HISTORY

JS 3
2024/2025 Session
Note: Students are expected to have written the first three topics before resumption

FIRST TERM

Scheme of work

(1) Trans Saharan trade

(2) Early European explorers

(3) European traders and merchants

(4) Trans-Atlantic slave trade

(5) Legitimate trade

TRANS SAHARAN TRADE

Sahara means a desert in North Africa, the largest hot desert in the world.

Trans Saharan trade is a long-distance trade system that involves traveling across the
Sahara Desert to reach sub-Saharan Africa from the north Africa coast and Europe.it
started in 4th century until early 17th century.

It can also be defined as the trade conducted across the Sahara Desert or commercial
interactions between the Arab world (North Africa and the Persian Gulf) and Sub-
Saharan Africa. Trans- Saharan trade requires traveling across the Sahara between
Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. Gold has been sought after for centuries. Europe
was in need of gold to produce coins and other products.

Berbers were routinely traveling across the Sahara to trade salt and other goods to
the Africa states in Sudan, Mali, Ghana and elsewhere in Western Africa. In exchange,
they received gold, which the sub -Saharan African states had in abundance and the
berbers would travel back across the Sahara to trade the gold back to Mediterranean
and North Africa traders. The trade depended heavily on both camels and oases.
Camels were used as a means of transportation because of their adaptation to harsh
weather and ability to carry very or bulky goods. Culture and religion were also
exchanged on the trans Saharan routes.

COMMODITIES TRADED BY WEST AFRICANS IN TRANS SAHARAN TRADE

(1) Gold

(2) Slaves
(3) Ivory

(4) Clothes

(5) Copper (from southern Morocco)

(6) Animal hides

(7) Civet musk

(8) Spices

(9) Ambergris

(10) Kolanuts (Mali and Songhai)

(11) Shea butter

(12) Lamp lighting

(13) Soap manufacture

(14) Bitter fruits (Sudan)

(15) Cowries

ARABS/EUROPEAN GOODS TRADED WITH THROUGH TRANS SAHARAN TRADE

(1) Silver

(2) Tin

(3) Leads

(4) Perfumes

(5) Bracelets

(6) Books

(7) Stones

(8) Coral beads

(9) Glass jewelry

(10) Drinking implements

(11) Salt

(12) Clothes

(13) Dates

(14) Horses
(15) Iron implements

COMMERCIAL CENTERS IN WEST AFRICAN REGION

(1) Djenne

(2) Takrur

(3) Timbuktu

(4) Gao

Kolanuts were also gotten from Dyula of which Wangara traders carried them from the
forest areas to the Savannah and Sahel in pouches of wet leaves to keep them fresh.
Western Sudan also imported European and Moroccan clothes and clothing especially
from the eleventh century onward. Six towns where goods are transported to Europe
through the Mediterranean Sea were Cairo, Marrakesh, fez, Algiers, Qayrawan and
Tripoli.

TOWNS THAT INVOLVED IN TRANS SAHARAN TRADE

(1) Bornu

(2) Kanem

(3) Fezzan (Sudan)

(4) Marrakesh (Morocco)

(5) Kumbi Saleh (Ghana)

(6) Algiers

(7) Wargla (Salah)

(8) Arawan

(9) Qayrawan (Tunisia)

(10) Vilma

(11) Tripoli

(12) Mauritania

(13) Audaghost

(14) Wadi Dara (Morocco)

(15) Malinke Mori (Guinea)

(16) Dantilia

(17) Futa Djallon

(18) Kedougou

(19) Bindu

(20) Casamance

(21) Worodugu

(22) Cairo

(23) Aujila

(24) Bure (gold)

(25) Bambuk(gold)

(26) Akan forest (gold)

(27) Djenne

(28) Naini

(29) Timbuktu

(30) Tichitt (Walata)

(31) Wadan

(32) Taghaza (salt deposit)

(33) Sijilmasa (Morocco)

(34) upper Gambia

(35) Wargla

In Nigeria, trans Saharan routes linked to Borno, Kano, Zaria, Old Oyo and Benin.
Another road went from Katsina through Kano and Bauchi to Wakari. The most
important commercial center in the north during trans Sahara trade route was Kano.

