Colonial African History Quiz

Study Notes

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.