Africa in the 1800s

West Africa

• Between 1780 and 1880, over a dozen Islamic leaders gained power, replacing old rulers or establishing new states.

• These movements were inspired by the success of Usman and his successors, who created a strong Islamic state in northern Nigeria.

• This led to increased literacy and reduced local conflicts.

Forest Regions

• Strong kingdoms like the Asante had emerged.

• The Asante kingdom traded with Europeans and Muslims and controlled smaller tributary states.

• These tributary states were willing to align with Europeans or others to defeat the Asante rulers.

East Africa

• Islam had a longstanding influence on the east coast of Africa.

• Cities like Mombasa and Kilwa engaged in profitable trade.

• Slaves were a major commodity, marched from the interior to the coast for shipment to the Middle East.

• Ivory and copper from Central Africa were exchanged for goods like cloth and firearms from India.

Southern Africa

• The Zulus, under Shaka, became a significant force in the early 1800s.

• Between 1818 and 1828, Shaka led relentless wars, conquering nearby peoples and integrating their young men and women into Zulu regiments.

• Shaka fostered unity among rival groups, building pride in the Zulu kingdom.

• His conquests caused mass migrations and wars, leading to widespread chaos.

• Groups displaced by the Zulus migrated north, conquering other peoples and forming their own states.

• By the 1830s, the Zulus faced a new threat: the arrival of well-armed Boers, descendants of Dutch farmers migrating from the Cape Colony.

• In 1814, the Cape Colony had been taken over by the British from the Dutch.

• The Boers resented British laws that abolished slavery and interfered with their way of life.

• Thousands of Boer families undertook the "Great Trek" north to escape British rule.

• Conflicts erupted between the migrating Boers and the Zulus.

• Initially, Zulu regiments held their own, but eventually, Boer guns overcame Zulu spears.

• The struggle for land control continued until the end of the century.

Impact of the Slave Trade

• In the early 1800s, European nations began to ban the transatlantic slave trade, although it took years to fully end.

• The East African slave trade to Asia persisted.

• Efforts were made to resettle freed slaves in Africa.

• In 1787, the British established Sierra Leone in West Africa as a colony for former slaves.

• Later, free blacks from the United States settled in nearby Liberia.

• By 1847, Liberia became an independent republic.