African Resistance to European Colonialism
Purpose: Students will gain a better understanding of how African men and women resisted European colonization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Objective: Students will read and reflect on how African resistance is presented in McDougal LIttell’s Modern World History textbook. Students will then learn about Rudolf Douala Manga Bell in Cameroon and various other female resistors across the continent, analyze their methods, and consider how these stories deepen their understanding of African resistance against imperialism.
California Social Studies Content Standard: 10.4.3 Explain imperialism from the perspective of the colonizers and the colonized and the varied immediate and long-term responses by the people under colonial rule.
2017 History-Social Science Framework: Indigenous leaders in various colonized regions engaged in protracted resistance to the colonizers, though they were ultimately outmatched by the military superiority of the colonial powers.
Students should consider the question—How did native people respond to colonization?—in order to make sense of the multiple contexts and responses to colonization. Nationalist leaders, often educated in European universities, began to use ideologies rooted in the Enlightenment to challenge the injustice of Western and Japanese imperialism.
Suggested Class: 10th grade world history
Suggested Time: 1 class day (one day=at least one hour of class time)
Procedure:
● For homework, have students read the two pages about African resistance (Chapter 11, section 2; pages 348-9) in the McDougal LIttell’s Modern World History textbook the night before the lesson. Have them write down at least three specific examples of African resistance, including the who, where, when, why, and how.
● Start the lesson with a do now, have students reflect on their three facts and answer the question: What is your overall impression of African resistance during colonialism?
○ Have them frame their answer in the form of a CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning). Their evidence should be one of the facts they wrote down from their homework assignment.
○ Then, have students share what they wrote (either in “think-pair-share” or call on students in a whole class discussion).
■ Expect to hear claims that focus on how resistance was predominantly through military means, was violent, and largely unsuccessful. A map on page 349 shows where some resistance movements happened in Africa, so expect to hear that it was widespread throughout the continent.
● Have students visit the website: “The Bell Story: Petition, boycott, and protest in Douala (1884-1914)” from Initiative Perspektivwechsel e.V. https://www.initiative-perspektivwechsel.org/projekte/die-bell-story/#toggle-id-3
○ Note: though the audio and comics are in German, if students use Google to translate the page into English, there is enough English that students will be able to learn about Rudolf Douala Manga Bell and how he resisted German colonization in Cameroon. The website shows another form of African resistance through peaceful diplomatic means.
○ Have students answer the following questions from the website:
■ How did Germany colonize Cameroon?
■ Who was Rudolf Douala Manga Bell, and what was his family and educational background?
■ What caused Manga Bell to resist the Germans?
■ What was the result of his resistance?
● Divide students into small groups for a jigsaw activity. Every group will be assigned a different woman from UNESCO’s Women in African History website: https://en.unesco.org/womeninafrica/map
○ Suggested profiles that fit the time period of this lesson plan: Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, women soldiers of Dahomey, Taytu Betul.
■ The following women have short profiles but no modules posted as of the posting of this lesson plan: Huda Shaarawi, Nehanda Nyakasikana, Fatima Soudi bint Abderremane, Sarraounia Mangou, Labotsibeni Mdluli.
○ Each group answers the following questions to prepare a short 1-2 minute share out to the rest of the class:
■ Where is she/they from?
■ Who was she resisting against and why?
■ How did she resist?
■ What were the results of her resistance?
■ Did gender impact how she/they resisted? Why or why not?
○ As each group shares out, the teacher writes brief notes on the board so students can refer to them later during their whole class discussion.
○ Hold a whole class discussion about Manga Bell and female resistors. Some sample discussion questions include:
■ How are the stories of Manga Bell and female resistors similar/different to the stories of resistance in the textbook?
■ Why do you think people like Manga Bell and female resistors are missing from the textbook?
■ Why is it important to learn about African resistance to imperialism?
● As a final reflection, have students look at their homework and do now again and write a short reflection about how their knowledge of African resistance has been deepened by learning about Manga Bell and female resistors. What is their one takeaway from the lesson, and/or how has their previous perspective about African resistance been changed or challenged?
