Key Themes in Early African and Latin American History

Kush/Nubia

Ancient kingdoms in the Nile Valley, south of Egypt, known for ironworking and pyramids.

Axum

East African kingdom (modern Ethiopia); early adopter of Christianity; major trading empire.

Great Zimbabwe

Southern African city known for impressive stone structures and trade in gold and ivory.

Pyramids

Monumental tombs built in Egypt and Nubia, symbols of royal power.

Monument Construction

Large architectural feats (e.g., pyramids, obelisks) to show power or religious devotion.

Bantu Migration

Long-term movement of Bantu-speaking peoples across Africa, spreading language, agriculture, and iron tools.

Christianity

Spread early in Axum (Ethiopia), blending with African traditions.

Indigenous Religion

Traditional belief systems of African peoples involving ancestor worship, spirits, and nature deities.

Islam

Spread into Africa through trade and conquest; influenced empires like Mali, Ghana, and Songhai.

Hajj

Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca; famously completed by Mansa Musa.

Ghana

Early West African empire (not modern Ghana), grew rich from gold and taxed trade routes.

Double Taxation

Ghana taxed goods coming into and going out of the empire.

Griots

Oral historians and storytellers of West Africa.

Trans-Saharan Trade

Trade across the Sahara (gold, salt, slaves); key to West African wealth.

Sundiata

Founder of the Mali Empire; subject of the Epic of Sundiata.

Mali

West African Islamic empire known for wealth and culture.

Timbuktu

City in Mali; center of learning and Islamic scholarship.

Mansa Musa

Wealthy king of Mali; famous for his pilgrimage to Mecca.

Gold

Main export of West African empires; source of immense wealth.

Globalization

The interconnection of African empires with the rest of the world through trade, religion, and culture.

Ibn Battuta

Muslim traveler who visited Mali and recorded its wealth and Islamic culture.

Songhai

Successor to Mali; large West African empire.

Sonni Ali

Powerful military leader of Songhai; expanded the empire.

Askia

Songhai emperor who promoted Islam and education.

Forms of Slavery

Included chattel slavery, domestic servitude, and military slavery.

Dutch West India Company

Dutch trading company heavily involved in Atlantic slave trade.

British Royal Africa Company

British company trading in enslaved Africans.

Portugal

First European nation to explore African coast and engage in slave trade.

Spain

Major colonizer in the Americas, used African slaves on plantations.

Columbian Exchange

Exchange of goods, ideas, people, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds.

Triangle Trade

Trade route among Europe, Africa, and the Americas involving slaves, goods, and raw materials.

The Middle Passage

Brutal journey of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic.

Oyo Empire

West African empire that participated in slave trade.

Point of No Return

Coastal departure point in Africa where enslaved people left for the Americas.

Gustavus Vassa

Former enslaved African who wrote about his experiences; abolitionist.

Ottabah Cugoano

Kidnapped African child who later became an abolitionist and author.

John Newton

Former slave ship captain turned abolitionist; wrote 'Amazing Grace.'

Sibell

Possibly a fictional or symbolic reference (may need context clarification).

Baquaqua

African man enslaved and taken to Brazil; later escaped and published memoirs.

Slave trade

Enslavement and forced transport of Africans to the Americas, with European involvement.

Cash crops

Crops like cotton, cocoa, and coffee grown for export, not local consumption.

European traders

Facilitated the slave trade, and later economic exploitation during colonization.

Scramble for Africa

Rush by European powers to claim African territories (1880s-1914).

Industrial Revolution

Increased European demand for raw materials, fueling colonization.

Primary goods

Raw materials (e.g., minerals, crops) extracted from colonies.

Berlin Conference

Meeting where European powers divided Africa with no African input.

Leopold II

King of Belgium; brutally exploited Congo for rubber and ivory.

Treaties

Often deceptive agreements signed by African leaders with European powers.

Maxim Gun

Early machine gun used by Europeans to overpower African resistance.

Settler Colonies

Europeans settled permanently (e.g., South Africa, Kenya).

Mining Colonies

Colonies focused on extracting minerals (e.g., Congo, South Africa).

Company-run colonies

Colonies administered by private companies (e.g., British South Africa Company).

Core-Periphery Theory

Core (industrialized nations) exploit periphery (resource-providing regions).

Indirect Rule

British system using local leaders under imperial control.

Direct Rule

French system imposing European officials and laws directly.

Assimilation

French policy aiming to turn Africans into French citizens and culture.

White Man's Burden

Racist idea that Europeans had to 'civilize' non-European people.

Nationalism

Desire for self-rule and pride in African identity.

Active Resistance

Armed or open opposition (e.g., Zulu resistance).

Passive Resistance

Non-violent protests or civil disobedience.

Rural leadership

Chiefs and village leaders resisting colonial interference.

Urban leadership

Educated elites and activists organizing political resistance.

World War I

African soldiers fought for colonial powers; increased demands for rights.

Pan-African Congress

Meetings of African leaders calling for self-determination.

Kwame Nkrumah

Leader of Ghana's independence movement; first president.

Nnamdi Azikiwe

Nationalist leader; helped Nigeria gain independence; later president.

Great Depression

Global economic crisis that hurt African colonies and spurred protests.

World War II

African troops fought again; inspired further demands for independence.

United Nations

Post-WWII international body that encouraged decolonization.

Negotiated Independence

Peaceful agreements to end colonial rule (e.g., Ghana).

Violent Revolution

Armed struggle for freedom (e.g., Algeria, Angola).

Cold War

U.S. and USSR competition influenced African politics post-independence.

Angola

Gained independence from Portugal after civil war; Cold War proxy conflict.

Nigeria

Gained independence in 1960; faced civil war and military coups.

Ghana

First sub-Saharan country to gain independence (1957).

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Independence from Belgium in 1960; plunged into chaos.

Algeria

Violent war of independence against France (1954-62).

Kenya

Mau Mau rebellion led to independence from Britain in 1963.

Khoisan

Indigenous hunter-gatherers and herders; earliest inhabitants of Southern Africa.

Xhosa

Bantu-speaking ethnic group; resisted British expansion.

Zulu

Powerful kingdom under Shaka; militarily resisted British and Boers.

Dutch East India Company

Established Cape Colony in 1652.

Afrikaners

White South Africans of Dutch descent.

Boers

Dutch farmers in South Africa.

Trekboers

Boers who moved inland to escape British rule.

British East India Company

Controlled trade in Asia; less relevant than Dutch in South Africa.

Mfecane

Period of warfare and migration in early 1800s caused by Zulu expansion.

The Great Trek

Boer migration into interior regions to form independent states.

Transvaal

Boer republic in northern South Africa.

Orange Free State

Another Boer republic.

The Mineral Revolution

Discovery of gold and diamonds transformed economy and labor.

The Boer War (1899-1902)

War between British and Boers; Britain won.

Union of South Africa

Formed in 1910; British colonies and Boer republics unified.

ANC

Main anti-apartheid organization.

National Party

Political party that implemented apartheid in 1948.

Purified Nationalist Party

Hardline white supremacist group; precursor to apartheid rulers.

Election of 1948

Brought National Party to power; apartheid began.

Apartheid

System of racial segregation and white minority rule (1948-1994).

Defiance Campaign

Mass civil disobedience against apartheid laws.

Treason Trial

ANC leaders (including Mandela) arrested and tried.