Colonialism in the Congo

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Colonialism in the Congo

• Conquest, Conflict, and Commerce

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Day One

• Introduction to Africa and the Congo

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Focus on the Congo

• 1.5 million square miles (size of the US east of
  the Mississippi)
• Home of most of Africas rainforest
• Congo River Basinhome of the 3000 mile long
  Congo River
• Huge deposits of gold, diamonds, copper and
  manganese

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People of the Congo

• Pygmies (hunter gatherers)
• Bantu (knew how to smelt iron and use
  sophisticated tools)
• Nilotes (farmers, fishers, herders)

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African Kingdoms

• Large empires or kingdoms developed by the 15th
  or 16th century
• Some of the biggest kingdoms were the Luba, the
  Lunda, and the Kongo
• Trading empires traded salt and goldspread
  cultural and technological ideas

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STOP!

• The Congo is rich in the culture of its people
• In your groups you will be given some proverbs
  which reflect the Congolese culture
• Read each proverb and answer the questions about
  the culture

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Slave Trading

• Portuguese arrive in 1480s to trade with the
  people of the Congo. They wanted gold and
  copperbut the Congo did not have enough for them
• Instead they built sugar cane plantations and
  used African slaves to do the work

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Reaction to Slave TradeCongo ruler writes to
King of Portugal

• Sir, Your Highness should know how our Kingdom
  is being lost in so many wayswe cannot reckon
  how great the damage is, since the mentioned
  merchants are taking every day our natives, sons
  of the land and the sons of our noblemen and
  vassals and our relatives, because the thieves
  and men of bad conscience grab them wishing to
  have the things and wares of this Kingdom.So
  great Sir, is the corruption that our country is
  being completely depopulated, and Your Highness
  should not agree with this nor accept it. King
  Afonso (1526)

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Slave Trade Ends

• Estimates that 1.5 million slaves taken from the
  Congo
• Slave trade dries up after Britain outlaws slave
  trade in the early 1800s

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Why did Europeans go to Africa?

• Discuss with the person next to you. Try to come
  up with THREE reasons

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Reason 1

• European factories were in full production by the
  late 1800sthey needed cheap raw materials that
  they could find in Africa
• Also..they could SELL goods to new customers in
  Africa

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Reason 2

• Competition between European countries
• Countries like Great Britain, France, Portugal,
  Belgium felt that they could gain more power by
  gaining territory in Africa

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Reason 3

• Christianity and morals
• We can help civilize the African people by
  bringing them religion and European culture
• See White Mans Burden

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White Mans Burden

• Take up the white mans burden
• Send forth the best ye breed
• Go bind your sons to exile
• To serve your captives need
• To wait in heavy harness,
• On fluttered folk and wild-
• Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
• Half devil and half child.
• Rudyard Kipling

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King Leopold and the Congo

• Belgian King wants to use the Congo to build an
  overseas empire and to secure his position as a
  great European leader
• Famously says that he wants a slice of this
  magnificent African cake.

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Berlin Conference

• Representatives of 14 nations came together to
  decide the fate of Africa
• No Africans represented!!!
• Bismarck says purpose is Commerce, Christianity,
  and Civilization

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Results of Berlin Conference

• Allowed the partition of Africa
• Only Liberia and Ethiopia not owned by Europeans
• African tribes divided amongst many countries.no
  respect for their boundaries.

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Berlin Conference of 1885

• What was the purpose of the Berlin Conference?
  What was the effect?

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Leopold gets the Congo!

• Leopold agreed to make the Congo a Free Trade
  Zone and to create an environment where
  missionaries and businessmen would help to
  civilize Central Africa
• InsteadLeopold used the Congo for his own
  personal wealth

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STOP!

• Map Analysis
• Working in pairslook at the map of European
  Powers in Africa (1884) and European Powers in
  Africa (1914)
• Answer the questions (1-13)

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Day Two

• Work on Part II Study Guide

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Read Part II Study Guide

• Answer questions 1-13
• You may work together on this!
• If you do not finish.it is homework!

