Rise and Fall of Africankingdoms and the Spanish Empire

Global ReviewMs. Kugler

RISE AND FALL OF AFRICANKINGDOMS AND THE SPANISH EMPIRE

In Africa, towns soon became part of an important trade network. Gold and salt were the most important products that were traded. People needed salt in their diets to prevent dehydration, the dangerous loss of water from the body. There was plenty of salt in the Sahara, but there was little in the savanna. The people of the savanna traded the plentiful gold of their region to obtain salt from the Sahara. Strong African rulers created powerful kingdoms by gaining control over the most profitable trade routes. Three trading kingdoms of West Africa were Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. The trading kingdom of Axum thrived in East Africa. Over time, Islam became an important social and religious force, particularly in North Africa and West Africa.

Ghana – (800-1000) Around A.D. 800, the rulers of many farming villages united to create the kingdom of Ghana. Ghana had a powerful king who ruled over a splendid court in his capital of Kumbi Saleh. Income from the gold trade allowed him to maintain a large army of foot soldiers and cavalry. This army helped the king to control and expand his kingdom.

Muslim merchants brought their religion and ideas when they settled in the kingdom of Ghana. The king had Muslim officials and thus was influenced by Muslim military technology and ideas about government. Ghana also absorbed Muslim cultural influences, such as Arabic writing and Muslim styles of architecture. Most of the people of Ghana, however, kept their traditional religious beliefs. Women in Ghana had a high status and played an active role in the economic life of the empire.

Mali– (1200-1450) Mali was also ruled by powerful kings called mansas. Under Mansa Musa, the most powerful ruler, Mali extended its borders and dominated West Africa. Mansa Musa's large army kept order in the empire and protected it from attack. Mansa Musa ran an efficient government, appointing governors to rule particular areas. Mansa Musa converted to Islam, basing his system of justice on the Quran. He also made the city of Timbuktu a center of Muslim learning. The empire, however, declined in the 1400s, when the people could not agree on who should rule the kingdom.

Songhai- ( 1450-1600) Like Ghana and Mali, the Songhai empire depended on a strong army to control trade routes. The emperor Sonni Ali built Songhai into the largest state that had ever existed in West Africa, bringing the wealthy city of Timbuktu under his control. Songhai established an efficient bureaucracy to govern the kingdom. Its people also expanded trade to Europe and Asia. Songhai prospered until the late 1500s, when civil war broke out. At that time, invaders from the north defeated the disunited forces of Songhai and caused the downfall of the kingdom.

Axum –(900 B.C.-A.D. 600) As in the kingdoms of West Africa, trade helped Axum become a powerful kingdom. Axum's location on the Red Sea helped Axumites command a thriving trade network linking Africa, India, and the Mediterranean world. Axum's population was descended from African farmers and from traders who had emigrated from Arabia. This merging of cultures introduced Jewish and Christian religious traditions to Axum. After being weakened by civil war and cut off from its harbors, Axum declined.

AFRICA'S ROLE IN GLOBAL TRADE - African states in both the eastern and western parts of the continent played a significant role in global trade. The Mediterranean and RedSeas linked Africa to the Middle East and Europe. In addition, the Indian Ocean linked East Africa to India and other Asian lands. Products from the African interior were transported overland to the coast and then out of Africa.

TRIANGULAR TRADE AND SLAVERY-

Causes of the Slave Trade – In the 1500s, Europeans came to view African slaves as the most valuable African trade goods. At that time, Europeans began buying large numbers of Africans to satisfy the labor shortage on American plantations or large estates. The slave trade eventually grew into a huge and profitable business. The trade that involved Europe, Africa and the Americas was sometimes referred to as the “triangular trade” because the sea routes among these three continents formed vast triangles.

The Middle Passage - The voyage from Africa to the Americas on the slave ships was called the Middle Passage. Conditions were terrible on these ships. Hundreds of people were crammed onto a single ship. In fact, millions of Africans died on the way from disease, brutal mistreatment, or suicide. Those who survived were forced to work on plantations in the American colonies.

Effects of the Slave Trade - By the 1800s, when the slave trade ended, an estimated 11 million Africans had been sent to the Americas. The slave trade caused local wars to develop in Africa. As a result, traditional African political structures were undermined. Through slavery, many African societies were deprived of the talents of strong, intelligent people. West Africa especially lost many young men and women. Some societies and small states disappeared forever. Other states formed, some of them dependent on the slave trade.

THE SPANISH EMPIRE - During the 1500s, the Spanish empire in the Americas stretched from

California to South America and brought great wealth to the nation. In return, the Spanish brought their government, religion, economy, and culture to the Americas.

