open letter to king leopold
In one war two Belgian Army officers saw, from the deck of their steamer, a native in a canoe some distance away. The labour force at the stations of your Majestys Government in the Upper River is composed of slaves of all ages and both sexes. The third act was the gun trick. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. A letter to King Leopold II of all the injustices the government has committed against the people of the Congo under his rule. November 11, 2017. The other method is by capturing native women and condemning them to seven years servitude for some imaginary crime against the State with which the villages of these women are charged. British journalist E. D. Morel campaigned heavily to educate the world on this tragedy. The African-American journalist George Washington Williams wrote to King Leopold II in 1890 on the events he witnessed in the essay: "An Open Letter to His Serene Majesty Lopold II, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Independent State of Congo". ), and I was doomed to bitter disappointment. source of this documents authenticity I looked at the original source first. The letter helped sway European and American public opinion against the Congo regime. An open letter to His Serene Majesty Leopold II: King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Independent State of Congo. It is not my duty to criticise the unlawful and unconstitutional use of these officers coming into the service of this African State. When natives have persisted in trading with the trade-companies the State has punished their independence by burning the villages in the vicinity of the trading houses and driving the natives away. I have the honour to submit for your Majestys consideration some reflections respecting the Independent State of Congo, based upon a careful study and inspection of the country and character of the personal Government you have established upon the African Continent. He was very vocal In the Lower Congo River there is but One post, in the cataract region one. Sick sailors frequently die on board their vessels at Banana Point; and if it were not for the humanity of the Dutch Trading Company at that placewho have often opened their private hospital to the sick of other countriesmany more might die. Blackpast is a collection of Documents and Your white men sicken and die in their quarters or on the caravan road, and seldom have Christian burial. were being abused in the home country and he wanted there to be changes in the country He was born in a time of slavery and he saw first hand all the problems that I was anxious to see to what extent the natives had adopted the fostering care of your Majestys benevolent enterprise (? using dialogue as a catalyst for social change. There is no improvement among the natives, because there is an impassable gulf between them and your Majestys Government, a gulf which can never be bridged. I appeal to the Belgian people and to their Constitutional Government, so proud of its traditions, replete with the song and story of its champions of human liberty, and so jealous of its present position in the sisterhood of European Statesto cleanse itself from the imputation of the crimes with which your Majestys personal State of Congo is polluted. Not one out of every twenty State-officials know the language of the natives, although they are constantly issuing laws, difficult even for Europeans, and expect the natives to comprehend and obey them. Queen of the Congo. During thirteen years only one white man has lost his life by the hands of the natives, and only two white men have been killed in the Congo. I now appeal to the Powers which committed this infant State to your Majestys charge, and to the great States which gave it international being; and whose majestic law you have scorned and trampled upon, to call and create an International Commission to investigate the charges herein preferred in the name of Humanity, Commerce, Constitutional Government and Christian Civilisation. Thanos may be BACK in Marvels new film The Eternals. There are only 2,300 soldiers in the Congo. Read More (1890) George Washington Williams's Open Letter to King Leopold on the Congo. After much begging the black brother aims the gun at his white brother, pulls the trigger, the gun is discharged, the white man stoops . W. Williams, of the United States of America," 1890. The letter also pointed out that the government has done No one can be prosecuted in the State of Congo without an order of the Governor-General, and as he refused to allow his servant to be arrested, nothing could be done. A scholarly primary source written by George Washington Williams. It is the aim of the I appeal to the Belgian people and to their Constitutional Government, so proud of its traditions, replete with the song and story of its champions of human liberty, and so jealous of its present position in the sisterhood of European Statesto cleanse itself from the imputation of the crimes with which your Majestys personal State of Congo is polluted. 