AP® African American Studies Course and Exam Description Unit 1 PDF

UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora SUGGESTED SKILLS Applying TOPIC 1.1 What Is African Disciplinary Knowledge 1A Identify and explain course concepts, developments, and proce...

UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora SUGGESTED SKILLS Applying TOPIC 1.1 What Is African Disciplinary Knowledge 1A Identify and explain course concepts, developments, and processes. American Studies? Source Analysis 2A Identify and explain a source’s claim(s), evidence, and reasoning. Required Course Content CLASS PERIODS 2 SOURCES § Photo of Black Student Union Strike for Black Studies at San Francisco State College, 1968 § Schedule of Courses for Black and Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College, 1972 § Program for the First National Council for Black Studies Annual Conference, 1975 LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.1.A EK 1.1.A.1 Describe the features that African American Studies combines an characterize African American interdisciplinary approach with the rigor Studies. of scholarly inquiry to analyze the history, culture, and contributions of people of African descent in the United States and throughout the African diaspora. EK 1.1.A.2 African American Studies emerged from Black artistic, intellectual, and political endeavors that predate its formalization as a field of study. The discipline offers a lens for understanding contemporary Black freedom struggles within and beyond the academy. EK 1.1.A.3 African American Studies examines the development of ideas about Africa’s history and the continent’s ongoing relationship to communities of the African diaspora. continued on next page AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 34 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.1.B EK 1.1.B.1 Describe the developments Toward the end of the Civil Rights movement that led to the incorporation of and during the Black Power movement in the African American Studies into 1960s and 1970s, Black college students United States colleges and entered predominantly white institutions in universities in the 1960s and large numbers for the first time in American 1970s. history. EK 1.1.B.2 During the Black Campus movement (1965–1972), hundreds of thousands of Black students and Latino, Asian, and white supporters led protests at over 1,000 colleges nationwide, demanding greater opportunities to study the history and experiences of Black people and greater support for Black students, faculty, and administrators. LO 1.1.C EK 1.1.C.1 Explain how African American Africa is the birthplace of humanity and the Studies enriches the study of ancestral home of African Americans. African early Africa and its relationship American Studies examines developments to communities of the African in early African societies in fields including diaspora. the arts, architecture, technology, politics, religion, and music. The long history of these innovations informs African Americans’ experiences and identities. EK 1.1.C.2 Interdisciplinary analysis in African American Studies dispels misconceptions of early Africa as a place with an undocumented or unknowable history. Research in this field documents early Africa as a diverse continent with complex societies that made enduring contributions to humanity. These societies were globally connected well before the onset of the transatlantic slave trade. AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 35 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora Sources Photo of Black Student Union Strike for Black Studies at San Francisco State College, 1968 AP Images Schedule of Courses for Black and Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College, 1972 Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 36 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 Program for the First National Council for Black Studies Annual Conference, 1975 Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Dr. Bertha Maxwell Roddey Source Note § In 1968, San Francisco State College (now University) established the first Black Studies department at a four-year college. Optional Sources § “Blk History Month,” Nikki Giovanni, 2002 § “History of Black Studies at Washington University in St. Louis,” WUSTL (video, 2:19) § What Is Black Studies?, Excerpt from the documentary Black and Cuba, 2015 (video, 1:06) AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 37 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora SUGGESTED SKILLS Applying TOPIC 1.2 The African Continent: Disciplinary Knowledge 1B Identify and explain the context of a specific event, development, or process. A Varied Landscape Source Analysis 2D Describe and draw conclusions from patterns, trends, and limitations in data, making connections Required Course Content to relevant course content. CLASS PERIODS SOURCES 1 § Map Showing the Major Climate Regions of Africa LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.2.A