In this Grade 8 lesson from America: History of Our Nation, students examine how Muslim merchants, East African trading states like Zimbabwe and Kilwa, and China's maritime routes under Zheng He shaped interconnected trade networks across Asia, Africa, and Europe before 1500. Students explore key figures including Muhammad and Mansa Musa, and learn how Islam spread through conquest and commerce while Arab scholars advanced algebra, astronomy, and navigation technology. The lesson builds understanding of how long-distance trade transmitted goods, culture, and religion across three continents during the pre-Columbian era.
Section 1
Muslims Connect Three Continents Through Trade
Muslim merchants linked Europe, Africa, and Asia through trade routes crossing the Arabian Peninsula. They spread Islam through conquest and trade while sharing advancements in mathematics, astronomy, and shipbuilding technology.
Section 2
African Kingdoms Exchange Gold and Salt
Powerful trade centers arose in Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, where rulers controlled valuable exchanges of gold and salt. East African cities like Zimbabwe and Kilwa prospered by taxing traders and exchanging goods with distant regions.
Section 3
China Develops Technologies that Enhance Global Trade
Chinese inventors created movable type printing and the magnetic compass, revolutionizing navigation. Their advanced ships sailed from Japan to Africa, while the 5,000-mile Silk Road carried goods westward across Asia.
Section 4
Explorers Open New Trading Routes
Zheng He led fleets of over 300 Chinese ships to thirty nations, trading silk and pottery for spices and ivory. Later, Columbus connected the Americas to existing trade networks, expanding the exchange of goods across oceans.
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Section 1
Muslims Connect Three Continents Through Trade
Muslim merchants linked Europe, Africa, and Asia through trade routes crossing the Arabian Peninsula. They spread Islam through conquest and trade while sharing advancements in mathematics, astronomy, and shipbuilding technology.
Section 2
African Kingdoms Exchange Gold and Salt
Powerful trade centers arose in Ghana, Mali, and Songhai, where rulers controlled valuable exchanges of gold and salt. East African cities like Zimbabwe and Kilwa prospered by taxing traders and exchanging goods with distant regions.
Section 3
China Develops Technologies that Enhance Global Trade
Chinese inventors created movable type printing and the magnetic compass, revolutionizing navigation. Their advanced ships sailed from Japan to Africa, while the 5,000-mile Silk Road carried goods westward across Asia.
Section 4
Explorers Open New Trading Routes
Zheng He led fleets of over 300 Chinese ships to thirty nations, trading silk and pottery for spices and ivory. Later, Columbus connected the Americas to existing trade networks, expanding the exchange of goods across oceans.
Book overview
Jump across lessons in the current chapter without opening the full course modal.
Continue this chapter