9. FOURTH.The Courts of your Majestys Government are abortive, unjust, partial and delinquent. They are enemies, not patriots. Upon the arrival of the survivors in the Congo they are set to work as labourers at one shilling a day; as soldiers they are promised sixteen shillings per month, in English money, but are usually paid off in cheap handkerchiefs and poisonous gin. Indeed the most unpractical measures have been adopted against the natives in nearly every respect; and in the capital of your Majestys Government at Boma there is not a native employed. For these things, you have to keep watch on disinteresting our savages from the richness that is plenty in their underground. The book tells the story of King Leopold and his selfish attempt to essentially make Belgium bigger starting with the Congo. Leopold was alarmed at the idea that Williams wanted to see the Congo for himself, even urging him to wait. It taxes all trading companies and exempts its own goods from export-duty, and makes many of its officers ivory-traders, with the promise of a liberal commission upon all they can buy or get for the State. people of the Congos lives. He pointed out in twelve charges against the Belgium Either in the waters of the pool or when docked on the riverbank at Kinshasa, Williams's steamboat crossed paths with a boat that was at the . You can also contact us through the Contact Form on our website. They know that to kill, to sleep with someone elses wife, to lie and to insult is bad. . T saw the white servant of the Governor-General, CAMILLE JANSSEN, detected in stealing a bottle of wine from a hotel table. As to the significance of this move Europe and America can judge without any comment from me, especially England. SIXTH.Women are imported into your Majestys Government for immoral purposes. In such slave-hunting raids one village is armed by the State against the other, and the force thus secured is incorporated with the regular troops. ELEVENTH.Your Majestys Government has concluded a contract with the Arab Governor at this place for the establishment of a line of military posts from the Seventh Cataract to Lake Tanganyika territory to which your Majesty has no more legal claim, than I have to be Commander-in-Chief of the Belgian army. FIRST.Your Majestys Government is deficient in the moral military and financial strength, necessary to govern a territory o 1,508,000 square miles, 7,251 miles of navigation, and 31,694 square miles of lake surface. The black servants in the hotel, where the wine had been stolen, had been often accused and beaten for these thefts, and now they were glad to be vindicated. An open letter to His Serene Majesty Leopold III, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Independent State of Congo. In 1935, while working in the Congo, Muikwani Bukoko bought a second-hand Bible from a Belgian priest who forgot the speech in the Bible. ELEVENTH.Your Majestys Government has concluded a contract with the Arab Governor at this place for the establishment of a line of military posts from the Seventh Cataract to Lake Tanganyika territory to which your Majesty has no more legal claim, than I have to be Commander-in-Chief of the Belgian army. New York, USA: Duke University Press, 2004. . government on how they have wronged the people if the Congo. As I write, the news reaches me that these much- treasured and long-looked for materials of war are to be discharged at Basoko, and the Resident here is to be given the discretion as to the distribution of them. Utilizziamo i cookie per essere sicuri che tu possa avere la migliore esperienza sul nostro sito. And make sure that niggers never become rich. Mr. H. M. STANLEY, the man who was your chief agent in setting up your authority in this country, has grossly misrepresented the character of the country. Would you buy the story of finding the kings letter in a bible ? FIFTHYour Majestys Government is excessively cruel to its prisoners, condemning them, for the slightest offences, to the chain gang, the like of which can not be seen in any other Government in the civilized or uncivilized world. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. NINTH.-Your Majestys Government has been, and is now, guilty of waging unjust and cruel wars against natives, with the hope of securing slaves and women, to minister to the behests of the officers of your Government. WhatsApp Only +2347014043648. There were instances in which Mr. HENRY M. STANLEY sent one white man, with four or five Zanzibar soldiers, to make treaties with native chiefs. Three hundred and sixteen slaves were sent down the river recently, and others are to follow. Three hundred and sixteen slaves were sent down the river recently, and others are to follow. This letter was a catalyst for an international outcry against the regime running the Congo, which had caused millions of deaths . T saw the white servant of the Governor-General, CAMILLE JANSSEN, detected in stealing a bottle of wine from a hotel table. This letter was accessed through the I have personally witnessed and examined their clumsy operations. The laws printed and circulated in Europe for the Protection of the blacks in the Congo, are a dead letter and a fraud. George Washington Williams, "An Open Letter to His Serene Majesty Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Independent State of Congo By Colonel, The Honorable Geo. Whenever children are born of such relations, the State maintains that the women being its property the child belongs to it also. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window). There has been, to my absolute knowledge, no honest and practical effort made to increase their knowledge and secure their welfare. Your Majestys Government has never spent one franc for educational purposes, nor instituted any practical system of industrialism. "An Open Letter to His Serene Majesty Leopold II" In Archives of Empire: Volume 2. Three shots were fired and the native fell dead, pierced through the head, and the trade canoe was transformed into a funeral barge and floated silently down the river. He claimed he was doing it to protect the natives from Arab slavers, and to open the heart of Africa to Christian missionaries, and Western capitalists. 