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The Impact of
Colonialism on
African Life
MAIN IDEA
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
The slave trade and colonialism
destroyed traditional cultures
and social systems in Africa south
of the Sahara.
Africa is still recovering from
the effects of the slave trade
and colonialism.
PALACE,
THE ROYAL
KONGO, JULY
6, 1526
TERMS & NAMES
missionary
Hutu
Tutsi
.
of wealth
reat deal
g
a
o
g
n
o
.
K
mains firm
can bring
position re
’s
g
in
k
e
But th
er
sent a lett
ongo has
K
f
o
e
so
th
n
g
King Affo
l, protestin
f Portuga
o
erg
m
in
k
se
e
e
to th
ortugu
P
f
o
r
io
v
eha
ers are
criminal b
ngo. Trad
o
K
in
rs
o
d sail
of his king
chants an
ung men
o
y
e
th
g
They use
kidnappin
to slavery.
in
ll
se
olese to
to
dom
ribe Kong
b
to
s
d
o
go
obleEuropean
le. Even n
p
o
e
p
n
w
eir o
tives have
capture th
’s own rela
g
in
k
e
th
men and
re
n.
an ways a
been take
at Europe
th
s
y
sa
f the
Affonso
se. Some o
le
o
g
n
o
K
e
the
slave trad
corrupting
elieve the
b
rs
ie
rt
u
king’s co
ave-trading
sl
Elmina is a
Portuguese
Movement •
which the
ugh
fortress thro Africans. ed
v
move ensla
Africa Before the Europeans
Movement • Enslaved
Africans were forced
to wear shackles like
these. Before Europeans came, Africans had varied ways of life under
different kinds of governments. Kings ruled great empires like
Mali and Songhai. Some states had democratic rule. Some groups
had no central government. Some Africans lived in great cities
like Timbuktu, while others lived in small villages deep in the
forests. Some were nomadic hunters, and some were skilled artists
who sculpted masks and statues of wood, gold, or bronze.
Africa South of the Sahara: Geography and History
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The Slave Trade
Slavery existed in Africa long before Europeans arrived. Rulers in
Mali and Songhai had thousands of slaves who worked as servants, soldiers, and farm workers. Villages raided one another to
take captives and sell them. Often, a slave could work to earn his
or her freedom. In the 1400s, however, Europeans introduced a
form of slavery that devastated African life and society.
From Africa to the Americas In the early 15th century,
European traders began to sell slaves. They raided towns to capture unwilling Africans. Some Africans captured in wars were sold
to European traders by other Africans. One estimate is that 10 to
12 million Africans were forced into slavery and sent to European
colonies in North and South America from 1520 to 1860. Many
more were captured but died of disease or starvation before arriving. About 1750, movements to stop the slave trade had begun. By
1808, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Denmark had
made it illegal to bring in slaves from Africa. However, it would
take longer for countries to make owning a slave illegal.
Conditions on
slave ships were
so bad that about
16 percent of
slaves died
during transport.
Impact on Africa In addition to the Africans captured and sold,
many were killed during raids. About two-thirds of those taken
were men between the ages of 18 and 30. Slave traders chose
young, strong, healthy people, leaving few behind to lead families
and villages. African cities and towns did not have enough workers. Family structures were destroyed.
African Slave Trade, 1520–1860
N
GEOGRAPHY
SKILLBUILDER:
Interpreting a Map
NORTH
AMERICA
40°N
PACIFIC
OCEAN
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
1. Region • From what
part of the African
20°N
continent were most
enslaved Africans
taken?
2. 0°Region • Name
three destinations of
INDIAN
OCEAN
enslaved Africans.
Gulf of
Mexico
20°N
AFRICA
Bight of
Benin Bight of
Biafra
0° Equator
SOUTH
AMERICA
Slave trade route
20°S
0
0
120°W
100°W
80°W
40°W
1,000
1,000
20°W
2,000 miles
2,000 kilometers
0°
20°E
40°E
60°E
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European Colonialism
During the
Industrial
Revolution,
inventions
increased the
speed of making
goods. This created
a need for more
raw materials
and markets.
