Shocked by the widespread brutal abuses and slavery imposed on the Congolese, he wrote an open letter to Leopold in 1890 about the suffering of the region's native inhabitants at the . nothing to help the people of the Congo to be educated. *** Why did Katy Perry collapse on set of American Idol? source of this documents authenticity I looked at the original source first. Every charge which I am about to bring against your Majestys personal Government in the Congo has been carefully investigated; a list of competent and veracious witnesses, documents, letters, official records and data has been faithfully prepared, which will be deposited with Her Britannic Majestys Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, until such time as an International Commission can be created with power to send for persons and papers, to administer oaths, and attest the truth or falsity of these charges. Cruelties of the most astounding character are practised by the natives, such as burying slaves alive in the grave of a dead chief, cutting off the heads of captured warriors in native combats, and no effort is put forth by your Majestys Government to prevent them. There are from sixty to seventy officers of the Belgian army in the service of your Majestys Government in the Congo of whom only about thirty are at their post; the other half are in Belgium on furlough. At the end of the 19th century, the Europeans scrambled for control of Africa. Read millions of eBooks and audiobooks on the web, iPad, iPhone and Android. But the cruelties visited upon soldiers and workmen are not to be compared with the sufferings of the poor natives who, upon the slightest pretext, are thrust into the wretched prisons here in the Upper River. Not long ago such a recaptured slave was given one hundred chikote each day until he died. The soldiers who open the combat are usually the bloodthirsty cannibalistic Bangalas, who give no quarter to the aged grandmother or nursing child at the breast of its mother. State soldiers patrol many villages forbidding the natives to trade with any person but a State official, and when the natives refuse to accept the price of the State, their goods are seized by the Government that promised them protection. Leopold was alarmed at the idea that Williams wanted to see the Congo for himself, even urging him to wait. Officers at the chief stations get the men and receive the money when they are transferred to the State; but there are some middle-men who only get from twenty to twenty-five francs per head. In a published open letter to King Leopold in 1890, Williams documented the massive enslavement, torture and killing of Africans by the king's subjects. areas addressed the issues mainly the women being sold into the sex trade. Via degli Eucalipti, 9, 04024 Gaeta LT In early April 1891 Williams wrote a letter to Leopold entitled An Open Letter to His Serene Majesty Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Independent State of Congo about the suffering of the region at the hands of Leopold's agents. and dying on the ships and they were not being given the Christian burials they required Not one out of every twenty State-officials know the language of the natives, although they are constantly issuing laws, difficult even for Europeans, and expect the natives to comprehend and obey them. It is natural that they everywhere shrink from the fostering care your Majestys Government so eagerly proffers them. The above speech which shows the real intention of the Christian missionary journey in Africa was exposed to the world by Mr. Moukouani Muikwani Bukoko, born in the Congo in 1915. Rev. In 1935, while working in the Congo, Muikwani Bukoko bought a second-hand Bible from a Belgian priest who forgot the speech in the Bible. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. One copy is held with the Guy Carlton Papers in The National Archives of Great Britain in Read More(1783) The Book of Negroes, General Act of the Conference of Berlin Berlin, Germany Signed February 26, 1885 CHAPTER I DECLARATION RELATIVE TO FREEDOM OF TRADE IN THE BASIN OF THE CONGO, ITS MOUTHS AND CIRCUMJACENT REGIONS, WITH OTHER PROVISIONS CONNECTED THEREWITH Article I The trade of all nations shall Read More(1885) General Act of the Conference of Berlin, George Washington Williams, An Open Letter to His Serene Majesty Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Independent State of Congo By Colonel, The Honorable Geo. (1885) General Act of the Conference of Berlin, (1890) George Washington Williamss Open Letter to King Leopold on the Congo, (1947) W.E.B. Open letter to King Leopold on Congo - Barnes & Noble I make reference to their Mystic System and their war fetish warfare protection which they pretend not to want to abandon, and you must do everything in your power to make it disappear. W. Williams, of the United States of America," 1890. It buys and sells and steals slaves. I hope that the stamp of the University is fake as well, otherwise my respect for the Uni. EIGHTH.Your Majestys Government has violated the General Act of the Conference of Berlin by firing upon native canoes; by confiscating the property of natives; by intimidating native traders, and preventing them from trading with white trading companies; by quartering troops in native villages when there is no war; by causing vessels bound from Stanley-Pool to Stanley-Falls, to break their journey and leave the Congo, ascend the Aruhwimi river to Basoko, to be visited and show their papers; by forbidding a mission steamer to fly its national flag without permission from a local Government; by permitting the natives to carry on the slave- trade, and by engaging in the wholesale and retail slave-trade itself. A society that considered black and African American, nothing more than subhuman and known them as the "other". Recite every day Happy are those who are weeping because the kingdom of God is for them.. From Leopoldville to NGombe, a distance of more than 300 miles, there is not a single soldier