• Government-Spain maintained a strict control over its distant empire. The king ran the colonial government through his representatives, or viceroys, who ruled the provinces.
• Religion- The Catholic Church was very important in the colonies. Church leaders helped run the government and worked to convert thousands of Native Americans to Christianity.
• Encomienda System- Spanish law allowed its colonies to trade only with Spain. Growing sugar cane on large plantations became an important business activity in the colonial empire. Because plantations needed so many workers, the Spanish created the encomienda system. A conquistador, under this system, was granted land along with permission to demand labor or tribute from Native Americans in the area. After many of the overworked Indians died, the Spanish brought slaves from Africa to do the work.
• Culture - Over time, the people in the colonies developed a new culture that combined European, Native American, and African traditions. These people spoke Spanish but also used Native American and African words. The art, architecture, and daily life in the empire were influenced by all three cultures.
• Social Classes- A social structure developed that placed people in a hierarchy. The Spanish-born people at the top of the class structure were known as peninsulares. Next were the Creoles, the name given to those of European descent who were born in the colonies. Mestizos were people of mixed Native American and European descent, and mulattoes was the term for those of mixed African and European descent.

THE COLUMBIAN EXCHANGE:Plants, Animals, people and diseases- A global exchange of people, plants, animals, ideas, and technology began during this time, leading to profound changes for people in Asia, the Americas, Africa, and Europe. Because it started with Columbus, it is called the Columbian exchange.

Plants, including maize (corn) and potatoes, traveled to Europe, Africa, and Asia. Other plants, such as bananas and rice, traveled back to the Americas. From Africa and Asia, goats and chickens came to the Americas. Unfortunately, other exchanges occurred: diseases such as measles and typhus devastated populations in the Americas.

EUROPEAN CAPITALISM AND MERCANTILISM - Increased trade with the colonies encouraged European capitalism, the investment of money to make a profit. Joint stock companies grew in significance, since they allowed Europeans to gather the capital necessary to finance overseas voyages. Moreover, European nations adopted a new policy of mercantilism. This policy involved building up national wealth by exporting more goods than the nation imported.

1. What factors contributed to the rise and fall of powerful kingdoms in Africa?

2. What influence did Islam have on the kingdoms of West Africa?

3. What were the effects of the slave trade?

3. How was Spanish colonial society set up?

Vocabulary

GhanaMaliSonghai

Mansa MusaAxumMiddle Passage encomiendaColumbian Exchangeplantation mercantilism

1. Which was a characteristic of the policy of mercantilism followed by Spanish colonial rulers in Latin America?

a. the colonies were forced to develop local industries to support themselves

b. Spain sought trade agreements between its colonies and the English colonies in North America

c. the colonies were required to provide raw materials to Spain and to purchase Spanish manufactured goods

d. Spain encouraged the colonies to develop new political systems to meet colonial needs

Global IVMs. Kugler

SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION AND THE ENLIGHTENMENT

NEW IDEAS ABOUT THE UNIVERSE

Throughout the Middle Ages, European scholars believed that Earth was the center of the universe. This idea was based on Greco-Roman theories and the teachings of the Church. However, European scientists began to think differently in the 1500s. Influenced by the critical spirit of the Renaissance, they questioned the old ideas about the world. This period of change was called the Scientific Revolution.

Copernicus- In the mid-1500s, Polish scholar Nicolaus Copernicus challenged the belief that Earth was at the center of the universe. Using mathematical formulas, Copernicus suggested that the universe was heliocentric, or sun-centered. He said that the planets revolved around the sun. Most scholars rejected Copernicus's theory.

Galileo- In the early 1600s, an Italian astronomer, Galileo Galilei, provided further evidence to support the heliocentric theory. He did this by observing the skies with a telescope he had constructed. Galileo's conclusions caused an uproar because they contradicted Church teachings about the world. Church leaders put Galileo on trial. Threatened with death, Galileo was forced to take back his ideas publicly.

Newton- English scholar Isaac Newton built on the knowledge of Copernicus and Galileo. He used mathematics to prove the existence of a force that kept planets in their orbits around the sun. Newton called the force gravity, the same force that made objects fall toward Earth. Newton eventually theorized that nature follows uniform laws.

NEW WAYS OF THINKING - The Scientific Method - A new approach to science had emerged by the 1600s. It relied on experimentation and observation rather than on past authorities. This new way of thinking was called the scientific method.

1. State the problem2. Collect information about the problem3. Form a hypothesis or educated guess. 4.Experiment to test the hypothesis 5. Record and analyze data 6. State a conclusion 7.Repeat steps 1.-6.

