Anthony Skillen Lia Spicer

Shaquita Tanner

Section 3

West Africans of the 1400's

Innovations West African society in the sixteenth century varies from ours today. First and foremost, Most Africans lived in societies that didn't have a government. The only government they had had been from extended families and/or clans. Now our whole society was run by the government. In addition to that, Africans were allowed to have more than two wives and to a certain existent their wives were their property. The men dominated the women. Today in the United States it is illegal for men to have more than one wife but in Africa it’s still legal. Even so, Islamic and indigenous were West Africa religious traditions. The two groups were monotheistic, polytheistic, animistic, or two of the three. We still have people who are like that today across the world but Christianity is the largest religion worldwide. In summary, even though society was run differently in the sixteenth century then it is today the society still have some similarities of how they are ran.

Government

As you have seen different governments in the Europeans and the Native Americans, the Africans had a very different way of government. The main reason was the fact that religion was a main part of it. The main part was that the king of the kingdom even claimed that the first person that set foot on earth was created from the God in the sky. You can think of the Government more like a theocracy. With the government being religious that meant that of coarse that the society is religious. All Africans believed in a God and they always lived like that. Today, the government has no theocracy.

Society

Although the West Africans were one of the first societies, they may have been one of the smartest. For example, they made innovations to evolve and expand. Such as the tooth brush, not many people know that it was the West Africans who invented the first one. And, by the 1400’s they started to explore and expand, they found that there was a land connection to their continent. By exploring they expanded with the land that they found , and by doing this they gained skills to help them survive. As they explored they came into contact with other people and tribes, such as some of the Indian tribes. When they found the Indians they traded goods with them, yet another way that they made innovations.

Why does it matter now African goverment is no longer a theocracy and it is interesting to learn. All of the innovations that the Africans made are innovations that we use today. And it is interesting to learn on how the Africans governed themselves and to see how they survived. Key Terms Extended Families: Families that had more then thier direct relatives living with them. Such as aunts and uncles and cousins all living under one roof. Islamic: the religious faith of Muslims, based on the words of the prophet Muhammad. Indigenous: originating from one area, or having a certain characteristic. ( innate, native, etc. ) Monotheistic: the belief that there is only one god. Polytheistic: the belief that there is more than one or many gods.

Animistic: the belief that natural objects posses souls and or spirits. Innovations: to introduce something as new, or make something new or different. Main Idea The West Africans has rights to do certain things in their country that we cant do here, they believed that god made the first people that walked the earth, and they were very creative and artistic. Questions 1. Compare and contrast the difference from a democracy and a theocracy. 2. Analize on how West African innovations helped society.