The Conquest of Africa

European on the Coast

Answers to worksheet questions

Q1: Which European country was the first to explore the continent of Africa? When did they

arrive?

Portugal

1400s

Q2: Why do you think Europeans’ first contact with Africans took place in North Africa?

Possible answers:

Europe was geographically close to North Africa.

Europe was 8 miles across the water to Morocco

Q3: What two reasons are given for Europeans beginning to explore the coast of West Africa?

1. Europeans wanted to trade directly for W African gold (avoiding N. African Arab merchants)

2. Europeans wanted to trade with Asia – Searching for a route to Asia.

Q4: At first Europeans and Africans traded as equals. What upset this balance?

The Portuguese began to seize riches of city-states in Africa

Q5: List two differences between “slavery in Africa” and the type of slavery practiced by Europeans in

North and South America.

African Slavery: 1. could win freedom in a few years. 2. could become important citizens. 3. could be bought out of slavery.

Americas: 1. Slaves were property. 2. Freedom was rare if not impossible.

Q6: Which ethnic group did the Spanish, Portuguese, and Dutch settlers first use as

slaves in the Americas? List two reasons why they replaced them with Africans.

Native Americans

They became sick and died from disease or working conditions.

They ran away – (Africans were unfamiliar with the territory, Indians were familiar).

Q7: What did Europeans trade for slaves that had been captured during battle?

Cheap guns

Q8: What percentage of slaves died during the Middle Passage?

How did slave traders make up for the loss?

20% died

Traders packed them tightly in ships