2021-22, Scavanger Hunt - Human anatomy scavenger hunt, Analytical Reading Activity 10th Amendment, 324069444 Introduction to Mastering Chemistry, EDUC 327 The Teacher and The School Curriculum Document, Leadership class , week 3 executive summary, I am doing my essay on the Ted Talk titaled How One Photo Captured a Humanitie Crisis https, School-Plan - School Plan of San Juan Integrated School, SEC-502-RS-Dispositions Self-Assessment Survey T3 (1), Techniques DE Separation ET Analyse EN Biochimi 1. on November 22, 2021. I base this appeal upon the terms of Article 36 of Chapter VII of the General Act of the Conference of Berlin, in which that august assembly of Sovereign States reserved to themselves the right to introduce into it later and by common accord the modifications or ameliorations, the utility of which may be demonstrated experience. and how they treated the natives. . But I take the liberty to say that many of these officers are too young and inexperienced to be entrusted with the difficult work of dealing with native races. an open letter to King Leopold that is one of the important landmarks in human rights . He was not a combatant and was ignorant of the conflict in progress upon the shore, some distance away. The white man took a percussion cap gun, tore the end of the paper which held the powder to the bullet, and poured the powder and paper into the gun, at the same time slipping the bullet into the sleeve of the left arm. I have no adequate terms with which to depict to your Majesty the brutal acts of your soldiers upon such raids as these. The staple argument was that the white mans heart had grown sick of the wars and rumours of war between one chief and another, between one village and another; that the white man was at peace with his black brother, and desired to confederate all African tribes for the general defense and public welfare. CONCLUSIONS These poor natives are sent hundreds of miles away from their villages, to serve among other natives whose language they do not know. We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us! Never invite him for dinner even if he gives you a chicken every time you arrive at his house.. African American history in one place that will provide me with a resource to use once I To discover the Between 800 and 1,000 slaves are sold to be eaten by the natives of the Congo State annually; and slave raids, accomplished by the most cruel and murderous agencies, are carried on within the territorial limits of your Majestys Government which is impotent. He allows his personal feelings on the subject the shine through in his history of African Americans in the United States and people of An open letter to His Serene Majesty Leopold III, There are no reviews yet. This is the words a letter from King Leopold II of Belgium to colonial missionaries in 1883: Reverends, Fathers and Dear Compatriots: The task that is given to fulfill is very delicate and requires much tact. Just some are. Often these ox-chains eat into the necks of the prisoners and produce sores about which the flies circle, aggravating the running wound; so the prisoner is constantly worried. King Leopold's Soliloquy. stop to it. of directors, advisory board, teacher advisory board, and volunteer staff. definitely one that I feel covers the subject in a way that makes it clear what his objective Twelve charges against the governemt. It buys and sells and steals slaves. I appeal to Anti-Slavery Societies in all parts of Christendom, to Philanthropists, Christians, Statesmen, and to the great mass of people everywhere, to call upon the Governments of Europe, to hasten the close of the tragedy your Majestys unlimited Monarchy is enacting in the Congo. And, of course, many die. The white brother took from his pocket a cigar, carelessly bit off the end, held up his glass to the sun and complaisantly smoked his cigar to the great amazement and terror of his black brother. I cannot deal with the dimensions of these prisons in this letter, but will do so in my report to my Government. Major Barttelot was shot by a Zanzibar soldier, and the captain of a Belgian trading-boat was the victim of his own rash and unjust treatment of a native chief. DuBois, An Appeal to the World : A Statement of Denial of Human Rights to Minorities, (1948) United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, (1960) Patrice Lumumbas Last Letter to Pauline Lumumba, (1963) Founding Charter of the Organization of African Unity, African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. SECOND.Your Majestys Government has established nearly fifty posts, consisting of from two to eight mercenary slave-soldiers from the East Coast. Do you find this information helpful? When Leopold was 65, he took the 16-year-old prostitute Caroline Lacroix as his mistress. You will find many other books, which will be given to you at the end of this conference. When natives have persisted in trading with the trade-companies the State has punished their independence by burning the villages in the vicinity of the trading houses and driving the natives away. Memoria e Perdono, atteggiamenti ontici per la felicit, in Dietrich Bonhoeffer e Paul Ricoeur, Autismo: Tecniche educative e comunicative, Le stragi e gli eccidi dei Savoia: Esecutori e mandanti, Luomo di Selo e altre solitudini balcaniche. that he brought fourth about the government and how they wronged the people of the Instead of the natives of the Congo adopting the fostering care of your Majestys Government, they everywhere complain that their land has been taken