William Trey Carter
Paleolithic
 Earliest evidence of human life was found in the valley
of the Faleme in the south east.
 The presence of man is attested by the discovery of
stone tools such as hand axes.
 The ancient remains are threatened by the acidity in
the soil, tourist, and machines used for mining
phosphate.
Pre Colonial
 Senegal had a very developed hierarchical system that
involved different classes of royal and non royal
nobles, free men, occupational castes and slaves.
 Throughout the different classes, intermarriage was
rarely allowed. Women could not marry anyone above
them and their children wouldn’t receive the father’s
superior status if she was pregnant.
Kingdoms and Empires
 The region of modern
Senegal was a part of the
larger region called Upper
Guinea by European
traders.
 Senegal was first populated
from the north and east in
several waves of migration,
the last being that of the
Wolof, the Fulani and the
Serer.
Resources
 Senegal has many natural recourses such as various
fish, phosphates, and iron ore.
 Like most places in the world the resources were
threatened by deforestation, poaching, and over
fishing.
Culture
 Customary to give a small gift
when invited to someone's
house for a meal.
 Gifts should be given with both
hands. Giving with the left hand
is seen as disrespectful.
 Common to see people wearing
amulets (called gris-gris)
around their neck, arm and leg.
 Many Senegalese believe in
supernatural forces and that
certain people such as doctors or
herbalist have the power to
control these forces.
Modern Colonialism
 Many European powers(
Netherlands, Portugal, and
England) competed for trade in the
area from the 15th century onward.
 In 1677 France got possession of
what had become a minor slave
trading port, the infamous island of
Goree from the Dutch.
 1758 the French settlement was
captured by a British expedition as
part of the Seven Years' War, but was
later returned to France.
 It was only in the 1850s that the
French, under the governor, Louis
Faidherbe, began to expand their
foothold onto the Senegalese
mainland, at the expense of the
native kingdoms.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRSGknxiOgk
British Control (1763-1817)
 As a result of the Seven Years
War in Europe and associated
colonial fighting, Britain forced
France to cede Senegal.
 The British returned the colony
after the Napoleonic Wars
 Britain retained control over
part of what had been Senegal;
Gambia was cut out of the
middle of the country along the
Gambia River.
 It is believed the reason behind
the return was that the land was
not sufficiently profitable.
Britain vs. France
 From the moment Europeans started exploring the area in the 15th
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century they were enticed by the Senegal and Gambian rivers. They
could bring ocean traveling vessels 150 miles inland.
For a century the Protégées have them to themselves reaching the
Senegal in 1444 and the Gambian in 1455.
The French establish a trading station at the mouth of the Senegal in
1638. In 1659 they move it to St Louis, a more secure island.
Meanwhile the British have been concentrating their efforts on the
Gambia
France and Britain are at this time on the verge of a century and a half
of almost continuous warfare against each other.
The fortified settlements in Africa change hands between the two
nations again and again during the 18th century.
By the end of everything France receives the Senegal and the outpost of
Goree between the two rivers.
French Dominance
 The European naval powers struggle with each other for
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areas of dominance along the African coast.
The coast was vast so even declining powers like Portugal
were able to dominate some of the coast.
The trading post in St. Louis is the start of Senegal as a
French colony.
St. Louis and the French slave trade was relatively small
compared to the other major countries, but this was due to
the lack of territories the had in the Caribbean and South
America.
France had relations with native rulers and were able to
supply slaves to the colonial plantations, which at the time
was in huge demand.
Work cited
 http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistori
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es.asp?historyid=ac64
http://www.iss.co.za/af/profiles/Senegal/Politics.html
http://histclo.com/country/afr/sen/hist/sh-fce.html
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/world/sene
gal-country-africa-history.html
http://www.hu.mtu.edu/~dshoos/HU3262/HU3262Se
negalHistoryof.htm