EK 1.2.A.1 Describe the geographic As the second-largest continent in the features of the African world, Africa is geographically diverse with continent. five primary climate zones: desert (e.g., the Sahara), semiarid (e.g., the Sahel), savannah grasslands, tropical rainforests, and the Mediterranean zone. EK 1.2.A.2 Africa is bordered by seas and oceans (Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean) with five major rivers (Niger River, Congo River, Zambezi River, Orange River, and Nile River) connecting regions throughout the interior of the continent. continued on next page AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 38 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.2.B EK 1.2.B.1 Explain how Africa’s varied The proximity of the Red Sea, Mediterranean landscape affected patterns of Sea, and Indian Ocean to the African settlement and trade between continent supported the emergence of diverse cultural regions. early societies and fostered early global connections beyond the continent. EK 1.2.B.2 Population centers emerged in the Sahel and the savannah grasslands of Africa for three important reasons: EK 1.2.B.2.i Major water routes facilitated the movement of people and goods through trade. EK 1.2.B.2.ii Fertile land supported the expansion of agriculture and the domestication of animals. EK 1.2.B.2.iii The Sahel and savannah grasslands connected trade between communities in the Sahara to the north and in the tropical regions to the south. EK 1.2.B.3 Variations in climate facilitated diverse opportunities for trade in Africa. EK 1.2.B.3.i In desert and semiarid areas, herders were often nomadic, moving in search of food and water, with some trading salt. EK 1.2.B.3.ii In the Sahel, people traded livestock. EK 1.2.B.3.iii In the savannah grasslands, people cultivated grain crops. EK 1.2.B.3.iv In the tropical rainforests, people grew kola trees and yams, and traded gold. AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 39 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora Source Map Showing the Major Climate Regions of Africa Optional Source § Map “Rivers in West Africa” (Available on AP Classroom) AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 40 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 TOPIC 1.3 SUGGESTED SKILLS Applying Population Growth and Disciplinary Knowledge Ethnolinguistic Diversity 1C Identify and explain patterns, connections, or other relationships (causation, changes, continuities, comparison). Source Analysis 2D Describe and draw Required Course Content conclusions from patterns, trends, and limitations in data, making connections SOURCES to relevant course content. § Map Showing the Movement of Bantu Peoples, Languages, and Technologies CLASS PERIODS 1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.3.A EK 1.3.A.1 Describe the causes of Bantu Technological innovations (e.g., the expansion across the African development of tools*) and agricultural continent. innovations (e.g., the cultivation of bananas, yams, and grains) contributed to the population growth of West and Central African peoples. EK 1.3.A.2 This population growth triggered a series of migrations of people who spoke Bantu languages throughout the continent from 1500 BCE to 500 CE, called the Bantu expansion. LO 1.3.B EK 1.3.B.1 Explain how the Bantu Bantu-speaking peoples’ linguistic influences expansion affected the spread throughout the continent. Today, the linguistic diversity of West and Bantu linguistic family contains hundreds of Central Africa and the genetic languages that are spoken throughout West, heritage of African Americans. Central, and Southern Africa (e.g., Xhosa, Swahili, Kikongo, and Zulu). EK 1.3.B.2 Africa is the home of thousands of ethnic groups and languages. A large portion of the genetic ancestry of African Americans derives from communities in West and Central Africa that speak languages belonging to the Bantu linguistic family. AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 41 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora Source Map Showing the Movement of Bantu Peoples, Languages, and Technologies *Further Explorations § Teachers interested in focusing further study on an aspect of this topic could also consider technological innovations in the development of weapons during this period. Optional Source § “The Bantu Expansion,” AE Learning (video, 4:27) AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 42 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 TOPIC 1.4 SUGGESTED SKILLS Applying Africa’s Ancient Disciplinary Knowledge 1A Societies Identify and explain course concepts, developments, and processes. 