January - March 2016 •
The Lion King
• 23
1470. In 1482, the Portuguese built
Elmina Castle (São Jorge da Mina) as
a permanent trading base. Thomas
Windham made the first recorded
English trading voyage to the coast in
1553. During the next three centuries,
the English, Danes, Dutch, Germans,
and Portuguese controlled various
parts of the coastal areas.
Britain Takes Control:
In 1821, the British Government took
control of the British trading forts on
the Gold Coast. In 1844, Fanti chiefs
in the area signed an agreement with
the British that became the legal step-
ping stone to colonial status for the
coastal area. From 1826 to 1900, the
British fought a series of campaigns
against the Ashantis (specifically the
1st Ashanti War 1863-64 and the 2nd
Ashanti War 1873-74), whose kingdom
was located inland. In 1902, they suc-
ceeded in establishing firm control
over the Ashanti region and making
the northern territories a protectorate.
Addition of German Togoland
Following World War I:
British Togoland, the fourth territorial
element eventually to form the nation,
was part of a former German colony
administered by the United Kingdom
from Accra as a League of Nations
mandate after 1922. In December
1946, British Togoland became a UN
Trust Territory, and in 1957, following
a 1956 plebiscite, the United Nations
agreed that the territory would
become part of Ghana when the
Gold Coast achieved independence.
Road to Independence after World
War II:
The four territorial divisions were admin-
istered separately until 1946, when the
British Government ruled them as a
single unit. In 1951, a constitution was
promulgated that called for a greatly
enlarged legislature composed princi-
pally of members elected by popular
vote directly or indirectly. An execu-
tive council was responsible for formu-
lating policy, with most African mem-
bers drawn from the legislature and
including three ex officio members
appointed by the governor.
Kwame Nkrumah Takes Power:
A new constitution, approved on April
29, 1954, established cabinet compris-
ing African ministers drawn from an
all-African legislature chosen by direct
election. In the elections that followed,
the Convention People’s Party (CPP),
led by Kwame Nkrumah, won the
majority of seats in the new Legislative
Assembly. Kwame Nkrumah became
GHANA |
COUNTRY FOCUS
HISTORY
Migrants from an Ancient Kingdom:
The history of the Gold Coast, before
the last quarter of the 15th century,
is derived primarily from oral tradi-
tion that refers to migrations from the
ancient kingdoms of the Western
Soudan (the area of Mauritania and
Mali). The Gold Coast was renamed
Ghana upon independence in 1957,
because of indications that present-
day inhabitants descended from
migrants, who moved south from the
ancient kingdom of Ghana.
Building the Portuguese Military
Factory of El Mina:
The first contact between Europe
and the Gold Coast dates from
