Imperialism And Its Effects On America - 1370 Words

Ashley Mooney Global Crisis October 2015 Imperialistic Racism Imperialism is nearly unheard of today, because historically it emerges from and promotes racist ideologies. Though some would argue the practice is progressive, the accomplishments of Imperialism are enormously out-weighed by the damage it has done. Often it resulted in the deaths of innocent people, occasionally millions, as was the case in the Congo in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the early Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries. Rudyard Kipling and President Roosevelt are two individuals who thought of Imperialism as an act of servitude. However, two other men, King Leopold and Christopher Columbus have single-handedly proven the horrid circumstances that†¦show more content†¦Both capitalized on the influence of Christianity. Columbus imposed Christianity upon the natives as immediately as he arrived in America and used it to manipulate them. Similarly, Leopold pushed Christian missionaries into the Congo to keep control over the natives and keep up the hu manitarian faà §ade. Both exploited the natural resources, victimized the natives and were successful in their endeavors. Being white, and believing this to be the superior race, helped them support and legitimize authority over the non-whites. Where there has been imperialism, racism has permitted it. While King Leopold had successfully convinced nearly the entire world for some time that he was a philanthropist, helping to improve the conditions of the Congo and the lives of its people, he was orchestrating an intricate slave trade system and ultimately the murder of an estimated 10-13 million people, approximately 50% of the population . Majority of the people who perished in the Congo were slaughtered, victims of disease or avoidable malnutrition, or were worked to the point of death. These figures are far from perfect. There has been quite a lot of debate about the true number of people who died under Leopold’s authority, though most agree somewhere near 8-10 million. The fact alone that the total is unclear is testament to the lengths Leopold, his soldiers and workers took to conceal the truly hellish conditions inflicted upon the Congolese