2 questions on small group discussion

1. The question I have lingering is - I feel the way they used the whip was quite interesting and cruel. The idea that someone would get with a weapon like that 125 times is outrageous which shows how the African people were treated.

2.  What worked well in our group was going around and letting each person speak. This lets everyone get a chance and this way everyone has to talk. This can be improved by preparing before hand.

Thesis

Thesis : " To see Africa instead as as a Continent of coherent societies, each with its own culture and history, took a leap of empathy, a leap that few, if any, of early Europeans or American visitors to the Congo were able to make." ( pg. 101)

1. " For nearly three centuries Africa has been robbed of her sable sons...... The Negro of this country can turn to his Saxton Brothers." (pg 102)
2. " " Every possible influence was exerted to turn me aside from my mission. An officer of the Kings household dispatched to me for the purpose of visiting the Congo." ( pg. 107)
3. leopold clealry saw that the way to charm this particular visitor was to offer a sympathetic ear to his projects, for in the same article Williams reported that the King " proved himself a good listener" ( pg. 106)

4. " Leopold's establishment of military bases along the river had caused a wave of death and destruction, because the african soldiers who manned them were expected to feed themselves". ( pg.110)

quotes from 33- 60

Stanley quote- " The power possessing the Congo.... he wrote, would absorb to itself the trade of the whole enormous basin behind. This river is and will be the grand highway of commerce to the West Central Africa". ( pg. 55)

Leopold- "Nonetheless, Leopold had, foxlike, gone a step forward. He had learned from his many attempts to buy a colony that none was for sale; he would have to conquer it". ( pg. 46)/ "

"Leopold is subtle and sly, he told one of his ministers he never takes a chance". ( pg. 34)

Response to King Leopold's Ghost chapter one

The first chapter of this book is giving a clear image to what Europeans saw and dreamed that Africa was rich in resources and large. The reading gives detail to when slave first started and then escalades through time. As the slaves at first were not realized as slaves but asked to do something. As time went on they knew they became slaves and eventually there were so many slaves that trade began with not just resources but also with people. These slaves were traded for money and different resources and were kept in terrible conditions most of the time.
Questions- 1. Why was africa such an important place for the europeans to colonize, and what was there motive?
question 2. Why do you think King Leopold does not come to africa to witness the blood shed?

The White Man's Burden- response

This reading mainly responding to the "White man" going to africa and using there resources and hurting the people along the way. In this response the writer is clearly saying that the Africans were exhausted and all resources were being used against there will as well as being treated badly. As the reading says the Africans lived savage lives and always lived on dull routines. The white man always had more weapons and other tactics of taking what they wanted and the Africans were powerless. As it say's at the end " To kill the soul in a people- this is a crime  which transcends physical murder". In my opinion this is true as the white men took everything and left the Africans helpless.

What I learned, questions, something i'm curious about investigating further

There are many thing's I learned today above all else i learned what Imperialism is, which is basically a place of higher power taking over another place to take there resources and eventually take over. I also learned about Afghanistan and when t was colonized and why any other nations would want to colonize it. A question I have is why these places never tried to fight back, because I'm sure a few of them knew what was going on. Though the people taking over were larger then the people they were taking over a issue i believe would still be raised and why wasn't it until later on. Something I am curious about is if the people were making money from zoo's and using it to make there colony bigger and why they would keep humans in the zoo.