1D Explain how course concepts, developments, and processes relate to the discipline of African Required Course Content American Studies. CLASS PERIODS SOURCES 3 § Image of Aksumite Coin Showing King Ezana, Circa 340–400 § Image of Nok Sculpture, Circa 900 BCE–200 CE LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.4.A EK 1.4.A.1 Describe the features of, and Several of the world’s earliest complex, goods produced by, complex large-scale societies arose in Africa during societies that emerged in the ancient era, including Egypt and Nubia ancient East and West Africa. (also known as Kush/Cush). Egypt and Nubia emerged along the Nile River around 3000 BCE. Nubia was the source of Egypt’s gold and luxury trade items, which created conflict between the two societies. Around 750 BCE, Nubia defeated Egypt and established the twenty-fifth dynasty of the Black Pharaohs, who ruled Egypt for a century. EK 1.4.A.2 The Aksumite Empire (present-day Eritrea and Ethiopia) emerged in eastern Africa around 100 BCE. The Red Sea connected the empire to major maritime trade networks from the Mediterranean and the Roman Empire to India, and its strategic location contributed to its rise and expansion. Aksum developed its own currency and script (Ge’ez). continued on next page AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 43 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.4.A EK 1.4.A.3 Describe the features of, and The Nok society (present-day Nigeria), one goods produced by, complex of the earliest ironworking societies of West societies that emerged in Africa, emerged around 500 BCE. They are ancient East and West Africa. best known for their pottery, naturalistic terracotta sculptures of animals and people adorned by various hairstyles and jewelry, and stone instruments. These artifacts are the most ancient extant evidence of a complex, settled society in sub-Saharan Africa. LO 1.4.B EK 1.4.B.1 Explain why Africa’s ancient Aksum became the first African society to societies are culturally and adopt Christianity under the leadership of historically significant to Black King Ezana. Ge’ez, its script, is still used as communities. the main liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. The Aksumite Empire exemplifies African societies that adopted Christianity on their own terms, beyond the influence of colonialism or the later transatlantic slave trade. EK 1.4.B.2 From the late eighteenth century onward, African American writers emphasized the significance of ancient Africa in their sacred and secular texts. Examples from ancient Africa countered racist stereotypes that characterized African societies as without government or culture. These texts formed part of the early canon of African American Studies. EK 1.4.B.3 In the mid-twentieth century, research demonstrating the complexity and contributions of Africa’s ancient societies underpinned Africans’ political claims for self-rule and independence from European colonialism. AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 44 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 Sources Image of Aksumite Coin Showing King Ezana, Circa 340–400 © The Trustees of the British Museum Image of Nok Sculpture, Circa 900 BCE – 200 CE Werner Forman/Universal Images Group/Getty Images AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 45 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora Source Notes § Nubia emerged in present-day Egypt and Sudan. Meroë developed its own system of writing. § Archaeological research in the 1940s helped to uncover the Nok society’s history. The similarity of Nok sculptures to the terracotta works of the Ife Yoruba and Benin cultures suggests that the Nok society may be their early ancestor. Optional Source § Image of, Ethiopian Orthodox Processional Cross, Fourteenth to Fifteenth Century (Smithsonian Institution) AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 46 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 TOPIC 1.5 SUGGESTED SKILLS Argumentation The Sudanic Empires: 3A Formulate a defensible claim. Ghana, Mali, and 3C Strategically select Songhai sources—evaluating the credibility of the evidence they present—to effectively support a claim. CLASS PERIODS Required Course Content 2 SOURCES § Map of Africa’s Kingdoms and Empires § Catalan Atlas by Abraham Cresques, 1375 § Image of Mali Equestrian Figure, Thirteenth to Fifteenth Century LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.5.A EK 1.5.A.1 Explain how the influence The Sudanic empires, also known as the of gold and trade shaped Sahelian empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, the political, economic, and emerged and flourished from the seventh to religious development of the the sixteenth century. Each reached their ancient West African empires height at a different time and expanded from of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. the decline of the previous empire: Ghana flourished in the seventh to thirteenth centuries; Mali flourished in the thirteenth to seventeenth centuries; and Songhai flourished in the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries. EK 1.5.A.2 Ancient Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were renowned for their gold mines and strategic location at the nexus