Notes on Colonialism

European Expansion Made possible by developments in shipping, navigation Motivated by: Need to settle excess population Evangelical zeal Search for wealth

Disease and the Americas Native Americans did not have immunity to diseases common in Europe, Africa & Asia Up to 95% died after contact Human epidemic diseases originated with herd animals; need both herds and dense population In Americas, there were dense populations but no herds

In the Americas… Europeans… …seized territory …formed settlements …exploited labor …stole wealth

Americas Europeans began with native and European laborers, then turned to Africa. Africans were: resistant to European diseases resistant to tropical diseases

Slave Trade Trade between Europe and Africa soon became focused on slave trade. Africans wanted European goods and all the Europeans wanted were slaves. Most slaves were captured in raids or were prisoners of war. Some were criminals or debtors.

Slave Trade (cont.) Slaves were captured by Africans and sold by African middlemen to Europeans. During the slave trade, Europeans did not control African territories.

Scramble for Africa Slave trade ended 1805, replaced by other trade Late 1880s, European countries suddenly wanted colonies in Africa: To build national prestige To gain raw materials for factories

Scramble for Africa (cont.) To gain markets for manufactured goods To gain mineral wealth and prevent other European countries from acquiring it Europeans cooperated among themselves and divided Africa up Able to colonize late 19th century because: Better medicines Better guns

Ideology of African Colonialism Ideology—a set of ideas representing one’s worldview, which affects one’s thoughts and actions. Bringing civilization and salvation to “savages” Benefiting natives Taught superiority of European way of life, backwardness of African life. Rudyard Kipling—White Man’s Burden—natives not capable of governing themselves and need our intervention to prosper.

Colonialism and Identity Colonies expected to be profitable to the colonizers Forced Africans to pay taxes (hut tax, head tax) Pressured to grow cash crops Took land for settlement Ruled: created chiefs, new ethnic groups/tribes

Colonialism and Identity (cont.) Whole countries, along with social groups and divisions within them, were colonial inventions Many modern political boundaries in West Africa based on linguistic, political, and economic contrasts that are the result of European colonial policies

Essential Questions Consider… How did the consequences of colonialism affect the relationship between the colonizing European cultures and the indigenous African cultures? How is this relationship reflected in the literature of colonial countries?