Chapter 1.3: West Africa and the Role of Slavery
When were slaves being brought from Africa to work on the sugar plantations of the Madeira Islands?
1444
Sonni Ali
A local chieftain who seized Timbuktu in 1468 and then sought to restore the empire
Hajj
A pilgrimage to Mecca, performed as a duty by Muslims
Chattel slavery
A system of bondage in which a slave has the legal status of property and so can be bought and sold like property.
What lead to a race-based slavery system?
African slaves being easily identifiable (by their skin color) and plentiful
City of Gao
African trade city that accumulated wealth and developed into centers of Islamic life in the region
In the fourteenth century, how was the empire of Mali like?
Because miners found huge deposits of gold east of the Niger River, they became wealthy.
Mecca
City in western Arabia; birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, and ritual center of the Islamic religion.
What would force one tribe to ask another for help and give themselves in a type of bondage exchange?
Famine or fear of stronger enemies
Which empire eclipsed Mali's power before the Tuareg empire?
Gao
How did Mansu Musa affect the cities around him?
He created a serious price inflation as he gave away enough gold along his route
What supplied the life-sustaining mineral from the Mediterranean coast of Africa and inland areas?
Huge Saharan salt mines
In modern Nigeria, what emerged?
Hundreds of separate dialects; nearly five hundred are still spoken
After Sundiata's rule, what religion did the court convert to?
Islam
Sundiata Keita
Leader credited with seizing Ghana and starting the kingdom of Mali; known as the "Lion Prince"
In 1200 CE, what replaced Ghana as the leading state in West Africa under Sundiata Keita's rule?
Mali
How did Mansu Musa affect religion in Mali?
Mansa Musa was a devout Muslim, but he allowed his subjects to choose their religion, either Islam or traditional African religions. Because of his influence, more people converted to Islam.
What did the land fall under the rule of?
Muslim armies; they instituted Islam as local chiefs converted, usually under penalty of death
What played a large part in the administration and government of Mali?
Muslim scribes
Who later expanded the Arab Slave Trade and started to enslave Europeans, especially from Spain, Sicily, and Italy?
Muslims
Did Sub-Saharan Africans have experience with maritime matters?
No, because they lived away from the coast
Tuareg Empire of Songhay
Nomadic desert tribesmen of the central Sahara who eclipsed Mali.
Sub-Saharan Africans
People who live south of the southern boundaries of the countries listed above. Many different ethnic groups exist in this part of Africa
How was slavery in America?
Permanent, children born into slavery became slaves, identification with race; which forever changed the institution and shaped its unique character in the New World
What type of relationship was widespread among Africa?
Polygyny
When did the major European slave trade begin?
Portugal's exploration of the west coast of Africa in search of a trade route to the East
In time of need, who were counted upon to assist in supplying food/security?
Relatives
What would Africans become if they had to seek out protection/relief from starvation?
Servants, which became a part of the extended tribal family.
By 750, who became wealthy by taxing by trade?
Soninke farmers of the sub-Sahara
Why did the Spanish use Indians as slaves at first?
The Spanish and Portuguese settlers were gentlemen and did not perform physical labor
How did the European slave trade expand?
The demands of the European colonies of number of workers for the extensive plantations.
Ghana Empire
The first major empire to emerge in West Africa
Why did the indentured servants not last long in the South of North America?
The supply was insufficient due to the labor-intensive crops, only served for 3-7 years, and a more permanent supply was needed.
Why were Indians not successful as slaves?
They got sick and died from diseases or from overwork and cruel treatment
By 1500, which empire eclipsed Mali, where weak and ineffective leadership prevailed?
Tuareg Empire of Songhay
Polygyny
a form of marriage in which men have more than one wife
What did the spread of Islam across North Africa bring?
a unifying faith and political and legal structure
What were male captives required to do?
build coastal fortifications and serve as galley slaves
What did Berber and Arab traders bring into the interior?
cloth, weapons, and manufactured goods
What was "they" associated with?
everyone else
Arab Slave Trade
exchange slaves for goods from the Mediterranean, existed long before Islam's spread.
What did the Niger River basin provide people living in the region?
gold
Until 600 CE, what did most Africans? Why?
hunter gatherers. water was scarce for farming. herders maintained sheep,goat,cattle, or camel. Near equator, farmers raised yams, palm products, or plantains.
Where did most Western Africans live?
in small villages and identified with their extended family/clan
What kind of laborers did the English colonies use in the North?
indentured servants, where family farms where the norm.
What was slavery like in Africa?
inherited slavery was unknown, children bound in slavery usually free and intermarried with their captors
What was along the rivers of the Senegal, Gambia, Niger, Volta, and Congo?
large trading centers
By 900, who controlled most of the trade and converted many African ruling elite?
monotheistic Muslims
What led race to become a dominant factor in the institution of slavery?
profit from African slave trade, limitless number of potential slaves, and the Catholic Church's denunciation of the enslavement of Christians
What did the savanna areas of Africa farm?
rice, millet, and sorghum
Mansu Musa
ruler of Mali, pushed out borders of the empire, used power to ensure peace and order, adopted Islam
What kind of route was created through the Sahara that brought sub-Sahara Africans to Rome?
slave-trade
Timbuktu
the capital city that became the leading Islamic center for education, commerce, and slave trade
Bartolome de Las Casas
the great defender of the Indians, suggested the Spanish send black/white laborers to the Indies.
What was Ghana's king capable of because he controlled the gold supply?
the price controls and afford a strong military
What was "we" associated with?
the village
Where did the female captives go?
to the harem
What did the European colonies in the New World grow in their plantations?
tobacco, sugar, rice, and cotton
What was a sign of wealth among men?
wives, children, and dependents (including slaves)
