David Livingstone first starts exploring South Africa
Livingstone reached Zambezi River; began major explorations.
Livingstone crossed Africa to fight slavery, spread Christianity, gain fame, and explore.
Indian mutiny
Livingstone publishes his book Missionary Travels & Researches in S. Africa
Suez Canal company set up in 1858
Livingstone funded as East Africa Consul to explore Zambezi and Shire rivers
East India Trading Company removed from power
Suez Canal is starting to be built
Khedive Ismael Pasha comes to power
Annexed Basutoland claiming indigenous sought protection from the Boers
Suez Canal built
Suez Canal opens
Livingstone found by Henry Stanley
Disraeli buys £4 million of shares in the Suez Canal
Brussels Conference
George Goldie took over a struggling Niger trading firm and renamed it the Central African Trading Company
General Charles Gordon sent to Sudan between 1877 and 1880 to act as governor general.
Bartle Frere appointed governor and high commissioner of Cape Colony
Ismail Pasha deposed by the Ottomans and replaced by his son Tewfiq
George Goldie merged 30 trading posts to create the United African Company
Muhammad Ahmad declared himself Mahdi
Egyptian mutiny lead by Arabi Pasha against the Brits and Tewfiq
British suppress the Egyptian mutiny and begin occupation
Riots break out in Alexandria
George Goldie founded The National African Company, replaced the United African Company to secure British control in West Africa through trade and treaties.
Dufferin report-justified and structured British involvement in Egypt
Lord Cromer (Evelyn Baring) becomes British Consul General of Egypt
Colonel Hicks lost a joint British/Egyptian expedition to fight Mahdists. and was killed
General Gordon tried to conduct evacuation of troops from Khartoum
Berlin Conference
Khartoum overrun and Gordon beheaded.
National African Company renamed Royal Niger Company upon receiving a royal charter
Imperial British East Africa company established
Kenya became British East Africa protectorate
4th Anglo Ashante war: When Brits demanded Ghana (Gold Coast) becomes protectorate. Prempeh I exiled.
Kitchener lead campaign into Sudan, following Italian defeat at Adowa, Abyssinia.
38 min war in Zanzibar when Sultan Khalid seized power from dead cousin without British consent.
Fashoda Incident: French agreed to Britain controlling area.
Hut Tax War in Sierra Leone in response to Colonel Cardew's introduction of new tax.
Battle of Omdurman: 11,000 Mahdists killed with advanced firepower.
Agreement allowed France territory further West if they stay out of Nile valley
Anglo-Egyptian Sudan established (controlled by Britain)
War of the Golden Stool against Ashante when Governor Hodgson demanded to sit on the stool.
Mohammad Abdullah Hassan of British Somaliland led 20,000 Malis in resistance for 20 years.
North Nigeria becomes a colony under Lugard.
Uganda Railway built, connecting Mombasa to lake Victoria: indentured Indian Labour used. (2500 died)
Ashante annexed
Britain and France signed the Entente Cordiale. France respect British rights in Egypt and Britain did the same for French in Morrocco.
South Nigeria brought under British rule.
Telegraphs, railway lines, and port Sudan created by this time
Denshawai incident: British soldiers killing pigeons resulted in escalated scuffle: Imam's wife got shot and wounded and an Egyptian was mistakenly killed.
Denshawai tribunal: 4 hanged, 26 flogged and hard labour, & 1 to penal servitude
North and South Nigeria merged into one colony
1st Pan African Congress in France
National Congress of West Africa created
British forces finally defeat Mad Mullah using aerial bombing
Sudan given £3 million for Gezira cotton scheme
Harry Thuku creates Young Kikuyu to recover stolen land in Kenya
Devonshire Declaration: interests of African natives must be paramount over those of immigrants
West Africa students union assembled students in London
Kikuyu Central Association (KCA) is formed
Jomo Kenyatta becomes General Secretary of the KCA
Makere College in Uganda extended and made UCL affiliate
The KCA is banned; the Kenya African Union (KAU) is founded to campaign for independence
The Richards Constitution is drawn up in Nigeria, allowing for greater African representation on the Legislative Council but retains ultimate power for the British Governor-General and the Executive Council
Ghana: The Burns Constitution: A new constitution is drawn up by Governor Sir Alan Burns. It establishes a Legislative Council with 12 British nominees and 18 elected African members.
Jomo Kenyatta becomes President of the KAU
The United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) is established
Sir John Macpherson becomes the Governor of Nigeria, opening up higher levels of colonial admin to Nigerians.
Accra riots in Ghana targeting European business. Largely in response to the cutting down of diseased cocoa trees by the government
British arrest UGCC leaders, including Nkrumah.
Unrest and strikes spreads across
Nigeria
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC), led by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, presses for self-government
Nkrumah breaks away from the UGCC to found the Convention People’s Party (CPP)- campaign for self government
CPP launches a campaign of non-violent civil disobedience and non-cooperation known as "Positive Action".
Nigeria: The Macpherson Constitution: Pressure from nationalists leads to a new constitution that extends the franchise and creates a National Council of Ministers answerable to a 185-seat Federal House of Representatives
Ghana: CPP wins a landslide victory, taking two-thirds of the seats in the Legislative Assembly
The Mau Mau Uprising begins. Governor Sir Evelyn Baring declares a State of Emergency. Jomo Kenyatta is arrested and sentenced to 7 years.
Nkrumah becomes PM
Lari Massacre: Mau Mau militants kill loyalist Kikuyu
Nigeria: Colonial Secretary Lyttelton introduces a new constitution is introduced. It grants greater regional autonomy, effectively making Nigeria a federation of three regions to avoid rising ethnic tension.
The Mau Mau rebellion is largely crushed militarily. Estimated death toll is 10-20,000
The first Africans are elected to the Legislative Council in Kenya
The Gold Coast gains full independence from Britain and is renamed Ghana. It becomes the first black African colony to achieve independence
Hola Camp Massacre: 11 Mau Mau detainees are beaten to death by guards.
Kenya African National Union (KANU) is formed; Kenyatta is elected President
Ghana becomes a Republic; Kwame Nkrumah becomes the first President.
Nigeria gains independence
Nnamdi Azikiwe becomes the first President of Nigeria
Kenya gains independence after KANU wins general election and becomes a republic in the Commonwealth.