953 for "forming a revolution." Itote is arrested in 1954, and the British response is violent. 11,500 killed. 30,000-1000,000 detained Kenyans off the streets. The records of this are blurry because they were purposely hidden.

Macgregor Laird

An explorer in Africa. These kinds of explorers were market researchers for Europe. In 1854, this Scottish merchant pioneered British trade on the River Niger on his small steamer, the Pleiad. Stations got set up along the Niger so that other traders could come annually. In his account he relays things that could benefit European endeavors such as cultural practices of the natives.

Panama Canal

Built in 1904-1914 across the narrow straight of land in Panama. An ambitious feat that facilitates maritime travel and trade. The U.S. takes over the building from France. Many died in the process. 77 miles long, a series of lochs above sea level. Cost $8.6 billion in today's currency. Theodore Roosevelt. ~200,000 workers, many from the Caribbean. Because of terrible working conditions and malaria, in 1806 80% of the workers were hospitalized. 5% died ~28,000. When it's finished, most workers migrate to the U.S. because they don't find economic mobility.

CPP

Convention People's Party founded June 12, 1949 by Kwame Nkrumah. Advocated "self-governance now." the antithesis of the UGCC. It supports nonviolence and positive action in its campaign for the independence of the gold coast. Very popular and forces British to open up elections for legislative seats. Wins 85% of the seats. Advocated a "Positive Action" campaign when the government was not allowing people to vote: wage and property qualifications. Win the 1951 (when Nkrumah is in prison) and 1954 elections. 1952 Nkrumah as prime minister. For a while it was the only political party in Ghana, until 1966.

African Association

Formed in 1897 by Henry Sylvester Williams to "promote and protect interests of all subjects claiming African descent." An example of the Pan-African movement, to bring individuals of African descent together to speak on their own behalf, bring a voice to the voiceless. Create Africa as a single entity. Intellectually and academically the AA strives to form an African identity. Academic elites come together to present papers. In 1900 Henry Sylvester Williams plans the Pan Africanist Conference in London "to the nations of the world." Culminates in an open letter to the nations to respect the rights of all people. Nobody really listens, but it does set the wheel in motion for future changes.

American Colonization Society

Founded in 1816 to assist free black people in emigrating back to Africa. The idea of Reverend Robert Finley, a Presbyterian minister from Basking Ridge, NJ. He thought that blacks would never be able to fully integrate into American society and could only live up to their full potential in Africa. He thought that it would promote the gradual end to slavery. Petitioned the U.S. government. Called themselves the "American Society for Colonizing the Free People of Color in the United States." Hentry Clay was a vocal advocate. It was a "Unique Solution" to give blacks actual freedom and got rid of a population that problematizes free whites and slave blacks. This appealed to white slave owners; get rid of a "pernicious and dangerous" population. Paul Cuffe was an active proponent who felt blacks would do better in Africa- reach their full potential. They ended up working with the government to form Liberia, obtaining a $100,000 grant in W. Africa in 1819. African Americans are mostly very reluctant to go

Asante

Gold Coast of West Africa. 1876. The multiethnic state that emerged from Akan-speaking peoples of West African forests around 1700. 1680-1874. Centralized state in the interior. Dominated a region where modern-day Ghana is located. Alliances with European powers for trading purposes soon Palm oil encouraged Britain to invest energy into controlling the region. Assante kings were powerful, but by collaborating with nearby native powers, the British were able to overtake the Asante. This area was a major place for the slave trade. After TAST was abolished, the British switched to palm oil, puzzling the Asante people. Causes tension with the Asante and the British which is seen in Abina and the Important Men. In 1844 the British form a treaty with the Fante, "Bond of 1844." 1863, British-Asante War. 1873, British (w/Fante) defeat the Asante and claim the colony. It becomes the Protectorate. The Asante area is outside of the protectorate.

William Melton

Judicial assessor. British official in the1870s who served as magistrate. Not trained as a judge but was fair in his judging and used three criteria for characterizing slavery: 1) victim endures physical abuse 2) free will is restricted or 3) money exchanged hands. British administrator who was in charge of Abina's case in 1876. He is manipulated by slave-owners who were on the jury. Believed in doing what was right. Raised in religious setting and brought up to believe that British values were righteous and English civilization should guide the development of all the world. We don't know how he would have judged his case, because Yaw Awoah, Abina's master, came and stated that Abina was left with Quamina Eddoo and was not a slave for him. Significant in our study of colonial rule and in understanding the relationship of colonial powers with the native cultures. Fair judge: frequently turned to local advisors to help him in decisions. Often these people were sympathetic to slaves, but he frequently ruled in favor of the enslaved almost as often as in favor of the slave owner.

Cash Crops

Monocrop agriculture. Farmers would sell the one crop they grew to obtain everything else that they need and usually this crop was not edible. This made taxation easy. Peanuts, Coffee, Cocoa. Africans are not trading with one another anymore and in 1800 most African farmers were subsistence farmers. This changes later in this century, as Europe demands crops that only Africa can produce. Came more widespread in the 18th and 19th centuries. Cash cropping did not begin with colonialism. Often resisted by farmers. Prohibits economic growth because the farmers are dependent on the European market- risky! Price fluctuation was dealt with by marketing boards which set a price to try to create a free market. Produced often close to water, for transportation and for water source.

