Modern Europe- Cooke
Name: _________________________________
Imperialism in Africa DBQ Essay
The dramatic changes of the 19th century led European nations to scramble for control of the rest of the
world. Africa, due to both its location and vast natural resources, was high on the list for European
domination. By 1914, almost the entire continent had been subjected to European rule. Examine the
following documents, include any other materials used in this unit, and write an essay that answers one of
the following questions:
Prompt #1: Imperialism was a policy that many Europeans justified by focusing on the benefits to both
Europe and the African colonies. Who benefitted more from Imperialism: Europeans or the
colonized Africans?
Prompt #2: Did the gains of Imperialism justify the costs? Think about the Europeans’ motives and
rationalization for Imperialism as well as the social and cultural impact on the colonized.
Requirements:
 The paper must be NO LESS than TWO (2) full pages in length, and NO MORE than FOUR (4)
pages in length. It needs to be 5 paragraphs.
 The paper must be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point font.
 You should use this document packet as well as your class notes, reading handouts and your
textbook. You SHOULD NOT do any outside research. All sources should be cited.
 Each body paragraph needs at least one primary source quote. You also must use four sources from
this document packet.
* Remember, the policy on late work (including papers) is that the final grade drops 3 points each day it
is late.
* As always, I am available for extra-help by appointment before or after school or during the day
(blocks 1, 2, and 5). You are always welcome to swing by my office to see if I’m in – if I’m not there
please leave me a note so I know you were there.
* Grammar Reminders:
-Use Spellcheck
-Do not use “I” (or we, us, me, mine, etc.)
-Do not use contractions (can’t, won’t, wouldn’t, it’s, etc.)
Pre-Writing Brainstorm Prompt #1
Benefits for Europeans
Benefits for the colonized
Prompt #1: Writing Your Thesis
Basic Question (the answer leads to your thesis): Who benefitted more from Imperialism: Europeans or
the colonized Africans?
A good thesis has 3 parts:
Possible Criticisms
(Although, Despite)
Addresses the critic (the
opposing side of your
argument)
Possible Central
Arguments
“
“ benefitted
more from Imperialism
Possible Controlling Idea (because)
A general statement-DO NOT list the
topics of your 2 support the argument
paragraphs here!
(this will be the topic of your first body
paragraph)
Ideas:
Ideas:
Despite/Although:
Ideas:
because…
Your thesis:
Reasons statement (two reasons will turn into your 2nd and 3rd body paragraphs):
Your body paragraph topics:
• 1st Body Paragraph (Address the Critic): ________
• 2nd Body Paragraph (Support the Argument):_______
• 3rd Body Paragraph (Support the Argument): ________
Pre-Writing Brainstorm Prompt #2
Gains of Imperialism
Costs of Imperialism
Prompt #2: Writing Your Thesis
Basic Question (the answer leads to your thesis): Did the gains of Imperialism justify the costs?
A good thesis has 3 parts:
Possible Criticisms
(Although, Despite)
Addresses the critic (the
opposing side of your
argument)
Possible Central
Arguments
the gains of Imperialism
“
“ justify the
costs
Possible Controlling Idea (because)
A general statement-DO NOT list the
topics of your 2 support the argument
paragraphs here!
(this will be the topic of your first body
paragraph)
Ideas:
Ideas:
Despite/Although:
Ideas:
because…
Your thesis:
Reasons statement (two reasons will turn into your 2nd and 3rd body paragraphs):
Your body paragraph topics:
• 1st Body Paragraph (Address the Critic): ________
• 2nd Body Paragraph (Support the Argument):_______
• 3rd Body Paragraph (Support the Argument): ________
Document 1: Excerpt from the Memoir of Ndansi Kumalo
Kumalo was a member of the Ndebele people of Nigeria; many members of his tribe died under British expansion in the
1870s and 1880s.
Would I like to have the old days back? Well, the white men have brought some good things. For a start,
they brought us European implements — plows; we can buy European clothes, which are an advance.
The Government has arranged for education and through that, when our children grow up, they may rise
in status. We want them to be educated and civilized and make better citizens.