or civilian. SECOND.Your Majestys Government has established nearly fifty posts, consisting of from two to eight mercenary slave-soldiers from the East Coast. It is the aim of the 06/29/2020. He did a through job of They are ignorant of native character, lack wisdom, justice, fortitude and patience. (1960) Patrice Lumumbas Last Letter to Pauline Lumumba, African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Africa-Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire), Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. put together I went to their home page. An open letter to His Serene Majesty Leopold III, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Independent State of Congo. Instead of the natives of the Congo adopting the fostering care of your Majestys Government, they everywhere complain that their land has been taken from them by force; that the Government is cruel and arbitrary, and declare that they neither love nor respect the Government and its flag. 10 Fascinating Stories Behind Historical Open Letters The staple argument was that the white mans heart had grown sick of the wars and rumours of war between one chief and another, between one village and another; that the white man was at peace with his black brother, and desired to confederate all African tribes for the general defense and public welfare. When the native inquired about the disparity of strength between himself and his white brother, he was told that the white man could pull up trees and perform the most prodigious feats of strength. buying and selling of people both men, women and even children. A few hours later the Procurer-General searched his room and found many more stolen bottles of wine and other things, not the property of servants. To discover the Washington Williams, George. I was anxious to see to what extent the natives had adopted the fostering care of your Majestys benevolent enterprise (? He was not a combatant and was ignorant of the conflict in progress upon the shore, some distance away. Congo. This letter was a catalyst for an international outcry against the regime running the Congo, which had caused millions of deaths . These poor creatures are frequently beaten with a dried piece of hippopotamus skin, called a chicote, and usually the blood flows at every stroke when well laid on. From these general observations I wish now to pass to specific charges against your Majestys Government. This letter was a catalyst for an international outcry against the regime running the Congo, which had caused millions of deaths. I know of prisoners remaining in custody for six and ten months because they were not judged. of directors, advisory board, teacher advisory board, and volunteer staff. Their mission statement is: without having to search in multiple areas for the information. I appeal to the Belgian people and to their Constitutional Government, so proud of its traditions, replete with the song and story of its champions of human liberty, and so jealous of its present position in the sisterhood of European Statesto cleanse itself from the imputation of the crimes with which your Majestys personal State of Congo is polluted. Congo being maltreated but also the Belgium men that were being sent over were sick The issues addressed in his writings are varied and the major theme is the He was born in a time of slavery and he saw first hand all the problems that MEETING MR. KURTZ - A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa He was very vocal Their letters never reach home. about the fact that he disagreed with the practice and that he wanted the King to put a A scholarly primary source written by George Washington Williams. When Leopold was 65, he took the 16-year-old prostitute Caroline Lacroix as his mistress. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. The officers made a wager of 5 that they could hit the native with their rifles. Adam Hochschild's "King Leopold's Ghost" is a lost historical account starting in the late 19th century continuing into the 20th century of the enslavement of an entire country. like to look more into the subject to research how long this lasted and how they brought it Three hundred and sixteen slaves were sent down the river recently, and others are to follow. When I arrived in the Congo, I naturally sought for the results of the brilliant programme: fostering care, benevolent enterprise, an honest and practical effort to increase the knowledge of the natives and secure their welfare. His Heart of Darkness is an accurate description of the Congo drawn from his experience. : an American History (Eric Foner), George Washington WilliamS OPEN Letter TO KING Leopold. This was definitely a letter that I would like to use when teaching hopefully The third act was the gun trick. Congo Free State propaganda war - Wikipedia Your white men sicken and die in their quarters or on the caravan road, and seldom have Christian burial. But instead King Leopold II unleashed new horrors on the African continent. They have estranged the natives from your Majestys Government, have sown the seed of discord between tribes and villages, and some of them have stained the uniform of the Belgian officer with murder, arson and robbery. I have the honour to submit for your Majesty's consideration some reflections respecting the Independent . The following are documents which have contributed to the shaping of Global African history. The other method is by capturing native women and condemning them to seven years servitude for some imaginary crime against the State with which the villages of these women are charged. My girlfriend has refused to go back to her house, A SAD story about a GAY man dying from AIDS, How I discovered my husband is GAY during the coronavirus lockdown. There, dear patriots, are some of the principles that you must apply. Williams to King Leopold on the Congo, 1890. on the Internet. how he thought the Natives should be dealt with. dealings with the native people They are ignorant of native character, lack wisdom, issue he stands on. While the Great Powers competed for territory elsewhere, the king of one of Europes smallest countries carved his own private colony out of 100km of Central African rainforest. They eat their rice twice a day by the use of their fingers; they often thirst for water when the season is dry; they are exposed to the heat and rain, and sleep upon the damp and filthy decks of the vessels often so closely crowded as to lie in human ordure. all that was wrong with what was going on in the Congo. 