from them by force; that the Government is cruel and arbitrary, and declare that they neither love nor respect the Government and its flag. But the only thing they found in the wake of his march was misery. Allegations fly on social media, Volunteers to be paid 3,500 to get infected with coronavirus, Katy Perrys pregnancy and wedding plans with Orlando Bloom. During thirteen years only one white man has lost his life by the hands of the natives, and only two white men have been killed in the Congo. The African soldiers and labourers of your Majestys Government fare worse than the whites, because they have poorer quarters, quite as bad as those of the natives; and in the sheds, called hospitals, they languish upon a bed of bamboo poles without blankets, pillows or any food different from that served to them when well, rice and fish. Next came the lens act. writing. To avoid that, they get interested in it, and make you murderous competition and dream one day to overthrow you. But I take the liberty to say that many of these officers are too young and inexperienced to be entrusted with the difficult work of dealing with native races. All Rights Reserved. Follow us @kineticslive, Milestone: BMORENEWS.coms 10th Anniversary: 12/12/12 :: EARLY REGISTRATION, Kimpa Vita (Dona Beatriz) (16841706) Saint of Congo. Not long ago a Belgian trader had a child by a slave-woman of the State, and he tried to secure possession of it that he might educate it, but the Chief of the Station where he resided, refused to be moved by his entreaties. SECOND.Your Majestys Government has established nearly fifty posts, consisting of from two to eight mercenary slave-soldiers from the East Coast. All the sleight-of- hand tricks had been carefully rehearsed, and he was now ready for his work. 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From these general observations I wish now to pass to specific charges against your Majestys Government. Be the first one to, An open letter to His Serene Majesty Leopold III, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Independent State of Congo, Advanced embedding details, examples, and help, Terms of Service (last updated 12/31/2014). But to the surprise of every honest man, the thief was sheltered by the Governor General of your Majestys Government. Ibid, page 9. There is not a single chaplain in the employ of your Majestys Government to console the sick or bury the dead. Many of the issues he has with the government have to do with slavery and the Against the deceit, fraud, robberies, arson, murder, slave-raiding, and general policy of cruelty of your Majestys Government to the natives, stands their record of unexampled patience, long-suffering and forgiving spirit, which put the boasted civilisation and professed religion of your Majestys Government to the blush. fraud, robberies, arson, murder, slave-raiding, and general policy of cruelty of your Search the history of over 806 billion I know of prisoners remaining in custody for six and ten months because they were not judged. However, in his letter, Williams claims that no effort has been made to aid these people, but . Three hundred Ntakabrassrod-is the price the State pays for a slave, when bought from a native. After having been impressed by meeting King Leopold II of Belgium, he traveled in 1890 to the Congo Free State ( then owned by the king) to see its development. Leopold II was born in 1835 to King Leopold I and Louise-Marie of Orleans. 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The Scramble for Africa edited by Barbara Harlow and Mia Carter, 770-780. in order to generate constructive change in our society. As I write, the news reaches me that these much- treasured and long-looked for materials of war are to be discharged at Basoko, and the Resident here is to be given the discretion as to the distribution of them. My girlfriend slapped my mother what should I do? 8. I make reference to their Mystic System and their war fetish warfare protection which they pretend not to want to abandon, and you must do everything in your power to make it disappear. 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Convert always the blacks by using the whip. The black servants in the hotel, where the wine had been stolen, had been often accused and beaten for these thefts, and now they were glad to be vindicated. Ferguson the aftermath: Why voting and voter registration is a non-solution! justice, fortitude and patience. He wanted to help the Belgium King see how the natives What he witnessed, according to the American journalist and historian Adam Hochschild, was so brutal that, in a confidential letter, Williams accused King Leopold of crimes against humanity, decades before the term would reappear in the Nuremberg trials and . July 18th, 1890. is an information ministry that integrates theological reflection and practice, and uses dialogue as a catalyst for social change. They have estranged the natives from your Majestys Government, have sown the seed of discord between tribes and villages, and some of them have stained the uniform of the Belgian officer with murder, arson and robbery. The original source came from blackpast. I have personally witnessed and examined their clumsy operations. All Rights Reserved. am teaching history. Upon the arrival of the survivors in the Congo they are set to work as labourers at one shilling a day; as soldiers they are promised sixteen shillings per month, in English money, but are usually paid off in cheap handkerchiefs and poisonous gin. Global African History: Primary Documents: Global African History (1900) The Uganda Agreement.