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Day Three
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Discuss Study Guide Part II

• Lets discuss this study guide!

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Quotes from the Congo people

• I ran away with two old people, but they were
  caught and killed and the soldiers made me carry
  the baskets holding their cut-off hands. They
  killed my little sister, threw her in a house,
  and set it on fire.
• A Congolese refuge

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More primary sources

• Two Belgian Army officers saw, from the deck of
  their steamer, a native in a canoe.The officers
  made a wager that they could hit the native with
  their rifles. Three shots were fired and the
  native fell dead, pierced through the head, and
  the trade canoe was transformed into a funeral
  barge and floated down the river.
• from George Washington
  Williams letter to King Leopold

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More primary sources

• If the rubber the Congolese collect does not
  reach the required amount, the sentries attack
  them, kill some, and bring the severed hands to
  the District Commissioner. One sentry said The
  Commissioner has promised us if we have plenty of
  hands, he will shorten our service. The hands
  were often smoked to preserve them till shown to
  the District Commissioner.
• Edvarg Sjoblom, Swedish missionary

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Pictures of Atrocities

• As you look at these pictures of the Congolese
  people, ask yourself how this could have
  happened? Why didnt someone stop this?

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What should be done????

• Many people in Britain were outraged at what had
  happened to the people of the Congo
• They spoke out at a place called Speakers
  Corner in Hyde Park
• You will be assigned a role as a person of that
  time period or as a member of the press

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What you need to do!

• Read your characters biography
• Complete the worksheet Preparing for the
  AfternoonConcerned Members of the Public
• Prepare a 60 second speech to make at Hyde Park
  Corner tomorrow
• If you dont finish this now.it is HOMEWORK

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Day Four

• Today we will be having our Hyde Park Corner
• You will each make a 60 second speech about your
  feelings regarding the situation in the Congo
• Introduce your character before you begin
• Audience you should write down a few key ideas
  from the speakersyou will be asking questions
  once they are finished!

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Speakers Corner
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Closure

• Pretend that you have been watching Speakers
  Corner
• Write a letter to your mom or dad (from your
  characters perspective) explaining what you have
  seen
• Be sure to include your opinion about the
  situation in the Congo
• 1 to 2 paragraphs

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Day Five

• The British Parliament has decided to get
  involved in the issue of the Congo
• Lets read June 9, 1904 The Moment of
  Decision out loud so we can see what is going on

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Assigning you to a Group

• You will be assigned to a group with either
  Option One, Option Two, or Option Threeeach
  option is a different response that the British
  Government can make to address this problem
• There will be TWO groups for each option

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What you must do

• READ your option
• Each person in the group is assigned a different
  role
• Group director
• Foreign Policy Specialist
• Economy Specialist
• Human Rights Specialist

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What you must do

• Your group must explain your option to the rest
  of the class
• Using FIVE bullet points.summarize your option
  on the poster paper
• Then.in 2 minutes or lessexplain to the rest of
  the class why your Option is the best course for
  the British government to take

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Each group presents

• Listen to each groups presentation
• At the conclusion of ALL the presentations we
  will vote as to which course of action the
  British government should take

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Closure

• Why did you vote the way you did?

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What really happened after the debate?

• Britain suggested to the Congo that an
  independent commission be appointed to
  investigate
• Commission revealed atrocitiesthere was outrage
  in Britain and the US
• The Belgian government took over the Congo and
  began reforms

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What really happened?

• From 1911 to 1960 the Belgians operated a model
  colony.
• The Belgians began to give power back to local
  chiefsalthough many were dead
• They brought medicine and basic education to the
  Congo.although African stories/culture were
  often ignored.as was the story of the millions
  who had been killed

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What really happened?

• Farmland was given back to the peoplebut
  corporations controlled precious natural
  resources like copper, diamonds, and gold
• Congolese people working for Belgian corporations
  were paid little money
• Congolese natives were not allowed to eat in
  white restaurants, stay in white hotels, or be
  treated in white hospitals

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Independence

• The Belgian Congo did not become officially
  independent from Belgium until 1960