Who:

What: East African maritime empire that was a merchant's civilization characterized by Muslim city-states ruled by kings/oligarchies. Valued wealth over military power and had larger cities than any of those found on the W. African coast at the time.

Where: Eastern Africa

When: high point of swahili civilization was 1000-1500

Why Important: Portuguese were suprised to see how large their cities were compared to other parts of Africa. Their merchants used ships to trade with neighbors across the Indian Ocean and this is the main difference between them and West African empires of the time. They are an example of how communication and trade with others can spur economic prosperity and expansion.

Who: British abolitionist who described conditions on slave ships to parliament and the British public in his book An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa

What:

Where: West African slave ship on a voyage to the west indies

When: book was published in 1788

Why Important: He sparked interest in the abolitionist movement among the British public by describing the terrible conditions Africans faced as victims of the slave trade in his book. He had been on 4 seperate voyages to the West Indies aboard slave ships so there was little doubt among the public as to his claims.

Who: Light-skinned freed slaves

What:

Where: Haiti

When: 18-19th century

Why Important: The Affranchis were light-skinned slave owners in Haiti who often had been slaves at one point in their lives. They reinforced the racial hierarchy of the TAST by owning black Africans as slaves and were positioned between slaves and Europeans in status. When Haitian slaves revolted and formed their own government, the Affranchis were seen as no different than their European counterparts and therefore existed in a sort of limbo between European and African slave cultures.

Who: African communities profiting from the slave trade

What: The tendency to favor guns and military wares in exchange for captured slaves

Where: West Africa

When: 1600-1810

Why Important: created a new balance of power among W. African tribes that favored any groups who were involved in the slave trade. This allowed them to capture more slaves through more violent means and would fuel further violence throughout W. Africa

Who: prime minister of trinidad and tobago as well as historian

What: Thesis proposed in The Economic Aspects of the Abolition of the Slave Trade and West Indian Slavery

Where: West African, American and European economies 

When: proposed in 1944, thesis concerns the period from the start of the TAST through the industrial revolution

Why Important: Williams claimed that profits from the slave trade and the use of slaves in the plantation system created the capital that paid for the industrial revolution. He also claimed that factory-owners lead the effort to abolish slavery because they had an ideological and practical commitment to free labor.

Who: Walter Rodney, Guyanese historian

What: Plublished his Thesis in 1972 in his book How Europe Underdeveloped Africa

Where: Thesis focused on the West African coast that was the main area involved in the TAST however it also addresses the African continent as a whole

When: 17-19th centuries and reflected in modern economies of the 20th century

Why important: Rodney argues that a combination of power politics and economic exploitation of Africa by Europeans led to the poor state of African political and economic development evident in the late 20th Century.

Who: African slaves who lived in regions of S. Carolina and Georgia

What: African American group that preserved their African heritage more than any other region

Where: regions of S. Carolina and Georgia, Gullah population possibly came from area near Sierra Leone and Liberia

When: mid-1700s through 21st century

Why important: The Gullah did more to maintain their African heritage than any other group. They have their own creole language that is a mixture of English and African and continue to practice many of their customs and traditions that originated in West Africa.

Who: African societies that survived as hunter-gathers

What: 50-150 member tribes who would frequently travel to wherever food was available

Where: regions of Southern and north east africa

When: pre-history until the development of Agriculture (~50,000bc-10,000bc)

Why important: Foraging was the primary means of survival for early humans throughout Africa. It allowed them to survive in an unforgiving environment and was influential in major developments such as language, tools and social organization/hierarchy. African Foragers were able to survive in areas where agriculture would have been impossible such as the mountainous areas in southern africa.

Who: nomadic group of africans focused on cattle

What: small decentralized groups ruled by a chief (not large city-states)

Where: southwest africa

When: ~5th-17th century AD

Why important: The Khoekhoe were nomadic people that survived in southern africa by following a regular cycle of travel to find the best grazing pastures for their cattle. They were one of the last groups of hunter-gathers/nomadic peoples in Africa. 

Who: a combination of muslim, christian, and indiginous africans

What: North East African trade empire

Where: Western coast of the red sea from southern egypt through Ethiopia

When: ~100AD - 7th century

Why important: Aksum was a major economic power during its existence and profitted from trade with Rome, India, Egypt, and Persia. It's decline probably came as a result of their conversion to Christianity and eventual isolation from their Muslim neighbors.

Who: Christian state of Makuria and Muslim rulers of Egypt

What: Treaty between these two states that allowed trade between them

Where: n. sudan and egypt

When: signed 651AD and lasted for another 700 years

Why important: The agreement allowed trade to continue between these states while also implementing a set of laws that encouraged stable relations among them. Escaped slaves and fugitives would be returned and immigration between the two states was forbidden. The treaty also reflects the weakness of Makuria compared to muslim egypt since they were required to maintain a mosque for their muslim neighbors to use in their state.

Who: W. African Empire

What:

Where: modern mali & mauritania (north west africa)

When: 5-13th century

Why important: Ghana profitted greatly from trans-saharan trade routes since it was positioned along major gold and salt trade routes between W. Africa and the mediterranean(Ghana taxed imports and exports for anything that travelled along this route). Ghana wasn't a muslim empire however it traded primarily with Muslim states.

Who: castrated slaves

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Who:

What: image used by abolitionists to explain the conditions on African slave ships

Where: Britain

When: 1786

Why important: Further increased support for abolition among the public by providing a grim picture of the cramped slave ships that all slaves lived on for months during their transit.[image]

Who: British colonists

What: small 7x10 mile island in the Caribean claimed by the Brits

Where: West Indies

When: 17-18th centuries

Why important: Montserrat was transformed from 1672-1727 when it's slave population increased 11 times over. before this, the avg slave owner had 3 slaves. It is an example of how plantation economies could completely transform the demographics of a region through an import of slaves and plantation owners seeking profits from sugar, rum, and cotton.

Who:

What: line that signified the point at which slavery was legal

Where: From mozambique through Indian ocean into current pakistan

When: 1822

Why important: a compromise between Brits and anti-abolitionists that allowed people east of the line to continue having slaves. It was eventually nullified in 1872 when slavery was abolished throughout eastern africa.