Africa was Successful befor Europeans came
...ccumulated much wealth from their trade. Kilwa contained a royal palace, constructed of coral and stone, overlooking the city that served as a symbol of their achievement of wealth and power in the trading routes. The powerful kingdom of Ghana had many achievements. Between the years of 700 and 1067, it rose to power and sustained its control over the trans-Saharan gold and salt network. (Document 2) It accumulated so much wealth it was considered by many as the "land of gold". Its rich achievement was shown in the gold, which stood for power and wealth. The king met in the court of appeal, a domed pavilion. 10 horses with gold ornamental decorations waited outside. Ten pages with swords and shields adorned with gold stood behind him. To the right subordinate kings dressed in royal outfits and gold in their hair stood. Even the dogs were dressed with gold. Their collars contained gold and silver decorations. The reason behind the success of Ghana was due to the trade, which it controlled. The Arab traders desired gold and the Wangara wanted salt, found in Document 3. In order to carry out this trade the land controlled by Ghana must be passed through. Ghana controlled the land and its strong military forces helped to ensure the safety for trading to occur. Therefore, they traded with the help of Ghana and the king collected tolls on all goods that entered and left Ghana. This contributed to Ghana's success and achievement of wealth. Achievements of a complex empire also progressed. Their wealth was based on trade, they had enough food to ensure their people didn't starve, taxes helped to support the economy, a strong army with modern weapons, and a foreign policy that led to peace and cooperation with other nations. These achievements and its wealth contributed to Ghana's success. Found in Document 4 the Mali Empire also achieved many things. The ruler, Mansa Musa, conquered enough land to spread the empire to twice the size of its predecessor Ghana. Through his religion of Islam, he forged new trading and diplomatic ties with Muslim states, including Morocco and Egypt. In order to complete the Five Pillars of Islam he made his hajj. During this journey to Mecca, he showed Mali's success and wealth. He gave away gold. This achieved the spread of Mali's wealth that incited European interest in African gold. This achievement opened new trading routes. When he returned artists and scholars followed him. This caused the reaching of education and art in Africa. Also, during his 25-year reign, he ensured peace and kept order, based on the Quran's teachings. He achieved the opinion of how superior his empire was. In Document 6, it states how unjust practices were barely ever practiced. The sultan did not allow it and people who practiced injustices were severely punished. This led to the safety in the empire. Peop...