Form One History Notes – Complete All Topics (New Syllabus)
History F1 Lesson Notes prepared in accordance with the 2023 History Syllabus for Ordinary Secondary Education, Form I-IV, issued by the Ministry of Education Science and Technology.
It is a revised edition of History notes for Secondary Schools for Form One in accordance with the 2005 syllabus issued by the then, Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT).
Meaning of history
History is the study of man and his activities/events in different times.
These activities enable man to obtain his
The past events and processes are about social, political and economic development of the people and societies.
Qualities of Historical Events
istorical events have specific qualities that differentiate them from non-historical events, those qualities as follow ;-
i. Significance
ii. Lon-term effects
iii. Diversity
iv. Context
v. Interpretation
vi. Educative
vii. Time
i. Significance
Historical events can have a significant impacts in politics, education and economy especially trade, industries and agriculture.
A good example the Maji Maji war of 1905 – 1907.
ii. Long-term effects
Historical events possess long-term
A good example is the Berlin Conference of 1884 – 1885
iii. Diversity
Historical events are diverse and cover a wider range of
Those topics may include social, political, economic, scientific and
iv. Interpretation
istorical events will be interpreted well by
Historians can come with different perspectives and narratives that can lead the
v. Educative
Historical events provide essential lessons for present and future
For example, resistance to Colonial Imposition in Africa.
vi. Time
Historical events must have time in which it happened
Dating Historical Events
Historians usually divide time into several categories, namely
Day
This is a duration of twenty four hours (24hrs)
Examples, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
A week
This is a duration of seven days (7days)
Month
This is the duration of four weeks (4 weeks)
Examples January, February, March etc
A year
This is a duration of twelve months (12 moths)
It is total 0f 366 days
– Example – 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022 etc
A decade
This is a duration of ten years (10 yrs)
A century
This is the duration of one hundred years (100 yrs)
Example – 2025 is in 21st Century
A millennium
This is the duration of thousand years (1000 yrs)
Example – 2025 is in 2nd Millenium
A generation
This is the average differences on ages between a child and his/her
A period
This is determined by one continuous event lasting for number of years
Example Period of slave trade in East Africa, Period of long distance trade
Year ZERO
This presents the year when Jesus Christ was born
It is known as Anno Domino (A.D) meaning the year of the Lord
Before Commo Era (B.C.E) and Before Christ (B.C)
All years before zero are called (B.C) meaning (Before Christ)
Dating Historical Events.
Dates are instrument in a science of history; these historians divided dates into four ways;
Recalling events: –
It involves remembering important events
– Examples drought, farming, floods, birth, eruption of diseases etc.
Language studies
Some names helps people to remember dates of some
– E.g., Word “Karafuu” started when Cloves were introduced in Zanzibar.
Carbon 14
This is a scientific method of determining
It used in the finding dates for remains of animals or plants, which died beyond 5000 years ago.
Carbon 14 is a gas found in carbon dioxide, which exists in the
It absorbed by plant and other living
When died carbon 14 that starts to decay at a fixed rate from the time of death
Potassium Argon
This is the scientific method used to date Archeological materials that last beyond 150,000 years.
– This technique is used to date inorganic materials associated with volcanic remains that lasted 150,000 years.
NEW SYLLABUS HISTORY FORM 1 NOTES
Topic One: Introduction to History
Topic Two: Origin of Human Beings
Topic Three: Production and Social Organisation in Pre-colonial Africa
Topic Four: Development of Agriculture in Pre-colonial African Societies
Topic Five: Handcraft and Mining Industries in Pre-colonial Africa
Topic Six: Social, Political and Education Systems in Pre-colonial Africa