Even in our own time there were troubles, there was much fighting and many innocent people were
killed. It is infinitely better to have peace instead of war, and our treatment generally by the officials is
better than it was at first. But, under the white people, we still have our troubles. Economic conditions
are telling on us very severely. We are on land where the rainfall is scanty, and things will not grow well.
In our own time we could pick our own country, but now all the best land has been taken by the white
people. We get hardly any price for our cattle; we find it hard to meet our money obligations. If we have
crops to spare we get very little for them; we find it difficult to make ends meet
Document 2: Josiah Strong on Anglo-Saxon Predominance, 1891
The author felt that Anglo-Saxons (by which he means “the English, the British Colonists, and the people of the United
States”) had a historic mission to bring “civil liberty” and spiritual Christianity to the rest of the world.
The Anglo-Saxon is the representative of two great ideas, which are closely related. One of them is that
of civil liberty. Nearly all of the civil liberty in the world is enjoyed by Anglo-Saxons.
The other great idea … is that of a pure spiritual Christianity. That means that most of the spiritual
Christianity in the world is found among Anglo-Saxons and their converts; for this the great missionary
race.
Is there room for reasonable doubt that this race, unless devitalized by alcohol and tobacco, is destined to
dispossess many weaker races, assimilate other, and mold the remainder, until, in a very and important
sense, it has Anglo-Saxonized mankind?
Document 3: From an interview with a refugee from the rubber-producing regions.
Primary source interview with a Congolese worker
We had to go further and further into the forest to find the rubber vines, to go without food, and our
women had to give up cultivating the fields and gardens. Then we starved. Wild beasts—leopards—killed
some of us when we were working away in the forest, and others got lost or died from exposure and
starvation, and we begged the white man to leave us alone, saying that we could get no more rubber, but
the white men and soldiers said: “Go! You are only beasts yourselves.”
Document 4: The Devilfish in Egyptian Waters
This political cartoon appeared in a British newspaper in the 1880s.
Document 5: The Coming of the Pink Cheeks
This is a selection from Chief Kabongo, a Kikuyu, from Kenya who describes what happened to his people when the
Europeans took control of Kikuyu land in the late 1800s.
For some years my eldest son had been going to a school kept by some Pink Cheeks only two hours’
journey away … They wore clothes like the Pink Cheeks who farmed, and many of them were women.
They had a medicine house where they many ill people; there were good medicine-men and good things
were done and sick people were made well …
It was in these days that a Pink Cheek man came one day to our Council. He came from far, from where
many of these people lived in houses made of stone and where they held their own council. He sat in our
midst and he told us of the king of the Pink Cheeks, who was a great king and lived in a land over the
seas. “This great king is now your king,” he said. “And this land is all his land, though he has said you
may live on it as your are his people and he is as your father and you are his sons.”
This was strange news. For this land was ours. We had bought our land with cattle in the presence of the
Elders and had taken the oath and it was our own. We had no king, we elected our Councils and they
made our laws. A strange king could not be our king and our land was our own. We had had no battle no
one had fought us to take away our land as, in the past, had sometimes been. This land we had from our
fathers and our fathers’ father, who had bought it. How then could it belong to this king?
Document 6: The White Man’s Burden (Excerpt)
Rudyard Kipling wrote this poem to Americans who were just beginning their venture into imperialism. The poem appeared
in McClure’s Magazine 12 Feb. 1899.
Take up the White Man's burden-Send forth the best ye breed-Go bind your sons to exile
To serve your captives' need;
To wait in heavy harness,
On fluttered folk and wild-Your new-caught, sullen peoples,
Half-devil and half-child.
Take up the White Man's burden-In patience to abide,
To veil the threat of terror
And check the show of pride;
By open speech and simple,
An hundred times made plain
To seek another's profit,
And work another's gain.
Take up the White Man's burden-The savage wars of peace-Fill full the mouth of Famine
And bid the sickness cease;
And when your goal is nearest
The end for others sought,
Watch sloth and heathen Folly
Bring all your hopes to nought.
Document 7: Leopold, The Janitor from The Congo and Coasts of Africa
American journalist and author, Richard Harding Davis, visited the Congo and expressed his opinion of
Leopold’s rule in Africa. In 1904, Leopold had been charged by a European commission with making the
Congo “his private domain” and abusing his role.