of multiple trade routes, connecting trade from the Sahara (toward Europe) to sub-Saharan Africa. EK 1.5.A.3 Trans-Saharan commerce brought North African traders, scholars, and administrators who introduced Islam to the region and facilitated its spread throughout West Africa. EK 1.5.A.4 Songhai was the last and the largest of the Sudanic empires. Following Portuguese exploration along the western coast of Africa, trade routes shifted from trans-Saharan to Atlantic trade, diminishing Songhai’s wealth. continued on next page AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 47 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.5.B EK 1.5.B.1 Explain how Mali’s wealth and In the fourteenth century, the Mali Empire was power created opportunities ruled by the wealthy and influential Mansa for the empire to expand Musa, who established the empire as a center its reach to other societies for trade, learning, and cultural exchange. within Africa and across the EK 1.5.B.2 Mediterranean. Mali’s wealth and access to trans- Saharan trade routes enabled its leaders to crossbreed powerful North African horses and purchase steel weapons, which contributed to the empire’s ability to extend power over neighboring groups. EK 1.5.B.3 Mali’s wealth and Mansa Musa’s hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) in 1324 attracted the interest of merchants and cartographers across the eastern Mediterranean to southern Europe, prompting plans to trade manufactured goods for gold. LO 1.5.C EK 1.5.C.1 Explain the connection The Sudanic empires in West Africa stretched between the Sudanic empires from Senegambia to present-day Côte and early generations of d’Ivoire and included regions of Nigeria. The African Americans. majority of enslaved Africans transported directly to North America descended from societies in two regions: West Africa and West Central Africa. AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 48 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 Sources Map of Africa’s Kingdoms and Empires AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 49 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora Catalan Atlas by Abraham Cresques, 1375 Library of Congress AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 50 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 Image of Mali Equestrian Figure, Thirteenth to Fifteenth Century Smithsonian National Museum of African Art AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 51 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora Source Notes § Ancient Ghana was located in present-day Mauritania and Mali, not in the territory of the present-day Republic of Ghana, which embraced the name of the ancient empire when it achieved independence from colonial rule in 1957. § The Mali Empire encompassed portions of present-day Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal. § The title “Mansa” refers to a ruler or king among Mande speakers. § The Catalan Atlas details the wealth and influence of the ruler Mansa Musa and the Mali Empire based on the perspective of a cartographer from Spain. Mansa Musa is adorned with a gold crown and orb. The Catalan Atlas conveys the influence of Islam on West African societies and the function of Mali as a center for trade and cultural exchange. Optional Source § Image, Mali Archer Figure, Thirteenth to Fifteenth Century (Smithsonian Institution) AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 52 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 TOPIC 1.6 SUGGESTED SKILLS Applying Learning Traditions Disciplinary Knowledge 1A Identify and explain course concepts, developments, and processes. CLASS PERIODS 1 Required Course Content SOURCES § “The Sunjata Story – Glimpse of a Mande Epic,” a Griot Performance of the Epic of Sundiata (video, 20:00) § Image of Griot Basimana with Guitar, Mali LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.6.A EK 1.6.A.1 Describe the institutional and West African empires housed centers of community-based models learning in their trading cities. In Mali, a book of education present in early trade, university, and learning community West African societies. flourished in Timbuktu, which drew astronomers, mathematicians, architects, and jurists to the city. EK 1.6.A.2 Griots were prestigious historians, storytellers, and musicians who maintained and shared a community’s history, traditions, and cultural practices. EK 1.6.A.3 Gender played an important role in the griot tradition. Griots included African women and men who preserved knowledge of a community’s births, deaths, and marriages in their stories. AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 53 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora Source Image of Griot Basimana with Guitar, Mali Griot Basimana with guitar Mali Photograph by Marli Shamir, 1970 EEPA 2013-009-1339 Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives National Museum of African Art Smithsonian Institution Source