Government C+( Makayla Grigware)

        Around 1493-1528, Askia Muhammad Toure established the Askia dynasty of Songhay.The Songhai Empire was a succession of dynasties that spread through portions of present day Mali,Burkina Faso, Senegal, Guinea, Nigeria, Niger, and Mauritania between the sixth and sixteenth centuries.At the empire’s zenith, from 1460 to 1591, the government took the form of an absolute monarchy headed by a sovereign who served as head of state, commander of the armed forces, and head of government. The central government was divided into executive ministries with responsibility for disseminating imperial decrees through a system of administrators. 

         Songhay started as a fishing community. They traded fish for the goods they wanted and needed  At one time, they were part of Mali. Mali tried to get them to pay taxes, but they wouldn't. Songhay was always stubbornly independent. Mali let them get away with it because they wanted the fish. As Mali weakened, Songhay started to take over. It was easy for them. They were a strong Muslim kingdom. They were organized. They had a central government. They had a well-trained army. The people were not greedy. But they were proud. They were especially proud of Sonni Ali the Great!

        Sonni Ali (the new king) was a wonderful leader. He put warriors in canoes and started taking over the city. He sent warriors to march on landlocked cities such as Timbuktu. They kept growing until they grew into the largest kingdom in all of West Africa. They grew so big that they controlled the gold mines to the south and the salt mines to the north. That made them very powerful indeed. At his height, Songhay stretched over 2,000 miles.

        Muhammad Toure continued Sonni Ali's imperial expansion by seizing the important Saharan oases and conquering Mali itself. From there he conquered Hausaland. The vastness of Askia Mohammed's kingdom covered most of West Africa, larger than all of the European states combined. With literally seven thousand cultures under its control, Songhay ranked as one of the largest empires of the time.

        Trade flourished and made the nobles rich. Songhay exported gold, salt, kola nuts and slaves. They imported textiles, horses, and luxury goods. Songhay was definitely a member of the slave trade. Children, women, and men would be sold into slavery without question or interest.

        I gave the Songhai Empire's government a C+. The central government was very well organized, dividing responsibilities through a system of administrators. They grew into the largest kingdom in West Africa. Their control of the gold mines and salt mines made them very wealthy and powerful. But I had to give them a huge deduction for their part in human slavery. Using human beings as some sort of trade as if they were like animals is just completely horrible.









Religion: C ( Lexi Grondman)

The main religion of the Songhai Empire is Muslim. It used to be Islam but in 1010 the Muslims took over the empire. Some smaller groups of people practice magic. The people that practice magic are called Sohanti. They also have sorcerers, fortune tellers, and spirit-possession priests  These people have that job for a long time so they can master the knowledge of plants, history, practice, and words.The Muslims pray at least 5 times a day. They are monotheistic, which means they believe in one god and only that one god. Their bible is the Qur'an. Friday is a special day for them because everybody goes to the mosque to pray. However, Muslim was not the only religion that was in the Songhai Empire, there were smaller areas with other religions such as Christianity.

Economy: B (Amanda Pipe)

The Songhai Empire had a pretty good economy. They had a big part in Saharan trade. They controlled the Niger River and much of North-Western Africa, which provided even more trading opportunities. This made the long journeys safe for traders and merchants. Also Songhai controlled gold mines in the south, by the Niger River, and salt mines in the North. This allowed them to produce to two valuable products to trade. The people and merchants would also trade throughout the empire between different kingdoms. This trading built up quite a good amount of wealth. The money earned was used for building and for armies.

Slaves were another major part of the economy. They were used for many important jobs, and without them, the empire wouldn't have become a great empire. Slaves were used as soldiers, village farmers and royal advisers; they were trusted not overthrow their masters and to give unbiased advice unlike citizens. The Arbi slaves worked in the palace as craftsmen, potters, woodworkers, musicians.

I gave the Songhai Empire a B on their economy because they did have a strong economy, the empire was one of the largest in Africa, and they produced valuable products. They had a big part in trade. But, slaves were treated very poorly and most of the wealth went to noble and wealthier people. There were many poor people and slaves who didn't get any benefit from the great wealth. So I gave them a B for their overall strength in trade and the land, and the goods produced.

Arts and Architecture: ? (Morgan Poelman)

Songhai art and architecture is really developed and organized. The Songhai people created many different things, such as their food, language, and religion. The art they created was centered around Islamic and African designs. The big towers reflected Islmaic designs, and the two horns sticking out of the towers was a local feature of Songhai bulidings.

Technology  (Makayla Grigware)

        Songhai's technology was strong. For one, they made the Songhai empire the largest kingdom in West Africa by conquering new land. Some advancements developed during the Songhai Empire were fish nets, paper, and writing in hieroglyphics. Although they had some advancements in weaponry, it was their lack of knowledge of gunpowder type fire arms that led to their defeat in some battles.

With that being said, I would give their technology a B+. The fish nets helped create a good economy and feed their people, and the writing and knowledge of hieroglyphics helped with communication. But while they were strong and proud warriors, without the necessary technology, they could be vulnerable to an army with better advancement in weapons. 

Society C+( Thomas Geerlings)

The Songhai Empire was a state that was located in the western parts of Africa. It was in power from 1375-1591. The man responsible for the berth of the Songhai Empire was Sunni Ali, a military leader. Also it was one of the largest Islamic Empires in history.

I would give the Songhai Empire a C for society. The leader of the Songhai Empire used regional military leadership to control the people of the Empire. This angered the Islamic community because it gave the people more equal rights and reduced the power of other religious sections. This is good for the Songhai because it helps keep things more equal and peaceful throughout the Empire. The Empire had a caste system, however, which kept any lower ranking villager from ever coming up to the government level. However, later in the history the Emperor Mohammad Askia adopted a new caste system which allowed lower levels of class to enter the elite levels of class no matter what family connections they had.

Another part of the society was the role of the men, slaves, and women. Slaves played a huge role in the agriculture of the Songhai Empire. They were treated extremely bad and forced to work in villages without any hope of getting out. Also slaves who were born in those villages automatically became slaves. Women and Children were on the lower part of the list. They were still above slaves but they had no control over marriage or any form of income or job. The women were confined to house work.

Overall I would give the Songhai Society a solid C+. This is because they managed to get rid of the terrible caste system and replace it with a better one which helper lower class move up. However, the way slaves were treated was terrible as they were not allowed to do really anything except work.