WASSCE syllabus · Main subject in Arts
History
Every topic in the WASSCE History syllabus, grouped the way you will study it. The lessons for this subject are being written; the outline below shows what they will cover.
- syllabus topics
- 28
- sections
- 5
Course outline
History syllabus, section by section
01Introduction & Early West Africa5 topics · syllabus outline
- 01Introduction to HistoryWhat history is, why we study it, sources of historical knowledge, and the work of the historian.
- 02The Land and Peoples of West AfricaGeography of West Africa, the major ethnic groups, their migrations, and how the environment shaped their lives.
- 03Early West African StatesThe empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai — their rise, organisation, achievements, and decline.
- 04Trans-Saharan Trade and the Spread of IslamRoutes, goods, and people of the Trans-Saharan trade, and how Islam spread across West Africa.
- 05The Forest States of West AfricaThe Asante, Oyo, Benin, and Dahomey kingdoms — their political systems, economies, and cultures.
02West Africa — Europeans, Slavery & Colonization6 topics · syllabus outline
- 01The Coming of Europeans to West AfricaPortuguese, Dutch, British, and French arrival on the West African coast and early trade contacts.
- 02The Atlantic Slave TradeOrigins, organisation, scale, and impact of the trans-Atlantic slave trade on West Africa.
- 03Abolition of the Slave Trade and Its ConsequencesThe abolition movement, the 1807 and 1833 Acts, and how abolition reshaped West Africa.
- 04The 19th Century JihadsUthman dan Fodio, Al-Hajj Umar, Samori Toure, and the Islamic reform movements of the 19th century.
- 05The European Partition of AfricaCauses of the Scramble, the Berlin Conference of 1884-85, and the carving up of West Africa.
- 06Systems of Colonial AdministrationBritish Indirect Rule, French Assimilation and Association, and the comparison between colonial systems.
03West Africa — Resistance, Nationalism & Independence4 topics · syllabus outline
- 01Resistance to Colonial RuleArmed resistance, religious resistance, and the figures who fought colonial occupation across West Africa.
- 02Nationalism and the Road to IndependenceCauses and growth of nationalism, key nationalist leaders, and West Africa's path to independence.
- 03Pan-AfricanismOrigins of Pan-Africanism, leading figures like Du Bois, Garvey, and Nkrumah, and Pan-African Congresses.
- 04Africa in the 20th CenturyPost-independence challenges, the Cold War in Africa, the OAU/AU, ECOWAS, and continental cooperation.
04Sierra Leone — Pre-Colonial & Colonial Era7 topics · syllabus outline
- 01Early Inhabitants and Pre-Colonial Sierra LeoneOrigins and migrations of the Mende, Temne, Limba, and other groups, and their traditional societies.
- 02European Contact and the Slave Trade in Sierra LeoneEarly Portuguese contact, the rise of the slave trade on the Sierra Leone coast, and its local impact.
- 03The Founding of Freetown and the Settlement ColonyThe Black Poor, the Nova Scotians, the Maroons, the recaptives, and the founding of Freetown.
- 04The Crown Colony and the Emergence of the KrioThe 1808 declaration of the Crown Colony, the rise of Krio identity, language, and culture.
- 05The Colony and the HinterlandRelations between the Freetown Colony and the interior, trade, missions, and growing British involvement.
- 06The Protectorate and the Hut Tax WarThe 1896 declaration of the Protectorate, Bai Bureh's resistance, and the 1898 Hut Tax War.
- 07Colonial Sierra Leone in the Early 20th CenturyBritish rule in the Colony and Protectorate, economic and social changes, and the effects of the World Wars.
05Sierra Leone — Independence to Modern Era6 topics · syllabus outline
- 01Political Developments 1947-1961Constitutional changes, the rise of political parties, and Sierra Leone's path to independence in 1961.
- 02Independence and the Margai EraSir Milton Margai's leadership, the SLPP government, the early years of independence, and Albert Margai's rule.
- 03The Siaka Stevens EraThe 1968 transition, APC rule, the 1971 republican constitution, and the one-party state under the 1978 constitution.
- 04The Momoh Administration and the Civil WarJoseph Saidu Momoh's rule, economic decline, and the outbreak of the rebel war in 1991.
- 05Military Rule and the Kabbah AdministrationThe NPRC and AFRC military regimes, Ahmed Tejan Kabbah's return to civilian rule, and the war to 2000.
- 06Sierra Leone in the International CommunitySierra Leone's role in the UN, Commonwealth, OAU/AU, ECOWAS, and the Mano River Union.
Need one-to-one help with History?Book a real History tutor, online or at home. Asking is free.Study WASSCE History with WASSCE Tutor
Lessons for History are being written. A free account opens the first lesson of every topic in the subjects that already have them.
- Free account, no card needed
- Everything from 25 NLe
- No automatic renewal
