1. First Civilizations, the Slave Trade, and Colonization
African History
First Civilizations, the Slave Trade, and Colonization

2. First Civilizations
Tens of thousands of years ago the first people began moving into Africa
They were subsistence farmers, hunting, gathering – traditional economy

3. Around 2500 B.C. the climate changed in Africa
This created the Sahara Desert
Thousands of people had to move

4. The tribes that moved had already learned how to domesticate plants and animals and took these skills with them

5. African Tribes Bantu tribes Swahili tribes Kush tribes Mali tribes
Ghana tribes

6. Bantu Migration
One of the groups in Africa thousands of years ago were the Bantu.
Bantu peoples created states like Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Over 150 Million people speak some form of Bantu today

7. Answer the Early Civilization questions on your paper

9. The Slave Trade
Around 1200 A.D. European societies had begun trading with the African kingdoms
They traded for many things, like gold and enslaved workers.

10. The Slave Trade
African Chiefs and Kings had enslaved and traded prisoners of war for centuries.
They traded to the Arab world and then to Europeans
The Slave Trade increased greatly when plantations were built in the Americas

13. European Colonization 1800 A.D.
As Europe become industrialized they need more raw resources to make products
They also wanted new places to sell their products
By 1914, all of Africa was controlled by Europeans, except Ethiopia and Liberia

14. European Colonization
The European Colonies became countries.
But these countries were not divided based on existing ethnic divisions.
This caused conflict among many African peoples.

18. Colonies to Countries
After World War II many Africans began demanding control of their own countries.
As the countries became independent many kept old colonial boundaries.
This had led to ethnic conflict and several civil wars.

19. Lasting Effects Europeans took the best land by force.
African farmers were forced to grow cash crops like cocoa and coffee, causing there to be a shortage of food in many areas of Africa.
Africans were forced to work under terrible conditions on plantations, railways, and logging.
In order to gain power, Europeans encouraged Africans to fight against each other.
New political boundaries caused ethnic groups to clash.
This has led to ethnic and political unrest in Africa today.
There have been over 50 ethnic conflicts in Africa since WWII as a result of the colonial lines drawn by Europeans.