In the period from 1200 to 1450 CE, trans-Saharan trade networks influenced state formation in West Africa,
Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which the process of West African state formation was influenced by trans-Saharan
trade.
In your response you should do the following:
• Respond to the prompt with a historically defensible thesis or claim that establishes a line of reasoning.
• Describe a broader historical context relevant to the prompt.
• Support an argument in response to the prompt using specific and relevant examples of evidence.
• Use historical reasoning (e. g., comparison, causation, continuity or change) to frame or structure an argument that addresses the
prompt.
• Use evidence to corroborate, quality, or modify an argument that addresses the prompt.