The charges brought against Leopold II, as King of the Congo, are three:
1. That he has made slaves of the twenty million blacks he promised to protect.
2. That, in spite of his promise to keep the Congo open to trade, he has closed it to all
nations.
3. That the revenues of the country and all of its trade has retained for himself.
Anyone who visits the Congo and remains only two weeks will be convinced that of these
charges Leopold is guilty…He will see that the government of Leopold is not a government.
It preserves the perquisites and outwards signs of government. It coins money, issues
stamps, collects taxes. But it assumes none of the responsibilities of government. The Congo
Free State is only a great trading house. And in it Leopold is the only wholesale and retailed
trader. He gives a bar of soap for rubber and makes a “turnover” of a cup of salt for ivory.
He is not a monarch. He is a shopkeeper.
Document 8: The Black Man’s Burden
Edward Morel, a British journalist in the Belgian Congo, drew attention to the abuses of imperialism in 1903. The Congo was
perhaps the most famously exploitative of the European colonies.
It is [the Africans] who carry the ‘Black man’s burden.’ They have not withered away before the white man’s
occupation. Indeed…Africa has ultimately absorbed within itself every Caucasian. In [making] for himself a fixed
abode in Africa, the white man has massacred the African in heaps. […] His chances of effective resistance have
been steadily dwindling with the increasing perfectibility in the killing power of modern armament…
To reduce all the varied and picturesque and stimulating ways of savage life to a dull routine of endless toil for
uncomprehended ends, to [break] social ties and disrupt institutions; to stifle natural desires and crush mental
development […] to kill the soul in a people—this is a crime which transcends physical murder.
Document 9: Balance Sheets of Imperialism
An adaptation from Grover Clark’s piece on the costs of Imperialism (specifically for Italy)
The struggle for colonies does not result only in cash losses. There were also lives lost, wars fought, and hatreds
aroused that threatened new wars. . .Italy’s trade with her colonies in 1894-1932 was worth 5,561 million lire
[about $1,100 million]. This was less than one percent of her total foreign trade in the same period. In fact, her
expenditures on colonies for that time was 6,856 million lire. Obviously, colonies cost more than they are worth
in trade.
Document 10: Permanent Colonies Comic Strip
Ask in class for the cartoon showing the effects of colonization on the agricultural production of the colonized countries.
Document 11: Cecil Rhodes’ use of nationalism to justify imperialism
As quoted in “A Plague of Europeans: Westerners in Africa Since the Fifteenth Century” by David Killingray
I contend that we are the first race in the world and that the more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the
human race…I contend that every acre added to our territory provides for the birth of more of the English race,
who otherwise would not be brought into existence…I believe it to be my duty to god, my Queen and my country
to paint the whole map of Africa red…That is my creed, my dream and my mission.
Document 12: Amount of African Land Controlled by Europeans
I could now feast my eyes upon the fantastic figure of the ruler. I was
intensely interested in gazing at the strange weird-looking sovereign,
of whom it was commonly reported that his daily food was human
flesh. With arms and legs, neck and breast, all bedizened with copper
Document 13: Nnamdi Azikiwe, first president of independent Nigeria (1963–1966)
rings, chains, and other strange devices, and with a great copper
Primary Source speech from post-war Africa
crescent at the top of his head, the potentate gleamed with a shimmer
that was to our ideas unworthy of royalty, but savoured far too much
"There exists in colonial lands a rule which
a stranglehold
the country's
economy.
I regard
the idea of
of the has
magazines
of civicon
opulence,
reminding
one almost
unavoidably
imperialism as a crime against humanity, because it enables any part of the human race which is armed with
of a well-kept kitchen! His appearance, however, was decidedly
modern scientific knowledge to rule over less fortunate sections of mankind, simply because the latter are unable
marked with his nationality, for every adornment that he had about
to resist the force which supports such
rule.
him
belonged exclusively to Central Africa, as none but the
fabrications of his native land are deemed worthy of adorning the
We demand the right to take over responsibility for the government of our country. We demand the right to be
person of a king of the Monbuttoo. Agreeable to the national fashion
free to make mistakes and learn from our experience."
