Day 113 - Talk History
Today in WHAP we had a talk history day and continued our 19th century imperialism notes.
First, we started out by discussing why Africa was called the dark continent. It was called this because of how it was considered primitive and savage, it was a racial issue, and the fact that Africa was unexplored also added to this view.
David Livingstone was a person of the time was exploring Africa and was a major figure known around the world. In the 1860s he goes into Africa and then disappears, and many people are curious of where he went. Then, Henry Stanley was sent into Africa with a nearly unlimited budget and given the task of finding Livingstone. The reason that Livingstone was able to stay so hidden was because he was practically integrated into society, and when Stanley finally found him he reportedly said "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"
He then went on to write a book detailing the possibilities in Africa and making himself look good, but then it turned out he wasn't such a good guy after all. He returned to Africa several more times, and was actually a racist and very brutal. He was known for ruthlessly slaughtering Africa porters for sport, with no valid justification. The reason he kept returning to Africa was that he was working on the Belgium king's behalf, Leopold II, to secure a large territory in the Congo. Eventually by manipulating the natives, he was successful in this pursuit. Leopold was made very rich by this territory, as he would lease it out to people to hunt on the land.
Other countries in Europe then decided they wanted a share in this loot, so the Rush for Africa happened where the countries tried to snag as much land as possible for their country. Out of this the Berlin Conference was born, in order to prevent conflict over territory. 14 European nations met to discuss the divisions of Africa, without a single rep. from Africa.
The main goal of claiming this territory was of course to extort resources like Rubber or ivory. In this process, however, many people (5-8 million) were slaughtered. Mr. Profitt gave the example where the Europeans would threaten African tribesmen's families in order to secure the service of the men.
In terms of the talk history, we started at the end of class and didn't have too much time to talk about it. But what it's about all sort of ties into the notes we have been taking these past few days. Essentially, in the poem the white man is making themselves the victim, making it look like they are the good guys for coming in to colonize Africa, despite not receiving any thanks for their "heroic" actions.
Obviously, that's pretty morally wrong, and this line of thinking is pretty flawed in basically saying that there is a superior race, the white man.
With that, the bell rang and we were dismissed. Until Monday!
First, we started out by discussing why Africa was called the dark continent. It was called this because of how it was considered primitive and savage, it was a racial issue, and the fact that Africa was unexplored also added to this view.
David Livingstone was a person of the time was exploring Africa and was a major figure known around the world. In the 1860s he goes into Africa and then disappears, and many people are curious of where he went. Then, Henry Stanley was sent into Africa with a nearly unlimited budget and given the task of finding Livingstone. The reason that Livingstone was able to stay so hidden was because he was practically integrated into society, and when Stanley finally found him he reportedly said "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"
He then went on to write a book detailing the possibilities in Africa and making himself look good, but then it turned out he wasn't such a good guy after all. He returned to Africa several more times, and was actually a racist and very brutal. He was known for ruthlessly slaughtering Africa porters for sport, with no valid justification. The reason he kept returning to Africa was that he was working on the Belgium king's behalf, Leopold II, to secure a large territory in the Congo. Eventually by manipulating the natives, he was successful in this pursuit. Leopold was made very rich by this territory, as he would lease it out to people to hunt on the land.
Other countries in Europe then decided they wanted a share in this loot, so the Rush for Africa happened where the countries tried to snag as much land as possible for their country. Out of this the Berlin Conference was born, in order to prevent conflict over territory. 14 European nations met to discuss the divisions of Africa, without a single rep. from Africa.
The main goal of claiming this territory was of course to extort resources like Rubber or ivory. In this process, however, many people (5-8 million) were slaughtered. Mr. Profitt gave the example where the Europeans would threaten African tribesmen's families in order to secure the service of the men.
In terms of the talk history, we started at the end of class and didn't have too much time to talk about it. But what it's about all sort of ties into the notes we have been taking these past few days. Essentially, in the poem the white man is making themselves the victim, making it look like they are the good guys for coming in to colonize Africa, despite not receiving any thanks for their "heroic" actions.
Obviously, that's pretty morally wrong, and this line of thinking is pretty flawed in basically saying that there is a superior race, the white man.
With that, the bell rang and we were dismissed. Until Monday!
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