Unit 3: Early Modern Africa and the Wider World
Africa was home to several large societies and civilizations during this period, all of which were integrated into the global economy. In modern-day Zimbabwe, the palace and city complex known as Great Zimbabwe received trade goods from places as distant as Syria and China. West Africa's gold trade made Mansa Musa the wealthiest individual in human history and made Timbuktu one of the most advanced places of learning during the 14th century. It also changed as it became more deeply integrated.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 2 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- identify features of African societies such as the Mali and Songhai Empires;
- examine the effect the spread of Islam had on West Africa and East Africa; and
- discuss the trans-Saharan slave trade in Africa with attention to its unique features.
3.1: The Mali Empire
Contrary to depictions of Africa as the "dark continent", trade into and out of Africa was vibrant for centuries. The Mali Empire was one of the largest West African empires, stretching across a number of present-day countries. During this period, control of the gold and salt trade made the rulers, known as mansas, exceptionally wealthy and transformed Timbuktu into one of the most famous cities in the world.
Read this text on the main trade routes across the Sahara during the 16th century. How did Islam facilitate trans-Saharan trade? What factors contributed to the decline of the Mali empire? What is the Sahel?
Read this article on the Mali Empire. What enabled its rise to power? And what territory did it control?
3.2: The Songhai Empire
The Songhai Empire was one of the successors to the Mali Empire. It continued the spread of Islam throughout West Africa while also building an extensive trading empire.
Read this text on the characteristics that defined imperial Songhai, the largest African state in West Africa during the 15th century. Who was Askia Muhammad I or Askia the Great (d. 1538)? How did internal conflict lead to its demise?
3.3: The Swahili Coast
East Africa was a critical point for traders who plied the Indian Ocean. Arabic merchants frequently went there on their way to India, and the region developed with a strong Arabic influence because of this.
Read this text on the Swahili City-States, which were a series of prosperous coastal communities south of the Horn of Africa. They facilitated trade routes between East Africa and India. Pay attention to Kilwa and Zanzibar, two of the most powerful city-states along the Swahili coast.
Watch this video to learn more about the elaborate and beautiful mosques on the coast of East Africa. This video highlights the interaction between Arab traders and the Swahili City-States.
3.4: The Trans-Saharan Slave Trade
Like most parts of the world, slavery existed in Africa since antiquity. But the form, shape, and scale of slavery changed over time. The slavery the Islamic kingdoms practiced differed sharply from how Europeans enslaved people. The Europeans embraced chattel slavery, which remade whole African economies and devastated the political and social order.
Read this text on the emergence of Kanem-Bornu, a major slave-trading society in Western Africa. It describes how the arrival of the Europeans affected the networks of the trans-Saharan slave trade.
Read this article on the history of slavery, which was a global practice during this era. Pay close attention to the different manifestations of slavery in Africa, the Americas, and Europe.
Unit 3 Assessment
- Receive a grade
Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.