Colonialism in USA and Africa
Comparing United States and Africa is not a commonly asked request in international studies. The first thought of the United States is usually centered on being an economic powerhouse or having a dominant military. When Africa is mentioned, it is common to immediately go to poverty. Now, what if I said there is common ground between the country and continent. Before writing this blog, I never connected the fact that both the United States and most of the continent of Africa, excluding Ethiopia and Liberia, were colonized by a European power. However, the future paths of the two and the reasons for the European insertion separated the areas from each other. Let’s dig further into the connections of the United States and the continent of Africa.
Breakdown of the European Power’s control of Africa
The regions of the United States and Africa were once free of outside control. Each place has tribes or colonies that operated without any intervention of the “powerhouse” countries in Europe. And then, both places were met by a European country that proceeded to claim the land as theirs. In the case of the United States, England accidently found the land. They had no idea it was out there and weren’t planning on finding it. Africa on the other hand was explored because these European countries knew it was there and went to different areas of the continent on purpose. It both cases, these European powers spread their religion, ideas, way of life and goods. Once entering these lands, these powers established themselves as the governing figure. In the United States, the Native Americans were forced from their homes and sent west. This ultimately led to the near extinction of Native Americans. This is relatable to the dismantling of the empires that were all over Africa. Little to no empires exist today.
For countries like Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe in Africa, their freedom was granted to them after a revolutionary war. Just as the members of the United States colonies did, they revolted against their European ruler and were able to rule themselves. Although most countries did not gain their independence from force, they still gathered and organized to remove the power (Exploring Africa).
Slavery and Imperialism
It is very common today to imagine the African Slave Trade when referring to slavery. The taking of unwilling Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to be sold to Americans and work for no pay in horrible working conditions. These people were tortured, starved, and treated as if they were an abomination to society. My perception of slavery is exactly this. I see it as the taking of a person, and changing their lifestyle any way that you desire. These people are unwilling and are treated worse than dirt. Today, people are still taking unwilling victims to join their army or to use for manual labor. There is an estimated 21 million people in modern-day slavery and their labor is estimated at $150 billion in profits (RT News).
My idea of imperialism is essentially the taking over of a country. Using military force to implement your country’s beliefs, ideals, structure, and way of life. For a place accepting of the changes, this could benefit the growth and foundation of the country. However, imperialism uses an iron fist to break down the people and force them into an extension of their country. The overthrowing of Saddam Hussein is not true imperialism in my belief but I do think it sets the basis to have it grow into imperialism. I understand that Hussein was viewed as a tyrant but we forced our way into controlling the country. Our idea that democracy is a cookie-cutter government and should be implemented in every country ever is ignorant thinking. Different people in the world believe in different things and being an accepting and powerful country, we need to respect that. It is crazy now to think about how England and France and Portugal and others forced their beliefs onto the continent of Africa and we see that as a terrible act but when the United States is doing it, there are people who either look the other way or don’t realize it. I understand I don’t know the thoughts of every American but a general feeling is that we are still unaware of some hidden agendas the government has.
Citation:
“Unit Two: Studying Africa through the Social Studies.” Exploring Africa. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2014.
“Modern-day Slavery a $150bn-a-year Business â UN Report.” – RT News. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2014.