The 1880 Transformation in Africa and Civil Rights Movement - Assignment Example

Yoruba lies in the Southwestern Nigeria and Benin of Africa. It is said to be populated with one million people. It Ancestry was a myth. State formation began with trading first among themselves then later, with neighboring areas. They are credited for carving mountains into farms which they planted with yams, cocoyams, and bananas. Copper is an important commodity for the Europeans, but its beginnings were doubted from where they came from. They traded these crops and copper with horses and salt.

Later on, Yorubians used these horses to form a cavalry to expand its territories. As they expanded trade with Europeans, slavery began because the rulers began to export slaves by as many as 20,000 per year from 1630 to 1730. Its political communities were developed as villages that later on turned into a kingship led by a leader Oduduwa wherein people believed was sent by the Creator to establish lands and kingdoms. The second state is the Benin Kingdom. Political reforms as well a trade were the greatest contributions of the first king of Benin.

During this period, the Oba Ewuware, the first king introduced the law of succession, the primogeniture, a rule that father should be succeeded by his son whom they called Oba. Oba Ewuware formed a government with checks and balances powers, created and appointed chiefs as what we may call cabinet misters today. He created opportunities for the advancement of the people through grades and authority. However, even there were appeals for freedom of slaves, but people were not given these opportunities.

Trade with Portuguese continued to be a pillar of growth since the Oba has a monopoly of the trade of pepper, ivory, and copper. This period also reflected the spread of artisan craft of items made from brass and the abolition of the slave trade in 1807. Asante is one of the richest states in the African region because of its gold. They used gold to purchase slaves to do the gold mining for them to expand production. The slaves were also instrumental in introducing agriculture to the land as they cleared dense forests, and planted a wide variety of crops brought to Africa by the Europeans.

The clearing of forests gave way for the development of communities. As things developed, the earlier peaceful community was ruled by a politically ambitious group that wanted to control the gold production. This showed the way to warring factions that created wars and havoc to the people.