Cultural Imperialism in Africa European imperialism had a strong influence over African culture in many ways. Essentially all of Africa fell victim to the very influential and dominant European nations. The process of imperialism on these economically and militarily weak countries of Africa was obviously simple for the Europeans. In most of Africa, there were no countries, only clans and tribes, which made the imperialization much easier as well. These imperialist nations, such as Great Britain, France, Italy, and Germany, showed African nations many new ideals and tools that spread like a cultural virus.
As mentioned by William Harper, “The cultivation of the great staple crop cannot be carried on without slaves.” (Harper, Memoir in Slavery, 1837) In a time of western expansion and the cotton boom, some slave traders were able to accumulate great wealth from the slave-trading business and sought opportunities to acquire higher social status and financial stability. A con of slavery was when slaves were driven mercilessly to plant, cultivate, and harvest the crops for market. A failed crop meant the planter could lose his initial investment in land and slaves and possibly suffer bankruptcy. A successful crop could earn such high returns that the slaves were often worked beyond human endurance. Plantation masters argued callously that it was cheaper to work the slaves to death and then buy new ones than it was to allow them to live long enough and under sufficiently healthy conditions that they could bear children to increase their numbers.
Slavery, Democracy, and Conquest in American History History is a repetition of contradictions because history is made by events which always contain people’s idealism and reality but also people’s desire and plot. Ever since American history started, human relationship has been twisted and destroyed by conquest, slavery and democracy. Nowadays, America is considered the land of chance and freedom. In American history, America was the land of opportunity and freedom for the Europeans, but it was just a hell for the people from Africa. Europeans conquered America and then brought slaves from Africa and made their own benefits.
Andy Bartlett 11-19-06 DBQ Imperialism in Africa In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries European imperialism caused its countries to divide up the rest of the world, each country claiming bits as its own. Due to its large amounts of resources, Africa was one of the main areas in which European nations established colonies. Imperialism in Africa had both positive and negative results for not only the Africans in the colonies, but the European colonizers as well. Some positive effects on Africans were that they were provided with security by their ruler and new technology was brought to them. Some negative effects from them were the Africans loss of freedom, slavery, the loss of their land and natural resources to the colonizer, and a decrease in African nationalism.
According to Davis, slaves and peasants were perceived and subjected to common stereotypes regarding the color of their skin, the customs many of the enslaved peoples had before they were conquered, and how the elite upper classes and literate people looked down on them as a dehumanized object. To support this theory, he looked into the role that color symbolism and how physical appearance had a large impact on this misconception. (Davis 50, 57) Another sample he looked and discussed was Islamic and Christian geographic expansions and conflicts that led to the creation of the term Racism that is linked to historic events involving slavery. (Davis 54, 60) Winthrop argues that Slavery and Racism was created at the same time. He supports this argument by looking closely at the meaning of the symbolism behind the color black.
The one continuity through this change was the selling of gold. West Sub-Saharan Africa had always relied on gold for trade and it was so abundant and valuable that it could rely on it solely. One could say that this also led to the marketing of slaves to the Mediterranean. With so much gold the Ghana and Mali Empire did not have to seek some other form of wealth, even if it required less labor. Agriculture was another continuty because it remained a huge part of the economy, even with expansion and advances in iron working.
(Source B) The colonists (or the main fault) did not realize the many mistakes they made when they colonized Congo. After and during the war, the population had had a dramatic increase, which meant more fighting power to fight against the colonialists. Over 200 000 people were willing to fight back, and reclaim their country as their own. The colonialists did not expect so many people, and for the black nationalists to have so much fighting power and dedication. (Source E and
Essay Question: How was the slave trade practised in Africa and Europe before c. 1550, in comparison to the Atlantic slave- trade after 1550? What were the main differences between the two periods in terms of their origins, motivations and effects on African society? “A man entirely at the disposition of another man! Open the bloody pages of our revolution, know mankind and judge the fate of the Negro slave.” Etienne Laurent Pierre Burnel, anti-slavery commissioner to the Mascareignes, 1796.1 The slave trade in Africa was one that easily predated the arrival of Europeans on the West Coast.2 The introduction of Islam saw the forced migration of African peoples in providing labor, domestic and military services within the country itself.3 While the trade in Africa before c. 1550 had little overall impact on African society, it set the scene for the harvesting and international shipment of slaves by Europeans after 1440 during the Atlantic slave trade. The arrival of the Portuguese and the growing demand for labor in the New World and islands of the Atlantic initiated the enslavement and transportation of Africans by boat to such destinations.4 The experience of the slave became extraordinarily different during such times, with many intense hardships endured, and as a result, an effect on African society that would last into the times of present day society.
In the years of Europe’s series of conquest and colonization across the African landmass, the various tribes of Africa reacted either peacefully (possibly angry, just not doing anything to stop Europe), or aggressively. Many of the African tribes threatened by European expansion reacted to Europe’s violence (or warning) in peaceful, non-aggressive ways. Most of this is due to Africans having a huge military disadvantage against Europe due to their lack of modern firearms [doc 9]. Europe demanded written documents stating the surrender of African land over to the Europeans, of course, the Africans didn’t have a chance of defeating them, and so they signed their land of, sometimes without even attempting to fight back. They also had to state
In order to explore the question further, I have researched the background of slavery and why it began. I looked at How did American slavery begin? By E. Countryman. It explores the origins of slavery and how slaves were treated and viewed by other people in society. I also looked at Arrogance of race: historical perspectives on slavery, racism and social inequality by G.M.