Aim: Why was Trade Important in the East and West African Kingdoms?

Do Now- Based on past lessons, how was trade orchestrated

and done in Africa? What kind of items were traded?

I. Western African Kingdoms and Trade in the West

Strong African leaders created powerful kingdoms by gaining control over most of the profitable trade routes.

Three trading kingdoms of West Africa were:

Ghana

Mali

Songhai

Ghana

Around 800 CE, the rulers of many farming villages united to create the kingdom of Ghana.

 Ghana had a powerful king. Income from the gold trade helped him maintain a large army of foot and cavalry soldiers Led to further expansion

 Muslim merchants brought their religion with them when they settled in the kingdom of Ghana.

Mali

Ruled by powerful Kings called Mansas

Mansa Musa ( c. 1280-1337 )

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.

Based his system of justice on the Qur’an, the Muslim Holy Book.

Songhai

Like Ghana and Mali, Songhai depended on a strong army to control trade routes.

 The emperor Sunni Ali built Songhai into the largest state that had ever existed in West Africa.

Established a bureaucratic government Trade spread to Europe and Asia.

 Songhai prospered until the late 1500s when civil war broke out and caused the downfall of the kingdom.

II. Eastern African Kingdoms The Mediterranean and Red Seas linked Africa to the

Middle East and Europe. The Indian Ocean also linked east Africa to India and other Asian lands

 Axum was located on the Red Sea. It was a trading kingdom that merged Jewish and Christian traditions. It eventually became present day Ethiopia.

 In the 1300s the Hausa people built city-states in what became present-day Nigeria. They were cotton weavers and leatherworkers who traveled on caravans across the Sahara and as far as Europe.

Benin was located in the rain forests of the Guinea coast, traded ivory, pepper, and also slaves. The people of Benin also learned how to cast bronze and brass.

Group Activity

Each table will receive an excerpt from the same article regarding Ghana, Mali or Songhai.

Complete the graphic organizer AS A GROUP which means that you share information with EACHOTHER

We will come back and share once everyone is done

EXIT SLIP

What African Kingdom would you like to live in? Eastern or Western region. Explain why you chose this kingdom in 2-4 sentences.

HOMEWORK

A. Summarize what you learned about one Western African Kingdom and one Eastern African Kingdom

B. Do a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting Eastern and Western Empires of Africa