When Europeans ended the slave trade, they did not lose interest in Africa. The Industrial Revolution had changed economies
in Europe and the United States. Africa could supply both raw
materials, such as minerals, and new markets for goods.
Explorers and Missionaries Europeans knew little about the
interior of Africa, but many were curious. Scientists and explorers
were interested in African wildlife and natural resources. European
missionaries also traveled to Africa. A missionary is a person who
goes to another country to do religious and social
work. Missionaries wanted to convert Africans
to Christianity and bring education and health
care to Africa. Many also taught European ways
of thinking, which often conflicted with, and
A Wealth of Animals
destroyed, African traditions.
Competition for Africa In the 19th century,
European nations began to compete for control
of Africa. Each wanted the biggest or richest
colonies and control of trade. To avoid wars
over territory, European and U.S. leaders met in
Berlin in 1884. There, and in later meetings,
they discussed how to divide Africa. No
Africans were consulted. Over the next 20
years, Belgium, France, the United Kingdom,
Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the
Ottoman Empire all established colonies in
Africa. By 1912, only Ethiopia and Liberia
remained independent.
When
European explorers came to Africa,
they saw impressive sights—lions
and cheetahs stalking zebras, elephants trumpeting messages to
their young, giraffes delicately nibbling the tops of trees. Today,
Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park
is where modern explorers watch
animals in the wild—animals that
most non-Africans have seen only
in zoos.
The Serengeti is home to an
astonishing variety of life. It is also
the last place in Africa where huge
migrations of animals take place.
The sight of a million gnus, zebras,
and gazelles moving majestically
through the park is one of the
wonders of the world.
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European Colonies in Africa, 1912
N
GEOGRAPHY
SKILLBUILDER:
Interpreting a Map
40°N
SPANISH
MOROCCO
MADEIRA IS.
(Port.)
M ed
TUNISIA
MOROCCO
30°N
iterranean Sea
IFNI
CANARY IS.
(Sp.)
SPANISH
SAHARA
ALGERIA
LIBYA
EGYPT
Re
RIO DE
ORO
c er
d
T rop i c o f C a n
1. Region • Which
country had the
greatest number
of colonies in Africa
in 1912?
2. Region • Which
countries remained
independent?
Se
a
20°N
CAPE
VERDE IS.
(Port.)
FRENCH WEST AFRICA
ERITREA
THE GAMBIA
IAL A
FRICA
PORTUGUESE
GUINEA
NIGERIA
LIBERIA
EN
FR
~
SAO TOMÉ
(Port.)
A T LA N TIC
OCEAN
ITALIAN
SOMALILAND
UGANDA
CH
PRÍNCIPE (Port.)
EQ
RIO
MUNI
Equator
0°
ETHIOPIA
UA
CAMEROON
FERNANDO PÓO
BRITISH
SOMALILAND
TOR
GOLD
COAST
SIERRA
LEONE
TOGO
10°N
FRENCH
SOMALILAND
ANGLOEGYPTIAN
SUDAN
BRITISH
EAST
AFRICA
BELGIAN
CONGO
GERMAN
EAST
AFRICA
CABINDA
(Port.)
ZANZIBAR I. (Br.)
10°S
COMOROS I. (Fr.)
ANGOLA
Belgian
M
M
ZA
QU
E
Mo
zam
biq
ue
20°S
O
SOUTHERN
GERMAN
RHODESIA
SOUTHWEST
AFRICA BECHUANALAND
BI
Ch
a
NYASALAND
NORTHERN
RHODESIA
el
nn
MADAGASCAR
Tropic of Capricorn
British
WALVIS BAY
French
German
SWAZILAND
UNION OF
SOUTH AFRICA
Italian
Portuguese
BASUTOLAND
30°S
Spanish
I ND I A N
O CE A N
Independent state
0
0
400
400
800 miles
800 kilometers
40°S
30°W
20°W
10°W
0°
10°E
20°E
30°E
40°E
50°E
60°E
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Impact of Colonial Rule
When Europeans divided Africa, most colonizers cared mainly
about gold, diamonds, and other resources. The Europeans knew
little about Africa’s political and social systems. Many Europeans
looked down on Africa’s rich cultures and tried to make Africans
more like Europeans.