Note § Mande griots have passed down oral traditions such as the Epic of Sundiata (the “lion prince”) for centuries, and it is still celebrated today in the nation of Mali. The epic recounts the early life of Sundiata Keita (an ancestor of Mansa Musa), founder of the Mali Empire, and preserves the early history of the Mande people. AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 54 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 TOPIC 1.7 SUGGESTED SKILLS Applying Indigenous Cosmologies Disciplinary Knowledge 1B and Religious Syncretism Identify and explain the context of a specific event, development, or process. Source Analysis 2B Describe a source’s perspective, purpose, context, and audience. Required Course Content CLASS PERIODS SOURCES 1 § “Osain del Monte” – by Grupo Abbilona (video, 4 minutes, 36:00–40:00) § Yoruba Oshe Shango Ceremonial Wand, Mid-Twentieth Century § Oya’s Betrayal by Harmonia Rosales, 2020 LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.7.A EK 1.7.A.1 Explain how syncretic The adoption of Islam (e.g., in Mali and practices in early West and Songhai) or of Christianity (e.g., in Kongo) West Central African societies by leaders of some African societies often developed and were carried resulted in their subjects blending aspects forward in African-descended of these introduced faiths with Indigenous communities in the Americas. spiritual beliefs and cosmologies. EK 1.7.A.2 Africans who blended local spiritual practices with Christianity and Islam brought their syncretic religious and cultural practices from Africa to the Americas. About one-quarter of the enslaved Africans who arrived in North America came from Christian societies in Africa, and about one-quarter came from Muslim societies in Africa. EK 1.7.A.3 Spiritual practices that can be traced to West and West Central Africa, such as veneration of the ancestors, divination, healing practices, and collective singing and dancing, have survived in African diasporic religions*, such as Louisiana Voodoo. Africans and their descendants who were later enslaved in the Americas often performed spiritual ceremonies of these syncretic faiths to strengthen themselves before leading revolts. AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 55 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora Sources Yoruba Oshe Shango Ceremonial Wand, Mid-Twentieth Century Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Albert E. Henn Mid-Twentieth Century Oya’s Betrayal by Harmonia Rosales, 2020 Oya’s Betrayal, Harmonia Rosales, 2020 24”x 36” [Courtesy of Harmonia Rosales] AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 56 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 Source Notes § The oshe Shango, a ceremonial wand among the Yoruba in Nigeria, is a core element of dances honoring the orisha (deity) Shango. Shango is the orisha of thunder, fire, and lightning, and a deified ancestor—a monarch of the Oyo kingdom. Oshe Shango wands include three features: a handle, two stone axes (characteristic of Shango’s lightning bolts), and a female figure, typically carrying the axes on her head. § Osain del Monte is an Afro-Cuban performance group whose performances illustrate the syncretism of Afro-Cuban religions. § The painting Oya’s Betrayal depicts African spiritual practices through a visual syncretism that combines Yoruba oral traditions with Renaissance style. It features a war among the orishas Oya, Ogun, and Shango. *Further Explorations § Teachers interested in focusing further study on an aspect of this topic could also consider Vodun, in Haiti; Regla de OchaIfa (once known as Santería), in Cuba; or Candomblé, in Brazil. Optional Sources § Image, Candomblé in Bahía (Brazil) Ritual Dance, 1962 (Library of Congress) § Image, Candomblé in Bahia (Brazil) Omolú Daughter, 1962 (Library of Congress) § Image of, Statue of Black Madonna of Regla, Cuba (Smithsonian Institution) AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 57 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora SUGGESTED SKILLS Argumentation TOPIC 1.8 3A Formulate a defensible claim. Culture and Trade in 3C Strategically select sources—evaluating the Southern and East Africa credibility of the evidence they present—to effectively support a claim. CLASS PERIODS 2 Required Course Content SOURCES § Photographs of Great Zimbabwe’s Walls and Stone Enclosures, Twelfth to Fifteenth Century § Map Showing Indian Ocean Trade Routes from the Swahili Coast LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.8.A EK 1.8.A.1 Describe the function The Kingdom of Zimbabwe and its capital city, and importance of Great Great Zimbabwe, flourished in Southern Africa Zimbabwe’s stone architecture. from the twelfth to the fifteenth century. The kingdom was linked to trade on the Swahili Coast, and its inhabitants, the Shona people, became wealthy from its gold, ivory, and cattle resources. EK 1.8.A.2 Great Zimbabwe is best known for its large stone architecture, which