Scramble for Africa

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complete the activity by

answering the questions.

Berlin Conference 1884click here for article

In 1884, leaders of the European powers held an international

conference in Berlin to discuss the partition of Africa. Without much

knowledge of or regard for traditional African ethnic communities and

territorial boundaries, Europeans drew their own borders and agreed to

recognize the colonial acquisitions of any other European power. Within just

30 years, almost all of Africa – a continent four times as large as Europe – was under European political control.

African Colonies Map

Age of Imperialism Maps

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Africa’s Natural Resource Map

David Livingstone1813- 1873

• Livingstone was a British missionary doctor

• Livingstone became convinced of his mission to reach new peoples in the interior of Africa and introduce them to Christianity, as well as freeing them from slavery.

Map of Livingstone’s Exploration

Painting of Livingstone in Africa

Explorationthe action of traveling in or through an unfamiliar area in order to learn about it.

Cartoon #1

Write a 3-5 sentence interpretation of this cartoon.

Cartoon # 2

Using the cartoon above, explain what the British motives were in Africa.

Cartoon # 3

Explain how the artist of the cartoon feels about British imperialism. How do you know?

Cecil Rhodes1853- 1902

English-born South African businessman and politician.

He was the founder of the diamond company De Beers, which today markets 40% of the world's rough diamonds and at one time marketed 90%.

He was the founder of the state of Rhodesia, which was named after him.

A firm believer inBritish colonialism.

Cecil Rhodes

Cecil Rhodes

I contend that we (Britons) are the first race in the world, and the more of the world we inhabit, the better it is for the human race…It is our duty to seize every opportunity of acquiring more territory and we should keep this one idea steadily before our eyes that more territory simply means more of the Anglo-Saxon race, more of the best, the most human, most honorable race the world possesses.

~ Cecil Rhodes, 1877

The “White Man’s Burden”

Advertisement in McClure’s Magazine in October 1899.

The advertisement was meant to persuade readers

that purchasing Pears’ Soap would lighten the White Man’s Burden by “teaching the virtues of

cleanliness.”

Poem: White Man’s BurdenBy: Rudyard Kipling, 1899

Take up the White Man's burden--Send forth the best ye breed--Go bind your sons to exileTo serve your captives' need;

Quote # 1

"Colonialism’s greatest misdeed was to have tried to strip us of our responsibility in conducting our own affairs and convince us that our civilization was nothing less than savagery, thus giving us complexes which led to our being branded as irresponsible and lacking in self-confidence. . .”Sekou Toure, West African nationalist, 1962

Quote # 2

The White Man killed my father,My father was proud.The White Man seduced my mother,My mother was beautiful.The White Man burnt my brother beneath the noonday sun,My brother was strong.His hands red with black bloodThe White Man turned to me;And in the Conqueror’s voice said,"Boy! a chair, a napkin, a drink.”An Anthology of West African Verse

Quote # 3

By railways and roads, by reclamation [recovery] of swamps and irrigation of deserts, and by a system of fair trade and competition, we have added to the prosperity and wealth of these lands, and [have] checked famine and disease. We have put an end to the awful misery of the slave trade and inter-tribal war, to human sacrifice and the ordeals of the witch-doctor. Where these things survive they are severely suppressed. We are endeavoring [trying] to teach the native races to conduct their own affairs with justice and humanity, and to educate them alike in letters and in industry. . . .

Quote # 4

“Indeed, it has been rightly asserted by both Africans and Europeans that the European occupation of Africa, although it deprived people of their independence, helped to direct the minds and activities of the native peoples away from destructive to constructive programs of action. …The reader should note these four things, among others, that the coming of the European power, brought to Africa: the coming together of different tribes; better communications; a new economic system; and the creation of new classes among the African.”