Colonial African History Quiz

Colonial African History

• The Portuguese were the first to land on the African coast in 1471, led by Prince Henry.
• They named the region they arrived at the Gold Coast due to abundant gold found along the shore and in rivers.
• The first castle in Africa, "da Mina" (meaning "The Mine"), was built in 1482 in present-day Ghana.
• The castle served as a warehouse and a place of residence for the Portuguese.
• The Dutch took over the castle in 1642 after defeating the Portuguese in a war.

Europeans in Africa

• Various European powers established trading posts and settlements in Africa.
• The Dutch, Swedes, Danes, and British also established forts and castles in Africa, and this resulted in the Scramble for Africa.
• The Dutch, in their occupation of the Gold Coast, eventually found it unprofitable and handed over their forts to the British.
• The Swedes built Cape Coast Castle in 1653, which was subsequently captured by the Danes and then by the British.
• The Danes established the Christiansborg Castle in 1661 in Accra.

History of the Europeans that Occupied Ghana Before Independence

• The Dutch held significant posts in modern-day Ghana but found these unprofitable.
• The Swedes built Cape Coast Castle, but it was taken by the Danes and later the British.
• The Portuguese had occupied territory before them.
• The Danish Christiansborg Castle was sold to the British.
• The Portuguese, Prussian/German, and British also established their settlements.
• The British colonized Ghana between 1867-1957.

Trading Activities

• Europeans traded guns, gunpowder, biscuits, beads, cloth, mirrors, knives, alcohol (gin, rum, schnapps), and chocolates with Africa.
• Africans traded enslaved Africans, gold, bauxite, ivory, salt, palm oil, cocoa, rubber, diamonds, and kola nuts.

Scramble for the Partitioning of Africa

• Europeans competed for territories in Africa.
• The Berlin Conference (1884-1885) involved 14 European nations (Great Britain, France, Germany, US, Sweden, Portugal, and Belgium) to divide Africa among themselves.
• No African representatives were present at the conference.
• The partitioning had adverse effects on Africans.

British Policy of Indirect Rule

• Great Britain controlled a large portion of African territories.
• The "indirect rule" policy relied on existing local governance structures (chiefs, kings) to manage colonies.
• In areas without established leadership, the British appointed a leader.
• The British policy created an imbalance in the development of colonized areas.

French Policy of Direct Rule

• France controlled a portion of African territories.
• The "direct rule" policy involved a more centralized system of governance and French administration.
• Assimilation was a key part of their efforts—they wanted the people to follow European ways.
• This led to an imbalance in the development of colonized areas.

Group Assignments

• The document outlines various assigned topics for different study groups, focusing on specific colonial periods in various African locations.