1 had never been able to conceive of Europeans, establishing a government in a tropical country, without building a hospital; and yet from the mouth of the Congo River to its head-waters, here at the seventh cataract, a distance of 1,448 miles, there is not a solitary hospital for Europeans, and only three sheds for sick Africans in the service of the State, not fit to be occupied by a horse. His last appearance in the Congo produced a profound sensation among them, when he led 500 Zanzibar soldiers with 300 camp followers on his way to relieve EMIN PASHA. 7 Ibid, page 7 These black soldiers, many of whom are slaves, exercise the power of life and death. Uploaded by Never present a chair to a black that comes to visit you. Under Leopold IIs administration, the Congo Free State became one of the greatest international scandals of the early 20th century. In 1870 roughly 80 percent of Africa south of the Sahara Desert was governed by indigenous kings, chiefs, and other rulers. Twelve charges against the governemt. He then fought in two more wars, until injury forced him to retire. The African soldiers and labourers of your Majestys Government fare worse than the whites, because they have poorer quarters, quite as bad as those of the natives; and in the sheds, called hospitals, they languish upon a bed of bamboo poles without blankets, pillows or any food different from that served to them when well, rice and fish. written to King Leopold by George Washington Williams in 1890. An open letter to His Serene Majesty Leopold III, There are no reviews yet. Shocked by the widespread brutal abuses and slavery imposed on the Congolese, he wrote an open letter to Leopold in 1890 about the suffering of the regions native inhabitants at the hands of the kings agents. W. Williams, of the United States of America, 1890. All the sleight-of- hand tricks had been carefully rehearsed, and he was now ready for his work. He witnessed the porters enslaved in chains, the brutal . However, in his letter, Williams claims that no effort has been made to aid these people, but . All the sleight-of- hand tricks had been carefully rehearsed, and he was now ready for his work. For thousands of years, that territory had been conquered by nearby Netherlands, France, Germany, and Luxembourg. During thirteen years only one white man has lost his life by the hands of the natives, and only two white men have been killed in the Congo. It afforded me great pleasure to avail myself of the opportunity afforded me last year, of visiting your State in Africa; and how thoroughly I have been disenchanted, disappointed and disheartened, it is now my painful duty to make known to your Majesty in plain but respectful language. 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Keen on establishing Belgium as an imperial power, he led the first European efforts to develop the Congo River basin, making possible the formation in 1885 of the . . These officers draw double payas soldiers and as civilians. During thirteen years only one white man has lost his life by the hands of the natives, and only two white men have been killed in the Congo. 1 had never been able to conceive of Europeans, establishing a government in a tropical country, without building a hospital; and yet from the mouth of the Congo River to its head-waters, here at the seventh cataract, a distance of 1,448 miles, there is not a solitary hospital for Europeans, and only three sheds for sick Africans in the service of the State, not fit to be occupied by a horse. Officers at the chief stations get the men and receive the money when they are transferred to the State; but there are some middle-men who only get from twenty to twenty-five francs per head. that he brought fourth about the government and how they wronged the people of the Other officers have served the State faithfully, and deserve well of their Royal Master. They intend to write a new open letter to the United Nations as a result. At length he appealed to the Governor-General, and he gave him the woman and thus the trader obtained the child also. . Your Majestys Government gives 3 per head for able bodied slaves for military service. They know that to kill, to sleep with someone elses wife, to lie and to insult is bad. 1950s (London: Frank Cass and Company Limited, 1969). As to the significance of this move Europe and America can judge without any comment from me, especially England. The staple argument was that the white mans heart had grown sick of the wars and rumours of war between one chief and another, between one village and another; that the white man was at peace with his black brother, and desired to confederate all African tribes for the general defense and public welfare. History's deadliest king - Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja | TED-Ed The source that is being analyzed is the open letter written by George Washington You have to detach from them and make them disrespect everything which gives courage to affront us. November 11, 2017. Leopold II, French in full Lopold-Louis-Philippe-Marie-Victor, Dutch in full Leopold Lodewijk Filips Maria Victor, (born April 9, 1835, Brussels, Belgiumdied December 17, 1909, Laeken), king of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909. When I arrived in the Congo, I naturally sought for the results of the brilliant programme: fostering care, benevolent enterprise, an honest and practical effort to increase the knowledge of the natives and secure their welfare. New