Europeans also created conflicts among ethnic groups that had
not existed before. For example, the Belgian rulers of RwandaBurundi insisted that everyone carry identity cards saying whether
they were Hutu, the ethnic majority,
or Tutsi, the minority that had ruled
the Hutu. Many people did not know
which of these they were. The
Belgians decided that anyone who
owned more than ten cows was Tutsi.
The Tutsi got the best education and
jobs. Soon the Hutu were resentful,
and a violent conflict began. In 1994,
the conflict between the Hutu and
the Tutsi escalated into a brutal civil
war. The Tutsi were victorious and
formed a new government in Rwanda.
SECTION
and after the civil
war, thousands
of Tutsi were
massacred, and
thousands of Hutu
refugees, such
as these, were
driven from their
homeland. ASSESSMENT
Terms & Names
1. Identify:
(a) missionary
Taking Notes
2. Use a chart like this one to list the
ways in which Europeans changed
Africa, and the effects of the
changes on African life.
Change
Movment • During
Effect
(b) Hutu
(c) Tutsi
Main Ideas
3. (a) How did Europeans change the
institution of slavery in Africa?
(b) Why did European interest in
Africa turn from the slave trade
to colonization?
(c) How is the modern conflict
between the Hutu and Tutsi
a result of the actions of
European rulers?
Critical Thinking
4. Comparing
How was the way of life of many
Africans different after the arrival
of Europeans?
Think About
◆
◆
goals of missionaries and
European countries
history and traditions of ethnic
peoples
Write an opinion paper explaining the negative effects of colonization.
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Interpreting a Chart
>> Defining the Skill
A chart organizes information in a visual form. The information is simplified
or summarized and then arranged so that it is easy to read and understand.
>> Applying the Skill
The chart below lists the population, number of radios, and number of
televisions in several West African nations and the United States. Use the
strategies listed below to help you interpret the chart.
How to Interpret a Chart
Strategy 1 Read the
1
Communication in Western Africa and the United States, 2000
title to learn the main idea of
the chart.
Population
Radios
Televisions
2 Country
Strategy 2 Read the
3 6.6 million
Benin
620,000
60,000
labels across the top and
319.9 million
Ghana
4,400,000
1,730,000
down the first column of the
Liberia
3 3.2 million
3 790,000
3 70,000
chart. The labels in the column
list the countries represented
Mali
11 million
570,000
45,000
in the chart. The labels across
Niger
10.4 million
680,000
125,000
the top tell what information
Nigeria
126.6 million
23,500,000
6,900,000
is provided for each country.
United States 284.5 million
575,000,000 219,000,000
Strategy 3 Study the
information in the chart. Read
down the columns to compare one
country with another. Read across
the rows to see the communications
available in each country.
Strategy 4 Summarize the
information in the chart. The title
helps you clarify the main idea of
the chart.
Write a Summary
4 This chart compares the population, the number of
radios, and the number of televisions in several West African
nations and the United States. In the countries of Benin
and Mali, there are very few radios and televisions compared
to the number of people. For example, in Mali there is one
television for every 244 people. In the United States, there
is more than one radio per person. In Nigeria, there is one
television for every 18 people.
To gain a clear understanding of
the information in this chart, write a summary. It is possible to produce other
data from the information in this chart. To find out how many people there
are for one television or radio in each nation, divide the population by the
number of televisions or radios. The paragraph above summarizes the chart.
>> Practicing the Skill
Turn to page 294 in Chapter 10. Study the chart titled “Africa’s Deserts,”
and write a paragraph that summarizes the information in that chart.
306 CHAPTER 10