The Gambia and Senegal are the two major parts where the Wolof people are found.

The Wolof people are the largest ethnic group in Senegal, particularly concentrated in its
northwestern region near the Senegal River and the Gambia River.

Its history is closely tied to that of neighboring Senegal, since it was only in the late 19th century
that a distinction was made between Senegal and The Gambia; until that time the region is often
referred to as Senegambia. (brittanica)

The Wolof probably migrated from the Songhai regions (brittanica)

European trading in Senegambia was unsuccessful through the 18th century, and no chartered
company made a profit. Things changed in 1816 when Capt. Alexander Grant was sent to
Senegambia to reestablish a base that would let the British navy control the slave trade.
(Britannica)

Founded soon after 1200, the Wolof state was ruled by a king, or burba, whose duties were both
political and religious. (Britannica)

Between 1150 and 1350 the legendary leader Njajan Njay founded the Jolof kingdom, which in
the 16th century split into the competing Wolof states of Walo, Kajor, Baol, Sine, and Salum.
(Britannica)

an early point of European contact and was contested by England, France, Portugal, and the
Netherlands before ultimately coming under French control in the late 19th century. (Britannica)

Senegal traditionally has been dependent on peanuts (groundnuts) (Britannica)

Almost one-half of Senegals people are Wolof, members of a highly stratified society whose
traditional structure includes a hereditary nobility and a class of musicians and storytellers called
griots. (Britannica)

Spiritual leaders known as marabouts figure prominently in Muslim brotherhoods and are
important in maintaining the social status quo. (Britannica)

Since economic activity depended primarily on the peanut trade, the large French companies that
marketed the crop also controlled the importation of European manufactured goods. (Britannica)

. Gore Island, site of a former slave warehouse (Britannica)

The French built factories along the Senegal River to exploit the gum-producing area and to
trade in slaves. (http://wolofresources.org/wolof.htm

Wolof chiefs also traded slaves thus giving them a source of revenue and power. In 1815, the
slave trade became illegal, although slaves were still being traded late in the 19th Century. This
had important ramifications for the power of the chiefs and the process of Islamization.

From the 17th Century onwards the influence of the marabouts had increased so much, that they
revolted against the court army. The chiefs were weakened by their loss of control over trade and
revenues after the decline of the slave trade and because more and more of the wealth from the
trade in peanuts went to the marabouts.

The Wolof Empire engaged in the slave trade, thousands of Afrodescendants were shipped from
slave ports of Goree Island and the Forts of St. Louis. http://www.afropedea.org/jollof-empire

Wolof was the dominating kingdom out of all that broke apart from the original Ghana empire.

Of the approximately 388,000 Africans who landed in America, almost 92,000 (24 percent) were
Senegambians. http://abolition.nypl.org/essays/us_slave_trade/6/

By the mid-seventeenth century the carrying of slaves to Europe and the

Atlantic islands had declined sharply, and the trans-Atlantic trade had
expanded to the point where it exceeded the volume of the Saharan trade.
The expansion of the Occidental trade brought, as a by-product, the
development of an Africa trade: growth in slave exports led to the creation of
expanded networks of slave supply, and these permitted wealthy Africans to
buy slaves in unprecedented numbers.
http://www.learner.org/courses/amerhistory/pdf/AtlanticSlaveTrade_LOne.pdf

Africa Five-paragraph essay Extended Outline. Your extended outline is a detailed draft of
your essay. This will count as a minor assessment grade, like a quiz.

Due Date: Monday 2/13 by 3pm

1. Introduction
Write a draft of your introduction paragraph for the paper. This is just a draft it will
most likely change in the final version.
Introduce us to the time period and specific
region/country/kingdom/empire you plan to discuss and the historical
question you are trying to answer
Write your thesis this is your own argument (relating to the essay
question, of course!) that you are going to prove using specific
supporting evidence and examples in your essay
The Transatlantic Slave Trade first sent slaves to the New World during the 17th century,
from a region then called Senegambia. The Wolof kingdom was one in the region that has had
slavery as a part of their culture since their earliest known history. Wolof elites sold slaves and
there were violent slave raids to obtain slaves and send them out to countries who wanted them.
The demand for slaves in British, French, Dutch and Portuguese colonies, as well as American
plantations on the transatlantic slave trade increased, and this motivated the Wolof people to raise
the rate at which they obtained slaves for an economic value. From the start to end of the 17th
century, the economy of the Wolof kingdom was greatly dependent on the Transatlantic slave
trade.