a plumed hat rested on top of his chignon, and soared a foot and a
half above his head; this hat was a narrow cylinder of closely-plaited
reeds; it was ornamented with three layers of red parrots’ feathers, and
Document 14: Quotes from African leaders to European imperialists
crowned with a plume of the same. . . . The muscles of Munza’s ears
From Menelik II of Ethiopia to Queen Victoria:
were pierced, and copper bars as thick as the finger were inserted in
the cavities. The entire body was smeared with the native unguent of
“I have no intention at all of being anpowdered
indifferentcam-wood.
spectator, .if. the
distant
holdpart
theofidea
dividing
Halfway
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Africa, Ethiopia having been for the past fourteen centuries, an island of Christianity in a sea of pagans...”
just below the knee were three bright, horny-looking circlets cut out
of hippopotamus-hide, likewise tipped with copper. As a symbol of
From Machemba, king of the Yao (modern-day
Tanzania),
to thewielded
Germanincommander,
Hermann
Wissmann:
his dignity
Munza
his right hand
the von
sickle-shaped
Monbuttoo scimitar, in this case only an ornamental weapon, and
I have listened to your words but can find no reason why I should obey you -- I would rather die first. If it should
made of pure copper. [Vol. 2, pp. 44-45]
be friendship that you desire, then I am ready for it, today and always; but to be your subject, that I cannot be. If
it should be war you desire, then I am ready, but never to be your subject. I do not fall at your feet, for you are
God's creature just as I am. I am Sultan here in my land. You are Sultan there in yours.
Document 15: King Munza in Full Dress
Image and description from The Heart of Africa (1874) by Georg August Schweinfurth, a German traveller.
Introduction
Sample Introduction:
The Industrial Revolution was a time of great change that started in
Great Britain in the 1700s. By the 1850s industrialization had spread to the
United States and continental Europe and the western world increased its
output of machine-made goods hundreds of times over. Although the people
of the time suffered horrible living and working conditions, the Industrial
Revolution made people’s lives better because of the long term effects. The
most important long term effects were longer life spans and the rise of a
global economy.
1. Topic Sentence/Contextual Statement: Sets the stage for the essay. Addresses the who, where and when.
You need to tell the audience what you’re writing about!
2. Thesis Statement: Contains primary argument. Three part thesis: Criticism, Central Argument, Controlling
Idea. The Controlling Idea should be a GENERAL statement.
3. Reasons: 2 topics used to prove your thesis. These will be the topics of your 2 Support the Argument body
paragraphs.
Body Paragraphs
Sample Body Paragraph
Ms. Cooke’s organization is one of the qualities that make her a good teacher. She gives out a schedule for
each unit so that students can always keep track of what the homework is. She knows well in advance when the
tests will be, so students can organize their study time effectively. She gives study guides at the end of each unit
to help the students study. Even though her knowledge of history is not directly demonstrated through her
organization, it is another quality that makes her a good teacher.
There are 4 different parts to a Body Paragraph:
1. Purpose Statement: Says what your paragraph will prove.
2. Evidence: Historical support for your argument.
3. Analysis: Explains how your evidence supports your purpose statement.
5. Transition: Sum up the main idea of the paragraph and introduce the next idea.
The evidence (and also the paragraphs themselves) should be in a CERTAIN ORDER. It should be logical (chronological, start
small and get big, etc.). My advice is to end with your strongest argument. Each body paragraph needs to have one primary source
quote and at least three citations (one per piece of evidence)
Conclusion
Sample Conclusion
While the Industrial Revolution created hardships for the people of the time,
the overall positive effects were greater for the world as a whole. Life spans
lengthened as nutrition and health improved, and the global economy
strengthened. The negative drawbacks were worth the positive effects. If
the Industrial Revolution had not occurred, the world today would be
radically different. Who knows how long people would have had to wait for
revolutionary advances in medicine and communication. The nations of the
world might still be separate, feuding islands rather than united by a global
economy. The Industrial Revolution united the world and created the
connected societies that exist today.
1. Restate Position (Thesis) and Main Points: Give your basic argument and topics of your 3 body paragraphs
without making a mirror image of your introduction.
2. So What?: Why does the discussion matter? What are the larger implications? Take the essay to larger
significance. Leave the reader with something to ponder. A good way to do this is to finish the sentence
“Something I have realized while writing this essay is…” or “This essay matters today because…” and then
DELETE THE PROMPT!