offered military defense and served as a hub for long- distance trade. The Great Enclosure was a site for religious and administrative activities, and the conical tower likely served as a granary. EK 1.8.A.3 The stone ruins remain an important symbol of the prominence, autonomy, and agricultural advancements of the Shona kings and early African societies such as the kingdom of Zimbabwe. continued on next page AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 58 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.8.B EK 1.8.B.1 Explain how geographic, The Swahili Coast (named from sawahil, cultural, and political factors the Arabic word for coasts) stretches from contributed to the rise and Somalia to Mozambique. The coastal location fall of the city-states on the of its city-states linked Africa’s interior to Swahili Coast. Arab, Persian, Indian, and Chinese trading communities. EK 1.8.B.2 Between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries, the Swahili Coast city-states were united by their shared language (Swahili, a Bantu lingua franca) and shared religion (Islam). EK 1.8.B.3 The strength of the Swahili Coast trading states garnered the attention of the Portuguese, who invaded major city-states and established settlements in the sixteenth century to control Indian Ocean trade. Sources Photographs of Great Zimbabwe’s Walls and Stone Enclosures, Twelfth to Fifteenth Century Richard I’Anson/Getty AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 59 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora Robin Smith/Getty DeAgostini/Getty Images AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 60 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 Map Showing Indian Ocean Trade Routes from the Swahili Coast Optional Sources § Image of String of Cowrie Shells, an object of trade and currency throughout Africa (National Museum of African American History & Culture). § Image of Nineteenth-Century Door created by a Swahili artist in Tanzania, illustrating the blend of aesthetic influences from Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and South Asia (National Museum of African Art). AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 61 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora SUGGESTED SKILLS Applying TOPIC 1.9 West Central Africa: Disciplinary Knowledge 1C Identify and explain patterns, connections, or other relationships The Kingdom of Kongo (causation, changes, continuities, comparison). Source Analysis 2B Describe a source’s perspective, purpose, Required Course Content context, and audience. CLASS PERIODS SOURCES 2 § Excerpt of Letter from Nzinga Mbemba to Portuguese King João III, 1526 § Image of Triple Crucifix, Sixteenth to Nineteenth Century LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.9.A EK 1.9.A.1 Explain how the adoption of In 1491, King Nzinga a Nkuwu (João I) and Christianity affected economic his son Nzinga Mbemba (Afonso I) voluntarily and religious aspects of the converted the powerful West Central African Kingdom of Kongo. Kingdom of Kongo to Roman Catholicism. EK 1.9.A.2 The Kingdom of Kongo’s conversion to Christianity strengthened its trade relationship with Portugal, leading to Kongo’s increased wealth. Ivory, salt, copper, and textiles were the primary goods of trade. EK 1.9.A.3 The nobility’s voluntary conversion allowed Christianity to gain mass acceptance, as the presence of the Church was not tied to foreign colonial occupation. A distinct form of African Catholicism emerged that incorporated elements of Christianity and local aesthetic and cultural traditions. continued on next page AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 62 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.9.B EK 1.9.B.1 Explain how the Kingdom of As a result of the Kingdom of Kongo’s Kongo’s political relations conversion to Christianity and subsequent with Portugal affected the political ties with Portugal, the King of kingdom’s participation in the Portugal demanded access to the trade of transatlantic slave trade. enslaved people in exchange for military assistance. EK 1.9.B.2 Kongo nobles participated in the transatlantic slave trade, but they were unable to limit the number of captives sold to European powers. EK 1.9.B.3 Kongo, along with the greater region of West Central Africa, became the largest source of enslaved people in the history of the transatlantic slave trade to the Americas. LO 1.9.C EK 1.9.C.1 Explain how the Kingdom About a quarter of enslaved Africans directly of Kongo’s Christian culture transported to what became the United influenced early generations of States hailed from West Central Africa. Many African Americans. West Central Africans were Christians before they arrived in the Americas. EK 1.9.C.2 In Kongo, the practice of naming children after saints or according to the day of the week on which they were born (“day names”) was common before the rise of the transatlantic slave trade. As a result, Christian names