2. Body Paragraphs
Outline your supporting paragraphs. For each supporting body paragraph (there
are two), you need a debatable topic sentence, 2-3 pieces of specific and cited
evidence, analysis, and a statement of significance (why is this piece of evidence
or example important and relevant to my thesis?)
Each piece of evidence must be cited with a footnote. Footnotes are source
citations that appear at the bottom of each page of your essay. There are guides on
footnotes and bibliography citations on our class page!
Outline your opposing paragraph. You need 2 pieces of cited evidence supporting
your opposing argument and 1 piece of cited evidence for your rebuttal. You do
not need to write an analysis for your opposing paragraph at this stage.
You do not need a conclusion paragraph for the outline stage.

3. Bibliography you must include a bibliography

Remember: You need at least 5 sources and two of these must be primary sources and one
must be the textbook. This does not mean that you only should have 5 sources as you will likely
have several more. Bibliographies must be written on a separate page at the end of your paper
and the sources must be cited in alphabetical by authors last name.

Primary sources:
1. John Barbot, an agent for the French Royal African Company, made at least two voyages to
the West Coast of Africa, in 1678 and 1682. : 1732 documents
http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/slavetrade.html
2. http://www.learner.org/courses/amerhistory/pdf/AtlanticSlaveTrade_LOne.pdf

(3.) Textbook

4. http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Senegal/110771#255601.toc (Britannica)

5. http://wolofresources.org/wolof.htm

6. http://www.afropedea.org/jollof-empire

Format

Introduction paragraph that includes an underlined debatable thesis (your core argument). Note:
in your final version you will not and should not underline your thesis, but you must for your
outline.
Intro:
The Transatlantic Slave Trade first sent slaves to the New World during the 17th century,
from a region then called Senegambia. The Wolof kingdom was one in the region that has had
slavery as a part of their culture since their earliest known history. Wolof elites sold slaves and
there were violent slave raids to obtain slaves and send them out to countries who wanted them.
The demand for slaves in British, French, Dutch and Portuguese colonies, as well as American
plantations on the transatlantic slave trade increased, and this motivated the Wolof people to raise
the rate at which they obtained slaves for an economic value. From the start to end of the 17th
century, the economy of the Wolof kingdom was greatly dependent on the Transatlantic slave
trade.

Body paragraph 1:
The Wolof elite used the slave trade to gain power and revenue.

European trading in Senegambia was unsuccessful through the 18th century, and no chartered
company made a profit. Things changed in 1816 when Capt. Alexander Grant was sent to
Senegambia to reestablish a base that would let the British navy control the slave trade.
:

Thousands of African descendants were shipped from slave ports of Goree Island and the Forts
of St. Louis.
:

Statement Of Significance:

Body paragraph 2:
There was societal casting, and the Wolof chiefs who were higher up on the social ladder sold
their inferiors to foreign traders for profit. The Wolof chiefs and elite dominated the economic
environment in Senegambia.

Being a slave in the Wolof society meant that one was born into slavery, kidnapped, or purchased
from desperate parents in difficult situations. For example, there might have been a famine that
drove parents to sell their children into slavery.
:

The Wolof lived in highly divided societies based primarily on blood relationships. People were
separated in three main castes as freemen, those of slave descent, and artisans. Intermarriage
rarely took place between the castes. The Wolof have always had closer contacts with the
European powers than the other people groups in Senegal and were also largely behind the slave
trade between the 15th and 19th centuries. Analysis 2

Statement Of Significance

Opposing paragraph:
The Wolof kingdom did not depend on the transatlantic slave trade because their exports were
much more important to their economy.
The economy depended on the peanut trade.
: Traditionally, the peanut trade is what the Wolof kingdom relied on for revenue. The slave
trade only lasted for a fixed period of time, but the peanut trade has been a steady source of
trade for the kingdoms entire history.

The French built factories along the Senegal River to exploit the gum-producing area.
: Gum is yet another source of revenue for the Wolof kingdom, and its arguable that its economy
was dependant on both gum and peanuts more than it was on the transatlantic slave trade. With
the plentiful resources Wolof had and still has, the slave trade was of lesser significance.

Rebuttal: The economy actually did depend on the transatlantic slave trade disregarding the
exports because slaves were a major factor in foreign countries even being involved in
Senegambias exports in the first place .

The marabouts decline was due to lowering demand for slaves. Slaves were an essential
element in Senegambia and more specifically, the Wolof kingdoms economy.