Objective: Students will read and reflect on how African resistance is presented in McDougal LIttell’s Modern World History textbook. Students will then learn about Rudolf Douala Manga Bell in Cameroon and various other female resistors across the continent, analyze their methods, and consider how these stories deepen their understanding of African resistance against imperialism.
California Social Studies Content Standard: 10.4.3 Explain imperialism from the perspective of the colonizers and the colonized and the varied immediate and long-term responses by the people under colonial rule.
2017 History-Social Science Framework: Indigenous leaders in various colonized regions engaged in protracted resistance to the colonizers, though they were ultimately outmatched by the military superiority of the colonial powers.
Students should consider the question—How did native people respond to colonization?—in order to make sense of the multiple contexts and responses to colonization. Nationalist leaders, often educated in European universities, began to use ideologies rooted in the Enlightenment to challenge the injustice of Western and Japanese imperialism.
Suggested Class: 10th grade world history
Suggested Time: 1 class day (one day=at least one hour of class time)
Procedure:
● For homework, have students read the two pages about African resistance (Chapter 11, section 2; pages 348-9) in the McDougal LIttell’s Modern World History textbook the night before the lesson. Have them write down at least three specific examples of African resistance, including the who, where, when, why, and how.
● Start the lesson with a do now, have students reflect on their three facts and answer the question: What is your overall impression of African resistance during colonialism?
○ Have them frame their answer in the form of a CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning). Their evidence should be one of the facts they wrote down from their homework assignment.
○ Then, have students share what they wrote (either in “think-pair-share” or call on students in a whole class discussion).
■ Expect to hear claims that focus on how resistance was predominantly through military means, was violent, and largely unsuccessful. A map on page 349 shows where some resistance movements happened in Africa, so expect to hear that it was widespread throughout the continent.
● Have students visit the website: “The Bell Story: Petition, boycott, and protest in Douala (1884-1914)” from Initiative Perspektivwechsel e.V. https://www.initiative-perspektivwechsel.org/projekte/die-bell-story/#toggle-id-3
○ Note: though the audio and comics are in German, if students use Google to translate the page into English, there is enough English that students will be able to learn about Rudolf Douala Manga Bell and how he resisted German colonization in Cameroon. The website shows another form of African resistance through peaceful diplomatic means.
○ Have students answer the following questions from the website:
■ How did Germany colonize Cameroon?
■ Who was Rudolf Douala Manga Bell, and what was his family and educational background?
■ What caused Manga Bell to resist the Germans?
■ What was the result of his resistance?
● Divide students into small groups for a jigsaw activity. Every group will be assigned a different woman from UNESCO’s Women in African History website: https://en.unesco.org/womeninafrica/map
○ Suggested profiles that fit the time period of this lesson plan: Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, women soldiers of Dahomey, Taytu Betul.
■ The following women have short profiles but no modules posted as of the posting of this lesson plan: Huda Shaarawi, Nehanda Nyakasikana, Fatima Soudi bint Abderremane, Sarraounia Mangou, Labotsibeni Mdluli.
○ Each group answers the following questions to prepare a short 1-2 minute share out to the rest of the class:
■ Where is she/they from?
■ Who was she resisting against and why?
■ How did she resist?
■ What were the results of her resistance?
■ Did gender impact how she/they resisted? Why or why not?
○ As each group shares out, the teacher writes brief notes on the board so students can refer to them later during their whole class discussion.
○ Hold a whole class discussion about Manga Bell and female resistors. Some sample discussion questions include:
■ How are the stories of Manga Bell and female resistors similar/different to the stories of resistance in the textbook?
■ Why do you think people like Manga Bell and female resistors are missing from the textbook?
■ Why is it important to learn about African resistance to imperialism?
● As a final reflection, have students look at their homework and do now again and write a short reflection about how their knowledge of African resistance has been deepened by learning about Manga Bell and female resistors. What is their one takeaway from the lesson, and/or how has their previous perspective about African resistance been changed or challenged?