HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY Before colonization, Ghana was home to one of the largest and most influential tribes in the region: the Empire of Ashanti. But when Portuguese explorers first found the area in the 15th century, they realized it was rich in gold, ivory and other precious materials. The Portuguese and other European nations began fighting the Ashanti Empire for control in the 1800s, but the British won, and began establishing colonies in 1874. After World War II, the war-weary British Crown did not have the resources to maintain control of its colonies. Ghana was the first of many African nations to become fully independent. The process started in 1952, when a man named Kwame Nkrumah won during a parliamentary election. Dr. Nkrumah had previously been jailed for encouraging boycotts, strikes and other forms of civil disobedience, but was released when he won the election. From his new position of power, he was able to negotiate peace, and eventually freedom, with the British in 1957.Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a peaceful period in the nation’s history was interrupted by a series of political coups, initially sparked by the CIA in the United States
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 18:30:59 +0000