Background: Many people assume that Africa’s history did not begin until Europeans came to Africa for trade and slaves or that Africa was and continues to be made up of huts and small villages. West Africa was the center, however, of several different societies including the Ghana, Mali and Songhai Empires. These societies were located near the Niger and Senegal River.
Directions: Using the primary sources below, you will write a 2-3 page thesis & answer to ONE of the following Document Based Questions (DBQ). You must use a minimum of 4 sources and provide background information about each source as you write your response to the question.
Document-Based Question A
“Before the arrival of Europeans, Africans did not have advanced civilizations.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?
Document-Based Question B
The Ghana, Mali and Songhai Empires developed in and around the Niger River and savanna. Explain how the location of these empires influenced two of the following: social classes, religion, trade, art and monumental buildings or the political structure.
DIRECTIONS FOR EACH DOCUMENT
1. Read the background information. Think about the informtion you already know as well.
2. Read the document and annotate as you go. Especially making connections to information you already know.
3. Get the document, make a copy, fill out the SOAPS info, and answer the questions.
S
Speaker: Who is the author or creator of this source?
O
Occasion: What is the time and place the source comes from?
A
Audience: Who is the document being written for or who is the source being created for? It may be one person, a small group, or a large group.
Sentence Starter: The audience of the source is…..because….
P
Purpose: Why would the speaker create or write this source? What did they hope to accomplish with this source? What evidence from the source suggests that that is there purpose?
Sentence Starter: The purpose of this source was….
S
Subject: What is the main idea of the source? What was this source about?
Sentence Starter: The source is about…