The European nations were of the quickest in the world to develop. This led them to explore the world to expand and to grow even bigger. The United States of America was one of the colonies of Britain, amongst other European countries like France, Spain and the Netherlands, Along with an array of African countries that fell under British imperial control. lets compare and contrast the differences between British colonization of Africa and America.
AMERICA
The British colonized the Americas during the late 16th century, they had colonies in North and South America. The British pretty much wiped out the Native population as their warrior were no match for the superior military and advanced weapons. The Europeans brought to the Americas foreign diseases which along with the military and weapons killed off the natives. The British government set up their system in the Americas. The Christian church launched a massive evangelism crusade, which is the start of the colonization of the Americas.
Africa
The British Government moved in on the continent of Africa seen as a means to expand their arm of imperialism. They arrived in Africa in 1539. The European nations of Belgian, Britain, French, Germany. Italy, Portuguese, and Spain all had colonies in Africa. The only countries in Africa not to be colonized would be Ethiopia and Liberia. Britain began taking over the territory of Nigeria in the 1880s, dividing the more than 200 ethnic groups into three regions: the Northern Region, the Western Region, and the Eastern Region. They brought with them the Christian religion that they tried to convert all the people of Nigeria to. Nigeria became part of the British empire January 1, 1901.
Comparison
The British colonization of the Americas was very similar to that of Africa. They basically came into these areas and began changing and altering peoples way of life to match that of theirs. The good that the British did in Africa was helping the Nigerians with health, agriculture, and education, schools. They taught the Nigerian people how to speak English. The British, in my opinion, designed the new Nigerian colonies to economically serve the British needs. Nigerians traded materials such as palm oil, cotton, rubber, and tropical wood for expensive British things such as clothes, and metal tools. However it wasn’t all good and jolly. The Nigerian people began trading humans for British weapons.
In the Americas the main influence or effect of the British colonization was the eradication of natives of the lands and the establishments of Coalition parties from British political establishments.
Ultimately America became sort of a spitting image of Britain while Africa was left damaged and ruined. America followed in British footsteps and began the exploitations of Africans as well. the mid Atlantic slave trade is started and Africa would never be the same. I think that Africa suffered most from the colonization from Britain as opposed to the Americas. The was an enormous amount of Africans brought to the Americas, which they benefitted from by selling them and making them work on Farm crops like cotton.
source: http://www.studygroup-bd.org/colonialism-british-colonisation-of-the-americas.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_Nigeria