World History p.6 Tanner and Susie

 The Ghana empire was big on spreading taxes for people who passed through the trading routes. In the beginning, Trading was free and well protected in Ghana's trading routes. It was protected by the massive Ghanaian army. This army was also one of the most powerful and massive armies in the world. This army wiped out many neighbors and expanded the empire. The kings would make money off all of the area's they had captured. The Kings were extremely rich. They earned ponderous amounts of Salt and Gold, and in addition, they made even more money from the taxes they enforced and the land they captured.

 Ghana was a very safe trade route.  Ghana's armies protected the trade routes so people began to use the routes as much as the could.  These routes were also bandit free.  The rulers of Ghana believed it was unfair that the trade route was free and so they found a way to make money.  One of the ways the tried to get money out of people was to enforce they had to pay taxes.  They didn't just have to pay one set of taxes, their was a fee for how many goods you brought in and how many you take with you when you leave.  Traders were no the only people in Ghana who had to pay taxes.

 Ghana conquered many small neighboring tribes, then forced them to pay tribute.  After the traders and people in Ghana had to pay taxes, they used the money towards building a massive army.  Ghana had huge gold mines that provided a ponderous amount of gold.  Traders in Ghana would then take the gold and travel to far away places such as England and trade the gold.  Ghanaian rulers were very greedy.  Rulers in Ghana had a right to where all of the gold that was produced was officially their property.  Rulers banned anyone else in Ghana from owning gold nuggets.  The Ghanaian people were only allowed to have gold dust, which they used as currency.  They enforced this because the king wanted to show he was richer than his subjects

 Ghana's kings used their great wealth to build a massive army.  This massive army conquered many neighbors In addition, when the army captured a neighbor, it added on to the wealth of the rulers.  Ghanaian rulers doubted they could control all of the land they had captured.  To keep order in the empire, they assigned governs or rulers of their own territories.  The peak of Ghana’s empire was when Tunka Manin was the king.  He made the empire one of the most wealthy empires in the world.

 Ghanaian rulers kept control of the trade routes by enforcing taxes to people who traveled through the routes.  Only the rulers of Ghana were allowed to have gold nuggets, people below them could only use gold dust, which is currency to them.  Rulers kept control of the empire by assigning govrners to certain areas of the empire  Tunka Manin- Tunka Manin was the ruler when the Ghana Empire was at it’s height

 1. How did Ghana keep control of trading? A) Violence B) Closing the trade routes C) Enforcing Taxes D) Only letting Ghanaian people into the trade routes

 2. Were traders the only people that had to pay taxes? True or False

 3. What did the Ghanaians use for currency? A) Gold nuggets B) Gold dust C) Rocks

 4. How did the Ghanaian empire's army expanded? A) Wealth B) Religion C) Farming D) Their army

 5. Who helped Ghanaian kings keep the empire in controll? A) Conquered kings B) Ghanaians C) Traders D) Their military