growth of west africa
... River during the early eighth century. Songhay became the largest and most powerful empire in the history of West Africa by 1500. Important advancements made by the Songhay were the establishment of schools, a uniform system of weights and measures, the improvement of banking and credit procedures, reorganization of the armed forces, the promotion of more foreign trade, and the creation of an effective government administrative network throughout the land. The fall of Songhay occurred when Moroccans and Spanish invaders from the north, defeated the Songhay forces and took control of Timbuktu. Some European explorers visited the city of Benin in the sixteenth century. Benin was a commercial and cultural state. Benin conducted large scale trade throughout West Africa. A system of currency involving cowrie shells and metal rings were evolved in Benin. The achievements and downfalls of these great kingdoms of Africa have shaped the lives of future generations of Africans. Innovations in areas such as trade and government affected the opportunities for profit in Africa as well as increase the interest of other countries to invade Africa. The connection between trade and Islamic religion within these empires can be used to observe the evolution of the Muslim businessman as described in “Paths of Accommodation.” Also it is easier to understand how colonial powers came into play to suddenly seize control of trade in West Africa. The growth of military influence on the Gold Coast grew due to the military confrontations between the Asante and Fante. The Fante states signed the Bond of 1844 which alowed the British limited judicial powers. The British began to gain more and more judicial rights. In 1874 after defeating the Asante the British procalimed theformer coastal protectorate a crown colony, the Gold Coast Colony. The colony spanned the coastal areas and extended to the borders of the Asante. This action ignored the purpose of the Bond of 1844. The British moved the colonial capital from Cape Coast to the former Danish castle in Accra. Asante was eventually included under the British sphere of influence. After the Asante's defeat in 1896, Britain proclaimed a protectorate over the kingdom. Each Asante state was administrered from Kumasi as a seperate entity and was responsible to the governor of the Gold Coast. Asante became a colony following its final defeat in 1901. The British became interested in the areas north of Asante. Britian first ventured into this area in the 1880's. Between 1898 and 1899 European colonial powers limited the boundaries between the Northern territories and surrounding French and German colonies. Northern territories were placed under the authority of a resident commisioner who was responsible to the governor of the Gold Coast. Asante and the Northern territories were ruled by the governor until 1946. The three territories of the Gold Coast, Asante, and Northern territories became a crown colony. Conditions leading up to the civil war in Liberia can be found by examining various events in its history. In the early 18th century a back to Africa idea was in the minds of African Americans who strove for freedom from white oppressors. The movement led to the establishent of the American Colonization Society in 1816. The task of this group was to handle the emigration. The majority of African Americans who went back to Africa were educated free blacks that owned property. As time went by more Africans went to Liberia. Liberia was already inhabited by native tribes that outnumbered the African Americans. The African Americans saw themselves as bringing civilization, Christianity, and commerce to the native Africans. "They treated the Africans there the way the slaveholders in the American South treated them." The ACS became eager to end funding the colony and urged them to declare independence. In 1847 a constitution was approved and Liberia declared independence. Under this constitution Liberia was declared an independent state by the name of the Republic of Liberia. In 1862 the United States gave Liberia diplomatic recognition. Liberia as a whole struggled. During the first half of the twentieth century new laws were passed which brought equality. Over the years, America had little interest in Liberia other than military and intelligence outpost. In 1926 Firestone tire company opened its largest rubber factory in Liberia. The company became the main support of the Liberian economy. Liberians became increasingly angry at the ruling party. In 1979 riots broke out in Monrovia when President William R. Tolbert Jr. increased the price of rice. While this was going on an officer Samuel Doe staged a overthrow of the government. Doe removed the old government and the democratic practices of Libreia. Samuel Doe became the countries first dictator. The doe government came to an end when Samuel Doe was captured and executed by the rebel group NPFL (National Patriotic Front of Liberia), led by Charles Taylor. Taylor was elected as ruler in the first fair election in more than 16 years. Charles Taylor...