"Rumble in the Jungle"

Muhammad Ali versus George Foreman in 1974, a boxing match in Kinshasa, Zaire. Example of heavy weight championships, sports, promoting developing countries. Zaire was Ali's territory, but Foreman was younger and fitter. Political and cultural significance; globally broadcast. Ali was the anti-colonial symbol, "freedom fighter. Foreman supported America and liberal civil rights. They were two visions of Africa, and two visions of America. Ali won, and decolonization looked more promising for blacks. Mobutu Sese Seko and Don King sponsor the fight "bringing the world's attention to African, black, achievement." Don King brought together black musical artists to bring attention to black achievement and the event was broadcast to 120 countries. In this moment more eyes than ever were on Zaire. This shows that reconnecting to Africa was really happening. Africa was getting connected to the larger world. As a power, not as an exploitation.

The Berlin Conference

Occurred in Germany from 1884 to 1885 to resolve how the land grab that was happening in Africa could proceed in a diplomatic way. Until this point, the colonial contact had been limited to posts along Africa's coast. Now, the interior was desirable and needed to be handled diplomatically. This is fundamental to the future of Africa. "Carving up the African Cake."Called for my Portugal and organized by Otto von Bismarck, chancellor of Germany. Ushered in a period of heightened colonial activity by European powers while eliminating most existing forms of African autonomy and self-governance. Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia Spain, Sweden-Norway, Ottoman Empire, and US were invited.The major world powers. US did not participate.

"Mau Mau"

Revolutionary group who used violent means to force out European settlers between 1952 and 1960. Land and Freedom Army directed against the presence of European settler sin Kenya and their ownership of land. Formed by Kikuyu farmers who were forcibly removed from their land. Extremely well-organized that thinks using biolence is the best way to pressure settlers to move toward independence. Not the same as KAU.

Quinine

West Africa was called the "white Man's grave" the mortality rates were so high. Europeans were reluctant to go. By the 1870s dosages had been figured out and mortality rates plummeted. Discovered in the 17th century, became widely used in the mid-1800s. A great innovation that facilitated colonial expansion.

"Treaties with Barbarians"

a reading that we did on Sakai that "Treaties with 'barbarians' are different from those with 'civilized' people." Antislavery treaties with African leaders resulted in the transfer of considerable powers from indigenous leaders to the British monarch. James Stephen noted that such agreements with Africans were not really "treaties" but rather "arrangements" that could be amended as saw fit. Dealing with barbarians as opposed to civilized people. British treaty with the king of Kataba shows that the British get a lot of benefits, an economic advantage. Guaranteed free passage, exclusive trading rights. British law prevails. The form of the document is a cookie-cutter treaty with blanks to be filled in. No specifics that are geared toward the particular society.

Muhammad Ali

b. 1942 in Louisville, KY, Ali was the anti-colonial symbol, "freedom fighter. Charged America with being oppressive to blacks. Embraced Black Nationalism and was a countercultural icon. Accepted the Muslim idea of racial separation. Anti-war, refusing to fight in Vietnam for religious reasons but also political reasons in 1967. In 1964 he won the heavyweight title. He was brazen, spoke boldly as a fighter and a political figure. Changed his name from Cassius Clay after converting to Islam. He boycotted the Olympics for political reasons, was an underdog, freedom fighter, and cultural hero.

'Legitimate" Trade

during the industrial revolution, 1760-1830, innovation required new needs and trade transitioned from slave trade to legitimate trae. The machinery that was used required palm oil to lubricate it, and gum Arabic was used as an adhesive and in textiles, making them cheaper and more durable. Peanuts were used for their oil and to make soap blue. Rubber was crucial for machinery. Europe approaches Africa with new needs.

Direct Rule

late 1800s. The African people are directly under the control of Europeans. These powers imposed new and centralized system of administration and employed colonial officials to run administration. Consistent across the whole colonial administration. But hard because it was difficult to find people to be a colonial administrator. Ecole Colonial trained colonial agents for French service. The French (Portuguese and Belgians) implemented the notion of assimilation to replace African cultures with their own. This is rooted in the idea of European superiority

Kwame Nkrumah

supporter of nonviolence and positive action. Leader of modern Ghana and its predecessor, Gold Coast from 1951 to 1966. Oversaw the independence of this state from Britain in 1957. First president of Ghana. Initially Nkrumah supports the United Gold Coastal Conference, backed by the British, but soon breaks off and forms the Convention People's Party (CPP) which advocated "self-governance now." It is very popular and forces British to open up elections for legislative seats. Wins 85% of the seats. Advocated a "Positive Action" campaign when the government was not allowing people to vote: wage and property qualifications. Positive Actions is political protests and strikes in pre-independent Ghana in 1950, to fight imperialism through nonviolence and education. Riots erupted when it was initiated. The campaign ended with Nkrumah's election and the transformation from British colony to independent nation, ending the decolonization process. Win the 1951 (when Nkrumah is in prison) and 1954 elections. 1952 Nkrumah as prime minister. 1957 obtain independence and becomes Ghana, no geographical overlap to ancient Ghana. Nkrumah's speech on Independence Day is brief and outlines a central message that emphasizes the importance of the newly written national anthem. Stresses and imitates patriotism. English is used because it is a neutral language. Stresses that there ismore hard work ahead. Appeals to African patriotism in his dress and presentation.