Descartes and Human Reasoning - Frenchman Rene Descartes challenged the idea that new knowledge should be made to fit existing traditional ideas. Descartes emphasized the power of human reason. He believed that reason, rather than tradition, should be the way to discover truth. The ideas of Descartes and other thinkers of the Scientific Revolution paved the way for other changes that would occur in Europe in the 1700s.

Science and the Enlightenment - During the Scientific Revolution, scientists used reason to explain why things happened in the physical universe. This success inspired great confidence in the power of reason. By the early 1700s, writers sought to use reason to discover natural laws, or laws that govern human behavior. By applying the scientific method of investigation and observation, scholars thought that they could solve the problems of society. This way of thinking led to the Enlightenment, the period in the 1700s in which people rejected traditional ideas and supported a belief in human reason. The belief that logical thought can lead to truth is called rationalism. The Enlightenment introduced new ways of viewing authority, power, government, and law.

LEADING THINKERS OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT - Four of the most influential Enlightenment philosophers were John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

John Locke, an English thinker of the late 1600s, believed that all people possess natural rights. These rights, he said, include the rights to life liberty, and property. According to Locke, people form governments to protect their rights. If a government does not protect these rights, people have the right to overthrow it. Thomas Hobbes was an Enlightenment thinker, even though his philosophy favored absolutism. Absolutism is a political system in which autocratic rulers have complete authority over the government and the lives of people in their nations.

Montesquieu - In the 1700s, French thinker Baron de Montesquieu wrote that the powers of government should be separated into three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. This separation of powers would prevent tyranny by creating what is called a system of checks and balances. Each branch could keep the other two from gaining too much power.

Voltaire - Voltaire was a French thinker of the 1700s who believed in free speech. He used his sharp wit to criticize the French government and the Catholic Church for their failure to permit religious toleration and intellectual freedom.

Rousseau - Jean-Jacques Rousseau, another French philosopher of the 1700s out forth his ideas in a book titled The Social Contract. He believed that people are naturally good but are corrupted by the evils of society, such as the unequal distribution of property. In agreeing to form a government he felt people choose to give up their own interests for the common good. Rousseau believed in the will of the majority, which he called the general will. He believed that the majority should always work for the common good.

IMPACT OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT -

Censorship - As Enlightenment ideas gained in popularity, government and Church worked to defend the established systems. They started a campaign of censorship to suppress Enlightenment ideas. Many writers, including Voltaire, were thrown into prison, and their books were banned and burned.

Enlightened Despots - Some monarchs accepted Enlightenment ideas. They were known as enlightened despots, absolute rulers who used their power to reform society. Several examples include:

MARIA THERESA of Austria, JOSEPH II of Austria, Maria Theresa's son, and CATHERINE THE GREAT who became empress of Russia in 1762.

Democracy and Nationalism- Enlightenment ideas inspired a sense of individualism, a belief in personal freedom, and a sense of the basic equality of human beings. These concepts, along with challenges to traditional authority, became important in the growth of democracy. Nationalism also grew. As people in a country drew together to fight for a democratic government, strong feelings of nationalism arose. In the late 1700s, Enlightenment ideas would contribute to an age of revolution.

SUMMARY- Beginning in the 1500s, the Scientific Revolution introduced a way of thinking based on observation and experimentation instead of acceptance of traditional authority. These changes inspired intellectuals to apply reason to the study not only of science but also of human society. The thinkers of the Enlightenment used this emphasis on reason to suggest reforms in government and society. Many Europeans including several monarchs were influenced by these ideas and sought to change the old order. These changes had an impact on all of Europe as democratic and nationalistic ideas grew and contributed to revolutions.

1. How did the Scientific Revolution change the way Europeans looked at the world?

2. How did the Scientific Revolution lead to the ideas of the Enlightenment?

3. What reforms did Enlightenment thinkers want to bring to government in the 1600s and 1700s?

4. What impact did the Enlightenment have on Europe?

5. How were Locke and Hobbes’ ideas different?

Vocabulary

Scientific Revolutionscientific methodMontesquieuCopernicusDescartesVoltaire

Heliocentricnatural lawsRousseauGalileoEnlightenmentenlightened despot

NewtonLocke

Global IVMs. Kugler

The American, French and Latin American Revolutions

The Declaration of Independence- (U.S.) Influenced by Locke and other Enlightenment thinkers, Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, which listed the reasons the American colonies were rebelling against the British government. Jefferson wrote that governments rule only with the consent of the governed. After listing specific grievances against the British monarch, Jefferson wrote that the colonists were justified in forming their own government, independent of Britain.