Lesson 2: Imperialism in Africa

What motivated European imperial expansion into Africa?
How did economic competition shape imperial policies?
How did imperialism affect African societies?

Imperialism
Colonial rule
Resource extraction
Political domination

HIS.9-12.3 Analyze complex relationships among multiple causes and effects of historical events.
HIS.9-12.7 Analyze how social, political, and economic structures shape human interactions.

Students analyze maps, documents, and data to evaluate cause-and-effect relationships.

Students examine the motivations and consequences of European imperial expansion in Africa and evaluate how imperial policies reshaped political and economic systems. Primary DOK level: 4.

Connections to modern economic inequality, resource competition, and global development debates.

Students may assume imperial expansion occurred without resistance.
Students may oversimplify African societies prior to colonization.

Guided map analysis.
Comparative discussion groups.

Analytical paragraph explaining motivations and consequences of imperial expansion.

Maps of colonial Africa, primary sources, political cartoons.