York, USA: Duke University Press, 2004. . But Williams went anyways. But to the surprise of every honest man, the thief was sheltered by the Governor General of your Majestys Government. The white man explained his intimate relation to the sun, and declared that if he were to request him to burn up his black brothers village it would be done. EIGHTH.Your Majestys Government has violated the General Act of the Conference of Berlin by firing upon native canoes; by confiscating the property of natives; by intimidating native traders, and preventing them from trading with white trading companies; by quartering troops in native villages when there is no war; by causing vessels bound from Stanley-Pool to Stanley-Falls, to break their journey and leave the Congo, ascend the Aruhwimi river to Basoko, to be visited and show their papers; by forbidding a mission steamer to fly its national flag without permission from a local Government; by permitting the natives to carry on the slave- trade, and by engaging in the wholesale and retail slave-trade itself. The soldiers who open the combat are usually the bloodthirsty cannibalistic Bangalas, who give no quarter to the aged grandmother or nursing child at the breast of its mother. DNB Stories Africa The African-American journalist George Washington Williams wrote to King Leopold II in 1890 on the events he witnessed in the essay: "An Open Letter to His Serene Majesty Lopold II, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Independent State of Congo". They thought it meant complete subjugation, and they fled in confusion. Primary Documents Archives - BlackPast.org They are enemies, not patriots. Cross), Forecasting, Time Series, and Regression (Richard T. O'Connell; Anne B. Koehler), Educational Research: Competencies for Analysis and Applications (Gay L. R.; Mills Geoffrey E.; Airasian Peter W.), Psychology (David G. Myers; C. Nathan DeWall), Brunner and Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing (Janice L. Hinkle; Kerry H. Cheever), Chemistry: The Central Science (Theodore E. Brown; H. Eugene H LeMay; Bruce E. Bursten; Catherine Murphy; Patrick Woodward), Give Me Liberty! The letter helped sway European and American public opinion against the Congo regime. They are introduced by two methods, viz., black men are dispatched to the Portuguese coast where they engage these women as mistresses of white men, who pay to the procurer a monthly sum. With few exceptions, the surgeons of your Majestys Government have been gentlemen of professional ability, devoted to duty, but usually left with few medical stores and no quarters in which to treat their patients. In the Lower Congo River there is but One post, in the cataract region one. and how they treated the natives. or the care for the sick that was needed. NINTH.-Your Majestys Government has been, and is now, guilty of waging unjust and cruel wars against natives, with the hope of securing slaves and women, to minister to the behests of the officers of your Government. There are from sixty to seventy officers of the Belgian army in the service of your Majestys Government in the Congo of whom only about thirty are at their post; the other half are in Belgium on furlough. They eat their rice twice a day by the use of their fingers; they often thirst for water when the season is dry; they are exposed to the heat and rain, and sleep upon the damp and filthy decks of the vessels often so closely crowded as to lie in human ordure. There exist similarly inspired letters as well, the content varies. W. Williams, of the United States of America," 1890. You must singularly insist on their total submission and obedience, avoid developing the spirit in the schools, teach students to read and not to reason. Next came the lens act. They were a newly independent country . They are the greatest curse the country suffers now. More than just the people of the FOURTH.The Courts of your Majestys Government are abortive, unjust, partial and delinquent. Have courage to admit it; you are not going to teach them what they know already. He wanted to present changes that the He expected to make a difference in the BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. Cruelties of the most astounding character are practised by the natives, such as burying slaves alive in the grave of a dead chief, cutting off the heads of captured warriors in native combats, and no effort is put forth by your Majestys Government to prevent them. I have no adequate terms with which to depict to your Majesty the brutal acts of your soldiers upon such raids as these. Microform in English. and takes the bullet from his shoe! Not one out of every twenty State-officials know the language of the natives, although they are constantly issuing laws, difficult even for Europeans, and expect the natives to comprehend and obey them. ), and I was doomed to bitter disappointment. By such means as these, too silly and disgusting to mention, and a few boxes of gin, whole villages have been signed away to your Majesty. Adelaide Cromwell Hill & Martin Kilson, eds., Apropos of Africa: FIFTHYour Majestys Government is excessively cruel to its prisoners, condemning them, for the slightest offences, to the chain gang, the like of which can not be seen in any other Government in the civilized or uncivilized world. Convert always the blacks by using the whip. Many of the issues he has with the government have to do with slavery and the Atrocious Facts About Belgium's King Leopold II, The - Factinate Government are abortive, unjust, partial and delinquent 6 , and Women are imported into I have personally witnessed and examined their clumsy operations. career. ELEVENTH.Your Majestys Government has concluded a contract with the Arab Governor at this place for the establishment of a line of military posts from the Seventh Cataract to Lake Tanganyika territory to which your Majesty has no more legal claim, than I have to be Commander-in-Chief of the Belgian army.
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