Marabouts were spiritual leaders of the Wolof people who practiced Islam. Their influence grew
as their ways became more and more successful for Senegambia economically, and when the
slave trade declined, Wolof chiefs were weakened by their loss of control over trade and
revenues. The revenue from exporting peanuts went towards the Marabouts, which proved that
slaves were a major part of the balance for Wolofs economy.
 Qingqing Zhao

Africa Essay Due: 2/17/17

Ms. Georgis

Problems in History

The first slaves that were sent to the New World were from Senegambia along the

Transatlantic Slave Trade routes during the 19th century. The Wolof kingdom was in the West

African region of Senegambia, and it has had slavery as a part of their culture since its earliest

known history. Wolof elites sold slaves to foreign traders, and there were violent slave raids to

obtain slaves and send them out to countries that wanted them. As the demand for slaves

increased in British, French, Dutch and Portuguese colonies, as well as American plantations on

the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the people of Wolof grew motivated to raise the rate at which they

obtained slaves because of their increasing economic value. From the start to the end of the 19th

century, Transatlantic Slave Trade positively impacted the Wolof economy.

The Wolof elite used the slave trade to gain power and revenue. The elite were small

groups of people in Senegambia, and they brought positive economic change to their kingdom.

European trading in Senegambia was unsuccessful through the 18th century, and no chartered

company made a profit.1 However, the Transatlantic Slave Trade was introduced in 1816 when

Capt. Alexander Grant was sent to Senegambia to re-establish a base that would let the British

navy control the slave trade.2 Alexander Falconbridge, a European trader wrote, While I was

upon the coast, during one of the voyages I made, the black traders brought down, in different

canoes, from twelve to fifteen hundred negroes, which had been purchased at one fair.3

1 , Britannica, "Senegal," Britannica, accessed February 13, 2017,

http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Senegal/110771#255601.toc.

2 Britannica, "Senegal," Britannica.

3 Alexander Falconbridge, "An Account of the Slave Trade on The Coast of Africa," 1788, accessed February 16,
2017, http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-colonial/1904.
Falconbridges account of the slave trade shows just how vast it was in Western Africa. Another

example is how thousands of African descendants were shipped from slave ports of Goree Island

and the Forts of St. Louis in the Wolof kingdom.4 These ports serviced foreign peoples demand

for slaves in their own countries through the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The ports that were

made considerably increased the amount of slave exports the Wolof had, which allowed the

economy to rebound from its failure in previous years when trading was unsuccessful. The slave

trade benefitted the Senegambia economy because it finally brought in revenue for traders

throughout the region. Before slaves were traded from the Wolof Kingdom in Senegambia,

trading in general was unsuccessful because no profit was ever made. For that reason, the

Transatlantic Slave Trade in Senegambia created an economy dependent on the slave trade. And

with half of Senegambias population being Wolof, the Wolof kingdoms economy was positively

impacted with its success. The Transatlantic Slave Trade was a necessary component to the

Wolof Kingdoms thriving economy in the years leading up to and during the 19th century.

A result of the Transatlantic Slave Trade was societal casting, and the Wolof chiefs who

were higher up on the social caste system sold their inferiors to foreign traders for profit. The

Wolof lived in highly divided societies based primarily on blood relationships. People were

separated into three main castes as freemen, those of slave descent and artisans. Intermarriage

between the castes was rare. The higher caste or elite Wolof had closer ties with European

powers than the other people groups in Senegal, and they were also largely behind the slave trade

between the 15th and 19th centuries.5 The Wolof chiefs, who were the elite, dominated the

economic environment in Senegambia. John Barbot, an agent for the French Royal African

company, who made at least two voyages to the west coast of Africa wrote, Those sold by the

4 "Wolof Empire," Afropedea, accessed February 13, 2017, http://www.afropedea.org/jollof-empire.

5 Britannica, "Senegal," Britannica.

Blacks are for the most part prisoners of war, taken either in fight, or pursuit, or in the incursions

they make into their enemies territories; others stolen away by their own countrymensome

there are, who will sell their own children, kindred, or neighbors.6 Being sold as a slave in the

Wolof society meant that one was born into slavery, kidnapped, or purchased from desperate

parents in difficult situations. As Barbot wrote, slaves were usually captured in fight, and some

that would even be sold by their own parents. These atrocious acts of selling human beings went

toward the slave trade, and in particular, the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The ports in Senegambia

made it possible for the slaves to be sent out to other countries to be sold again. It was the

societal distinctions between lower caste and higher caste people that led to the powerful

economy resulting from slaves being exported. The Transatlantic Slave Trade constructed

societal castes in the Wolof kingdom that made even more slave trading possible; this positively

impacted its economy.