among early African Americans (in Iberian and English versions, such as Juan, João, and John) also have African origins and exemplify ways that ideas and practices around kinship and lineage endured across the Atlantic. AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 63 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora Source Image of Triple Crucifix, Sixteenth to Nineteenth Century Gift of Ernst Anspach, 1999. The Metropolitan Museum of Art AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 64 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 TOPIC 1.10 SUGGESTED SKILLS Applying Kinship and Political Disciplinary Knowledge 1D Leadership Explain how course concepts, developments, and processes relate to the discipline of African American Studies. Source Analysis 2B Describe a source’s Required Course Content perspective, purpose, context, and audience. SOURCES CLASS PERIODS § Illustration of Queen Njinga, Seventeenth Century 2 § Image of Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba, Sixteenth Century LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.10.A EK 1.10.A.1 Describe the function of Many early West and Central African societies kinship along with the varied were composed of family groups held roles women played in early together by extended kinship ties, and kinship West and Central African often formed the basis for political alliances. societies. EK 1.10.A.2 Women played many roles in West and Central African societies, including as spiritual leaders, political advisors, market traders, educators, and agriculturalists. LO 1.10.B EK 1.10.B.1 Compare the political and In the late fifteenth century, Queen Idia military leadership of Queen became the first iyoba (queen mother) in the Idia of Benin and Queen Njinga Kingdom of Benin (present-day Nigeria). She of Ndongo-Matamba. served as a political advisor to her son, the king. EK 1.10.B.2 In the early seventeenth century, when people from the kingdom of Ndongo became the first large group of enslaved Africans to arrive in the American colonies, Queen Njinga became queen of the kingdoms of Ndongo and Matamba (present-day Angola). continued on next page AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 65 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora LEARNING OBJECTIVES ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE LO 1.10.B EK 1.10.B.3 Compare the political and Both Queen Idia and Queen Njinga led armies military leadership of Queen into battle. Queen Idia relied on spiritual Idia of Benin and Queen Njinga power and medicinal knowledge to bring of Ndongo-Matamba. victories to Benin. EK 1.10.B.4 Queen Njinga engaged in 30 years of guerilla warfare against the Portuguese to maintain sovereignty and control of her kingdom. She participated in the slave trade to amass wealth and political influence, and expanded Matamba’s military by offering sanctuary for those who escaped Portuguese enslavement and joined her forces. LO 1.10.C EK 1.10.C.1 Describe the legacy of Queen Queen Idia became an iconic symbol of Black Idia of Benin’s and Queen women’s leadership throughout the African Njinga of Ndongo-Matamba’s diaspora in 1977, when an ivory mask of her leadership. face was adopted as the symbol for FESTAC (Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture). EK 1.10.C.2 Queen Njinga’s reign solidified her legacy as a skilled political and military leader throughout the African diaspora. The strength of her example led to nearly 100 more years of women rulers in Matamba. AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 66 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 Sources Illustration of Queen Njinga, Seventeenth Century Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 67 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT 1 Origins of the African Diaspora Image of Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba, Sixteenth Century The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1972. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 68 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board  UNIT Origins of the African Diaspora 1 Source Note § The sixteenth-century ivory mask of Queen Idia was designed as a pendant to be worn to inspire Benin’s warriors. It includes features that express the significance of Queen Idia’s leadership. Faces adorn the top of Queen Idia’s head, representing her skill in diplomacy and trade with the Portuguese. Her forehead features scarifications made from iron, which identify her as a warrior. The beads above her face depict Afro-textured hair, valorizing the beauty of her natural features. Optional Sources § Image of Head of a Queen Mother (Iyoba), Eighteenth Century (Metropolitan Museum of Art) § Image of Plaque: Equestrian Oba and Attendants, Sixteenth to Seventeenth Century (Metropolitan Museum of Art) AP African American Studies Course and Exam Description Course Framework V.1 | 69 Return to Table of Contents © 2024 College Board