The American Pageant Chapter 1 Notes
The August 17, 1892
LONDON TIMES
CALAMITY IN THE CONGO
In 1876, King Leopold II of Belgium began plans for international benevolent committees for the people of the Congo region. Though originally accepted as multi-national, scientific, and humanitarian propositions, they have of late become anything but. Soon after their conception, Leopold used these organizations to establish a sphere of influence and eventually Belgian sovereignty in the Congo Basin. The region is rich in ivory and rubber, and Leopold made use of those resources and others in expanding trade. Now, rubber is the colony's most profitable industry. However, the Congolese people benefit little from this. Soon after the Congress of Berlin in 1885, the Congo Basin was united as the Congo Free State. From the Belgian parliament, Leopold was granted almost absolute control of the area. Under terms of the General Act of the Berlin Conference, Leopold pledged to guarantee free trade within the colony, suppress the East African slave trade, promote humanitarian policies, impose no import taxes for twenty years, and encourage philanthropic and scientific enterprises. Conflicting with his oath, Leopold issued a series of decrees beginning in the mid-1880's that violated these conditions. First, he decreed that Belgium assert rights of proprietorship over all vacant land in the Congo. In three successive decrees, the already few rights of the Congolese were reduced even further. They were only able to lay claim on their native villages and farms. Second, Leopold ordered that merchants limit their commercial operations in the Congo to no more that bartering with natives. By 1890, faced with considerable financial difficulty, Leopold had already directly violated his promises; the Congo basically became a commercial entity and it was found that Leopold had been slowly monopolizing a large amount of the ivory and rubber trade by imposing import and export taxes. With the recent invention of
LONDON TIMES
CALAMITY IN THE CONGO
In 1876, King Leopold II of Belgium began plans for international benevolent committees for the people of the Congo region. Though originally accepted as multi-national, scientific, and humanitarian propositions, they have of late become anything but. Soon after their conception, Leopold used these organizations to establish a sphere of influence and eventually Belgian sovereignty in the Congo Basin. The region is rich in ivory and rubber, and Leopold made use of those resources and others in expanding trade. Now, rubber is the colony's most profitable industry. However, the Congolese people benefit little from this. Soon after the Congress of Berlin in 1885, the Congo Basin was united as the Congo Free State. From the Belgian parliament, Leopold was granted almost absolute control of the area. Under terms of the General Act of the Berlin Conference, Leopold pledged to guarantee free trade within the colony, suppress the East African slave trade, promote humanitarian policies, impose no import taxes for twenty years, and encourage philanthropic and scientific enterprises. Conflicting with his oath, Leopold issued a series of decrees beginning in the mid-1880's that violated these conditions. First, he decreed that Belgium assert rights of proprietorship over all vacant land in the Congo. In three successive decrees, the already few rights of the Congolese were reduced even further. They were only able to lay claim on their native villages and farms. Second, Leopold ordered that merchants limit their commercial operations in the Congo to no more that bartering with natives. By 1890, faced with considerable financial difficulty, Leopold had already directly violated his promises; the Congo basically became a commercial entity and it was found that Leopold had been slowly monopolizing a large amount of the ivory and rubber trade by imposing import and export taxes. With the recent invention of