One could argue that the Wolof kingdoms exports were much more important to its

economy than the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It is known that, Traditionally, the peanut trade

was what the Wolof kingdom relied on for revenue.7 The slave trade only lasted for a fixed

period of time, but the peanut trade has been a steady source of trade for the kingdoms entire

history. The economy revolved around the cash crop as it was traded with Europe and large

French companies. The French also built factories along the Senegal River to exploit the gum-

producing area.8 Alongside peanuts, gum is yet another source of revenue for the Wolof

kingdom, the economy was dependent on both gum and peanuts more than it was on the

Transatlantic Slave Trade. With the plentiful resources Wolof had and still has, it could be said

the slave trade was less significant to its economy. It is important that the Wolof Kingdom did

6 John Barbot, "Slave Trade Documents by John Barbot 1732," 1732, accessed February 13, 2017,
http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/slavetrade.html.

7 Britannica, "Senegal," Britannica.

8 "The Wolof of Senegal," Wolof Resources, http://wolofresources.org/wolof.htm.

have its material exports, but the most valuable ones to its economy were actually slaves. The

Transatlantic Slave Trade actually much more positively impacted the economy because slaves

were a major factor in foreign countries even being involved in Senegambia exports in the first

place. The peanut trade and gum factories built by the French impacted Wolofs economy, but it

was just a byproduct of the much more extensive slave trade. Slaves were West Africas second

most valuable export (after gold)9. The quantity of gold exported from Senegambia is

predicted to be no more than 35 kg in a good year10, so slaves were the most valuable export it

had. In any case, the Transatlantic Slave Trade was unquestionably more of a positive factor on

the Wolof Kingdoms economy than its other exports like peanuts and gum. A group that was

involved with the slave trade was the Marabouts who were spiritual leaders of the Wolof people.

Their influence grew as their ways became more and more successful for Senegambia

economically, and when the slave trade declined, they were weakened by their loss of control

over trade and revenue. The marabouts decline was due to lowering demand for slaves.11 From

the example of the Marabouts, its evident that slaves were a major part of Wolof economy. The

Transatlantic Slave Trade was an essential element in Senegambias economy and more

specifically, it benefited the Wolof kingdoms economy.

The Transatlantic Slave trade brought Senegambia a steady source of revenue from the

slaves it sold, including the first slaves introduced to the New World. Although it negatively

impacted peoples lives and social standing, it positively impacted the regions economy in the

19th century. The Wolof Kingdom of Senegambia had its main agricultural exports, but they

didnt boost the economy quite as much as the slave trade did. In many different regards such as

people selling their inferiors to foreign traders being involved to the resulting societal

9 John P. McKay, A History of World Societies, 9th ed. (Boston, NY/US: Bedford/St. Martin's, n.d.), [Page 275].

10 "The Wolof of Senegal," Wolof Resources, http://wolofresources.org/wolof.htm.

11 "The Wolof," Wolof Resources.

divisions, the Transatlantic Slave trade positively impacted the economy of the Wolof Kingdom.

Bibliography:

Primary sources(1,2):

1.Falconbridge, Alexander. "An Account of the Slave Trade on The Coast of Africa."

1788. Accessed February 16, 2017. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/

nchist-colonial/1904.

2. Barbot, John. "Slave Trade Documents by John Barbot 1732." 1732. Accessed
February 13, 2017. http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/
slavetrade.html.
3. Britannica. "Senegal." Britannica. Accessed February 13, 2017.
http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Senegal/110771#255601.toc

4."Wolof Empire." Afropedea. Accessed February 13, 2017. http://www.afropedea.org/

jollof-empire.

5. "The Wolof of Senegal." Wolof Resources. http://wolofresources.org/wolof.htm.

6. McKay, John P. A History of World Societies. 9th ed. Boston, NY/US: Bedford/St.
Martin's, n.d.

Footnote format:

1. Alexander Falconbridge, "An Account of the Slave Trade on The Coast of Africa," 1788,

accessed February 16, 2017, http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-colonial/1904.

2. John Barbot, "Slave Trade Documents by John Barbot 1732," 1732, accessed February 13,

2017, http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/slavetrade.html.

3. Britannica, "Senegal," Britannica, accessed February 13, 2017,

http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Senegal/110771#255601.toc.

4. "Wolof Empire," Afropedea, accessed February 13, 2017, http://www.afropedea.org/jollof-

empire.

5. "The Wolof of Senegal," Wolof Resources, http://wolofresources.org/wolof.htm.

6. McKay, John P. A History of World Societies. 9th ed. Boston, NY/US: Bedford/St.
Martin's, n.d.