MEDIUM OF EXCHANGE DURING TRANS SAHARAN TRADE

(1) Silent trade or barter system

(2) Cowries’ shells from the Maldives island

(3) Gold dinars

(4) Standard weights of gold dust

(5) Kolanuts

(6) Glass beads

(7) Salt
FACTORS THAT PROMOTED TRANS SAHARAN IN NIGERIA

(1) Introduction of camels to North Africa: With the use of camels, North Africa traders
could carry heavy loads on the back of the camels to cross the Sahara Desert in order
to reach Nigeria for trading activities

(2) High demands for gold in North Africa and Europe: Many traders from North Africa
and Europe were greatly interested in trade with west Africa countries like Nigeria
because they needed gold which then was used as a medium of exchange in North
Africa and Europe

(3) Acceptance of Islam: Since these sub-saharan states were converting to Islam,
Arab merchants from Middle East and North Africa saw the sub-saharan region safer
and welcoming them and they saw an opportunity to convert more people to Islam

(4) Desire for expansion of sub-Saharan kingdoms and desire for luxurious goods by
local rulers: Kings and rulers in sub–Saharan Africa wanted to increase the dominance
of their various kingdoms and to expand their territories. For them to successfully do
this, they needed to defend their territories and to conquer neighbouring towns and
kingdoms.

It is important to note that Trans Saharan trade was sponsored by kingdoms and
rulers of north Africa countries as well as rich businessmen in those countries. Most of
the money used in the Sub-Saharan trade came from Europeans, Jews and Arabs from
the Middle East. Gold, silver, copper, salt and cloth were currencies used during the
sub-saharan trade era.

ADVANTAGES OF TRANS SAHARAN TRADE

(1) The trade led to the development of towns in West Africa e.g. Gao, Timbuktu, etc.

(2) It led to the spread of Islam and Islamic learning in West Africa

(3) The trade led to the emergence of a class of wealthy people, the merchants who
participated in the trade

(4) The trade promoted inter marriages between North Africa and West Africa

(5) It improved growth in agricultural production

(6) West Africa was known to the outside world

(7) Trade led to the introduction of empires e.g. Mali, Songhai and Ghana

(8) Trade also led to the introduction of Arab architectural designs in West Africa

DISADVANTAGES OF TRANS SAHARAN TRADE

(1) The trade increased warfare in the region as communities gained access to
firearms and horses

(2) Many people in the Western Sudan belt were captured and taken into slavery
(3) The demand for Ivory also led to the destruction of wildlife in Western Sudan

(4) It led to the depopulation of west Africa through slave trade

EARLY EUROPEAN CONTACT WITH NIGERIA

The first contact had with Nigeria and West Africa was in the fifteen centuries when
Prince Henry or Henry the navigator of Portugal got to coastal Nigeria for the following
reasons:

(1) The desire to venture into the unknown as a result of the invention of modern
ships and scientific instruments of navigation like the compass

(2) The Portuguese wanted to expand their trade and spread the religion of
Christianity

It is important to note that Henry the navigator got to Benin in 1473 before going to
Warri and his brother, Fernando po reached the coast of Nigeria in 1472. On getting to
Benin, during the reign of oba Ewuare, the Portuguese explorer paid their import visit
through Afonso D ‘Aveiro to Benin kingdom and started trading by buying pepper and
Ivory in exchange for Portuguese products.

