attitudes to empire - individuals Flashcards
explorers:
john kirk
companion to david livingstone
keen interest in botany and was appointed economic botanist for livingstone’s zambezi expedition
explored waterways with livingstone and nearly drowned in rapids in 1860
collected many aquatic specimens such as mussels which he sent back to britain
explorers:
sir richard burton
famous in the 1850s for his stories of muslim life
explored the lakes of central africa with john speke
published 43 volumes on explorations which included sensationalist reading
visited mecca, where no christian had gone before
published 5 books on fetishism, ritual murder, tribal rituals concerning birth, marriage and death, ritual murder, cannibalism and bizarre sexual practices
explorers:
john speke
joined burton’ somaliland expedition in 1855
although he suffered a wound from the natives, he re-joined burton to find the source of the nile in 1857
explored east african coast for 6 months to find the bets way in land, the two men became the first europeans to reach lake tanganyika in february 1858
speke left burton and went northward alone - found a great lake which he named victoria
conclusion about the source of the nile rejected by many
1860 - mapped lake victoria and found the nile’s exit at what he called ripon falls - followed it and reached south sudan
met other explorers samuel baker and florence von sass - another lake lies west of lake victoria which allowed the nile’s source to be located - lake albert
missionaries:
david livingstone
returned to africa in 1858 to bring ‘commerce and christianity’
missionaries:
john mackenzie
scottish christian missionary who worked in southern africa for the livingstone missionary society.
argued for the rights of the native africans.
missionaries:
mary slessor
scottish presbyterian missionary to nigeria.
from 1888 learned local language efik to began teaching in okoyong.
gained the trust and acceptance of locals and was able to spread christianity while promoting women’s rights and protecting native children
most famous for having stopped the common practice of infanticide of twins in okoyong.
missionaries:
mary carpenter
in india from 1866.
visited calcutta, madras and bombay, finding that for the
most part girls were not educated past the age of twelve years.
visited schools, hospitals and gaols and encouraged both indian and british colonial administrators to improve and fund these.
particularly concerned about the lack of good female education leading to a shortage of women teachers, nurses and prison attendants.
missionaries:
sir william mckinnon
in 1891 he founded the free church of scotland east african scottish mission
traders:
sir william mckinnon
scottish ship-owner and businessman.
built up substantial commercial interests in india and east africa - traded through indian ocean and zanzibar.
founded the imperial british east africa company which received charter in 1888, but it went bankrupt quite quickly.
traders:
cecil rhodes
owned 90% of all south africa’s gold mine, he had the wealth to pursue his ambition - ‘the furtherance of the british empire and the bringing of the whole of the uncivilised world under british rule’
british south africa company (1889) controlled large areas of africa which from 1895 was named rhodesia.
traders:
george goldie
1879 - formed the united african company, persuaded all british trading firms on the niger river to join forces and create a single company - controlled 30 trading posts
interested in palm oil- vital ingredient in margarine
main ingredient in candles and soap
1876 - formed central african trading company and visited west africa for the first time in 1877
colonial administrators:
john kirk
vice consul in the sultanate of zanzibar
zanzibar was of commerical interest to britain because of its clove and ivy exports
wealthy state and home to east africa’s first steam railway
kirk ensured that zanzibar operated as a british client state
britain initiated treaties and ensured the sultan outlawed zanzibar’s slave trade, and with british aid, commerce grew
kirks efforts allowed britain to keep a toehold on east coast africa which grew into british east africa in 1895
colonial administrators:
john mackenzie
from 1867, publicly urged britain to safeguard the rights of southern africans against the racism of the boers.
1884 - the uk government established the protectorate of british bechuanaland with mackenzie as deputy commissioner.
colonial administrators:
cecil rhodes
served as prime minister of the cape colony from 1890 to 1896.
rhodes’ british south africa company (1889) controlled large areas of africa which from 1895 was named rhodesia.
racist outlook - “i contend that we are the finest race in the world and that the more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race”
failed to annex a bechuanaland protectorate
colonial administrators:
george goldie
played a major role in founding nigeria
british protectorate over northern and southern niger at the berlin conference 1885 - through goldie’s efforts britain could claim effective occupation.
royal niger company 1886 - protectorate over both north and south niger at berlin conference
