African history (Essay Sample)

AFRICAN HISTORY by Student’s Name Code + Name of Course Professor Date AFRICAN HISTORY Archaeologists discovered remains belonging to what or who is believed to have been an African woman who existed more than three million years ago. This discovery is supposed to be used to claim that Africa was the beginning of evolution. The continent's early inhabitants were hunters and gatherers and used to chase game and ripening fruit for food. Later they began raising livestock but still moved in search of pastures and water. Due to the climatic changes in the west and north Africa, the ancient Africans were able to start domesticating plants like sorghum and millet, among others. This was during the wet period that passed quickly and became dry again. When it was dry again, the Egyptians settled on the banks and valleys of the river Nile, a settlement that led to the rise of the Egyptian empire. Ancient societies of Africa were spearheaded by Egypt, the most prominent complex in the Mediterranean world between its emergence and conquest by alexander the great. During the same period, other kingdoms such as Kush, Nubia, and Atsum also emerged with iron age societies development in western Africa. However, the population distribution was not constant because of the migrations, like the Bantu migration. The Bantu expansion reshaped the settlement pattern of the continent.[White, Deborah G et al. Freedom On My Mind. 3rd ed., Bedford Books, 2020.] In African societies, slavery was practiced mainly by the Egyptians and the Nubians, the origin being west Africa. Enslaved people mainly were a by-product of war and had no place in the West African kinship-based societies. Since their agriculture was on the rise, enslaved people were kept mainly for this purpose, while the enslaved women were also used for their reproductive benefits. The distribution of slaves started from the rulers or those with the most power who would have larger shares of the slaves than the rest of the population. Sexual slavery is another form of slavery practiced exclusively on females through being concubines. This provided a way out when a woman gave birth to a freeman's child. Another form of slavery was making the captives soldiers. These would be recruited in the permanent military from a young age and become the best fighters since they had nothing to lose. If society had more than enough captives, they would sell the extras to other communities in exchange for items that aided in war, like horses and weapons. Other than war captives, slaves from the same society were there too. These would be people who had committed heinous crimes like sorcery and adultery, pawns and debtor. Their slavery was a bit different since they could get in and out at will. For instance, a debtor could give himself up for slavery until the debt is cleared then he can be a free man again. Those who did not have the liberty of this kind of treatment were those sold to faraway lands like, for example, to the Arab traders who bought enslaved people and gold across the sub-Saharan region. Other ways of gaining freedom were through marriage or special ceremonies to accept a slave into a household. Enslaved people had no place in society, and therefore it was a good thing that slavery could not be inherited. It was just a means of gaining and accumulating wealth, but it was not a permanent rank in society. Rights or privileges granted to slaves varied from one community to another. The rights included marrying and raising families, education, and acquiring wealth.[Ibid] Before the fifteenth century, west Africa and Europe had little if not zero interaction. By then, the European nations were governed by the nobles. The nobility knew nothing about authority therefore not organized, and thus the people were divided. Monarchies rose and replaced the nobility, searching for order, which was a step forward. However, the cost of keeping law and order was too high, and they could not manage it, so they started venturing out to explore other lands for treasures such as gold.. These treasures were to help maintain good governance, like paying the military. The Portuguese were the first to set sail using their incredible inventions of water vessels. At the time of their travels, they discovered the uninhabited islands like Sao tome and Madeira and made a stop there ...