It is important to note that Britain around 18th century developed interest in exploring
Africa continent. Interested people in Britain formed an association called "Africa
Association" in 1788 and this led to the commencement of British exploration. Interest
of Africa Association made them to carry research on popular River Niger which they
have been hearing of it from the Arab traders that it connects to many west Africa
communities. This eventually made them to send three groups of explorers with each
of these groups at different times led the exploration team that helped in tracing River
Niger to the East which was earlier discovered by Major Houghton in 1791

The first set of explorers was led by Mungo Park. He died in 1806 in Bussa (present
day Niger state). Before his death, he began his mission from Gambia on River Niger.
Mungo Park discovered that great commercial opportunities opened to Britain and
African Association from the West to the East of Africa. He was also able to establish
the fact that Niger River flows from the West to the East

The second set was led by Hugh Clapperton (Scottish man) who died in 1927 at
Sokoto. He came to Nigeria through Tripoli (Libya) to observe whether River Niger
linked to Lake Chad. Although Hugh Clapperton was prevented from getting to River
Niger by the Caliph, Muhammed Bello, he was able to explore and provide information
to the British government about Hausa land. He was also able to show that Niger River
could not continue to flow Eastward to Central Africa, but that the river turned
southward at the point and emptied somewhere in the Gulf of Guinea. Badagry area
was called bright of Benin.

The third set was led by lander brothers (John and Richard Lander). They were the first
British who were able to trace River Niger and how it emptied itself into the Atlantic
Ocean with the help of local people.
EUROPEAN TRADERS AND MERCHANTS

After the research accomplished by Lander brothers on River Niger, businessmen in

Britain and Europe in general became interested in setting up trading Post in some
strategic areas along the River Niger. Two notable merchants that made great impact
in Nigeria were:

(1) Taubman Goldie

(2) John Holt

(A) Sir George Taubman Goldie: He enhanced British commercial dominance in the
Niger area and instrumental in the establishment of Nigeria. He established his
company in River Niger called United African Company (UAC) in 1879. He changed its
name (company) to National African Company (NAC) and later Royal Niger Company
(RNC). By 1884, he had signed over 400 treaties with chiefs and traditional rulers of
towns in the lower Niger and Hausa lands and with this, he was able to convince other
countries at the Berlin conference that British presence was already strong in the
Nigeria territory. It is those territories that Goldie handed over to the British
government that later were amalgamated into Nigeria in 1914.

(B) John Holt: He was a British merchant and owner of grocery store. He also became
an exporter of palm oil to Liverpool and formed a partnership called John Holt and
company in 1884. His company first started in Lagos before spreading all over
Southern Nigeria

Early Christian Missionaries

Activities of Christian Missionaries became more prominent in Nigeria around 1842 to

preach the gospel of Christ and the notable ones were:

(1) Mary Slessor

(2) Birch Freeman

(3) Henry Townsend

(4) Ajayi Crowther

(1) Mary Slessor: She was born on 2nd December,1848 and died on 13th
January,1915, a missionary from Presbyterian church in Scotland who carried out her
missionary work in the South- Southern and Southeastern parts of Nigeria. She started
her missionary work among the Efik people of Calabar and Akwa Ibom states,
promoted the rights of women and children in those areas. She also stopped the
practice of killing of twins in South southern and Southeastern parts of Nigeria.

(ii) Thomas Birch Freeman: He was born in Accra, Ghana. A British missionary sent to
Nigeria by the Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1842 based on the request of some
freed Yoruba slaves. On getting to Badagry, Lagos, he travelled to Abeokuta to give
some freed slaves spiritual guidance. He later became founder of Methodist Church in
Nigeria
(iii) Reverend Henry Townsend: He was a British Anglican Missionary to Nigeria and
started his missionary work in Abeokuta. He built the first storey building in Badagry,
Nigeria. He learnt Yoruba language and wrote several hymns. He started the first
printing press in Abeokuta in 1852 and began the publishing of 'iwe irohin' in 1859,
the first newspaper in Nigeria published in Yoruba language.

(iv) Reverend Samuel Ajayi Crowther: He was the first Anglican Bishop in Nigeria. He
was born in Osogun (in what is now Ado-Awaye, Oyo state). Being a freed slave at
Freetown in Sierra Leone in 1825, Samuel was taken to England in 1826 for further
training to assist in translating the Bible to local language (Yoruba) which he did. He
also wrote the Yoruba version of the Anglican book of common prayer. He was also
instrumental in the process of interpreting the Bible to Igbo and Nupe languages.

