The arrival of European traders in West Africa
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the impact of the Europeans arriving in West Africa on West African kingdoms.
Key learning points
- Gold and the wealth of West African kingdoms brought the Europeans to West Africa.
- Power in West Africa became concentrated in smaller kingdoms who were able to trade with Europeans.
- The growth of Portuguese trade in the Sahel led to collapse of some African kingdoms, but also to the growth of others.
- Europeans soon started selling enslaved people in the Americas to make more profit.
Keywords
Enslaved people - enslaved people are people who have been forced to work without pay, lose their freedom and become the property of another person
Indentured labour - indentured labour is a system where someone is made to work without pay for a set period of time
Chattel slavery - chattel slavery is when people become legal property and cannot be freed without the permission of their slaveholder
Slaveholder - a slaveholder is someone who owned enslaved people
Common misconception
No one challenged the Portuguese when they began buying enslaved people to take to the Americas.
Many rulers and local people in West Africa were opposed to the trading of enslaved people from the very beginning.
Teacher tip
When teaching students about the new trade that emerged, use this section of the lesson to emphasise the differences between the system of indentured labour and chattel slavery to make clear that this was a new form of slavery.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following kingdoms was ruled by Mansa Musa in the 1300s?
Q2.What were most merchants travelling to West Africa to find from the 1300s?
Q3.Which of of the following were kingdoms in West Africa in the 14th and 15th centuries?
Q4.Which of the following are the best locations for trade?
Q5.Which of the following explains why a kingdom might lose its power?
Q6.Which religion had spread across West Africa by 1400?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In the early 1500s, the Portuguese took enslaved people from West Africa to be sold into chattel slavery in...
Q2.Match the words with the correct definitions.
Q3.What is the name of the type of slavery where enslaved people are made the legal property of their slave holder?
Q4.Which of the following are examples of smaller West African kingdoms that would be found along the coast?
Q5.What was the name of the West African kingdom that continued to thrive in the 1600s?
Q6.Which of the following statements best describes the impact of the arrival of Portuguese merchants on the West African coast?
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: The arrival of European traders in West Africa, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: The arrival of European traders in West Africa, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the Transatlantic Slavery: how were West African societies impacted? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.