HIS 112
Unit 6: Africa and the Challenge of Imperialism
Hong Kong harbor probably looked just a little bit different way, way, way back in the nineteenth century.
What you
must do in this unit
- Read chapters 19 and 27 in the textbook.
- Check the course notes on Imperialism.
- Watch my short video on the age of imperialism.
- It is important to recognize that one of the most violent instances of imperialism occurred right here in North America. Have a look at the GIS mapping project created by Claudio Saunt at the University of Georgia, Invasion of America. The project illustrates the seizure of Native American lands between 1776 and 1887.
- Study the Questions to Consider and the Key Terms for the unit.
- Read one of these books for the imperialism paper: Chinua Achebe's Things Fall
Apart, Pramoedya Ananta Toer's Child of All Nations or Amadou Hampaté Bâ's The Fortunes of Wangrin.
- Submit the Imperialism paper (100 points).
What you can do in this unit
- Read my notes on the Dreyfus Affair, which rocked France at the turn of the century.
- I have available the very detailed lecture notes of Professor Thomas Hammond, one of my advisors at the University of Virginia, on imperialism (*.pdf file). These notes will give you not only a summary of
the key events of the imperialist era, but also give you an idea of what a professor's
lecture notes look like.
- Check the website on Slave Religions in the Americas by Sara Anniki, student, as a good example of the fusion of European and native cultural practices.
- Amroté Getu has created an excellent website (as her digital project) on the Opium Wars between Great Britain and China, a great example of British imperialism at work.
Some videos that you can watch for this unit
Extra Credit Options
- For up to 25 points of extra credit, review these sources (The Earl of Cromer, Why Britain Acquired Egypt in 1882 (1908); Wilfred Scawen Blunt: Britain's Imperial Destiny (1896-1899); Anthony Trollope: The Diamond Fields of South
Africa (1870)) and write a one-page paper examining the colonial experience. Please be sure to include quoted material.
- For up to 25 points of extra credit, watch Breaker Morant and write a one-page
paper assessing the historical accuracy of the movie.
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, in a long paragraph, what was the extent of
and justification for
American imperialism at the turn of the twentieth century?
- For up to 10 points of extra credit, read Captain F. D. Lugard, The Rise of Our East African Empire (1893) and write a long paragraph explaining the rationale for the British empire in Africa.
- For extra credit, please suggest a
relevant website for this unit of the course. Send your instructor the title of the site, the URL and a brief explanation why you find the information interesting and applicable to the material being studied this unit.
Unit Learning Objectives
- Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to (1) explain the motives for imperialist adventures by different European countries in Africa, (2) assess ihe impact of imperialism on African societies and (3) analyze a historical primary source.
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