Trans-Atlantic slave trade

Trans-Atlantic slave trade involves the sales and transporting of captured slaves from
Africa to America and Europe through the Atlantic Ocean. This trade was carried out
by European slave traders who bought slaves mostly from central and west Africa and
shipped them to their respective territories in America to work as labourers on
commercial farms.

It flourished between 16th to 19th centuries, triangular trade in which arms, textiles
and wine were shipped from Europe to Africa, enslaved people from Africa to America.
Africans’ slaves were used on sugar and coffee plantations in Americas to serve the
interest of Europe. It was the Portuguese that started the inhuman activities in 1480s,
already transporting Africans for use as enslaved labourers in Cape Verde and other
areas of the world.

Ways of acquiring slaves

(1) Through kidnapping

(2) Through battle

(3) Through raiding

(4) Through indebtedness

(5) Superstitions and some aspects of tradition

Disadvantages of slave trade

(1) It affected/declined economic system of Africa

(2) The population of Africa declined in size seriously

(3) It promoted social and ethnic division

(4) It encouraged political instability

(5) It weakened African states/ communities

Goods used by European in Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

(1) Sugar

(2) Tobacco

(3) Cotton

(4) Rum

(5) Rice

(6) Indigo (plant used for dye)

(7) Iron bars

(8) Linen

(9) Woolen cloth

(10) Glass beads

(11) Copper bracelets

(12) Firearms

The experience of slaves during their sea vogue is known as the middle passage.
Experiences encountered by the slaves during sea voyage were untold torture, danger
and other pains. They also suffered suffocation, malnutrition and disease infection.

Goods/items produced by slaves in European plantation.

(1) Cotton

(2) Sugar

(3) Tobacco

(4) Molasses

(5) Rum.

Abolition of Trans-Atlantic slave trade

From the middle of 18th century, opposition to slave trade started to emerge from
countries like Britain and America. People and associations within these countries
began to protest against slave trade such that the state of Virginia in 1778 became
the first state in USA to stop the importation of slaves. By 1807, Britain abolished
slave trade through March 25th,1807 abolition of slave trade act

Legitimate trade

Legitimate trade can be defined as a commercial relation between European and

Africans soon after the abolition of slave trade during the 19th century. This trade was
called legitimate i. e, "legit/legal" which means it replaced illegal or illegitimate trade
which was slave trade.

The development of legitimate trade was the final phase of private and official efforts
to find a positive alternative to the traffic in slaves. Earlier aspects of such
constructive interest had included the founding of the colony at Sierra Leone in 1787
as a refuge for liberated slaves, the missionary movement designed to bring
Christianity to the region and programs of exploration sponsored by learned societies
and scientific groups such as the London based African Association

The principal commodities of legitimate trade were palm oil and palm kernel, which
were used in Europe to make soap and as lubricants for machines before petroleum
products were developed for that purpose. Although, this trade grew to significant
proportions, palm oil export alone was done and concentrated near the coast, where
palm tree grew in abundance. However, trade forced major economic and social
changes in the interior.

Initially, most palm oil (and later palm kernel) came from Igbo land, where palm trees
formed a canopy over the densely inhabited areas of the Ngwa, Nri, Akwa and other
Igbo people. Palm oil was used locally for cooking, the kernel was a source for food,
trees were tapped for palm wine. It was a relatively simple adjustment for many Igbo
families to transport the oil to rivers and streams that led to the Niger Delta for sale to
European merchants.

The Niger Delta and Calabar which once had been known for the export of slaves now
became famous for the export of palm oil, so much so that the Delta streams were
given the name the 'oil River'. Because of the hazard of climate and disease for
European and the absence of any authority responsive to their interest on the
mainland, European merchants ordinarily moored their ships outside harbors or in the
Delta and used the ships as trading stations and warehouses. With time, however,
they built depots onshore and eventually moved up the Niger river to stations
established in the interior where they could bargain with local suppliers and purchase
products. In 1849, John Beecroft was accredited as consul for the brights of Benin and
Biafra. He was the British representative to Fernando po, where the British navy's
prevention squadron was stationed.