Henry Morton Stanley's Impact Upon Imperialist Congo
For Europeans, the African Congo was a land full of unsolved mysteries and intriguing economic prospects in the second half of the 19th century. It was the last region of Africa to be explored by Europeans; for over 400 years, Europeans had attempted time and time again to explore the region, and yet all had succumbed to unbearable hardships and impassible terrain. It is likely that this region would have remained unexplored until very recently if it were not for a man named Henry Morton Stanley. Stanley was the first European explorer to lead a successful journey into Congo, overcoming the unbelievable probability of failure to open up the heart of tropical Africa to European imperialism. However, his journey was neither smooth nor pleasant. In fact, the tactics that Stanley used to achieve this astounding feat were not only unorthodox albeit extremely effective, but also inhumane and cruel. Henry Morton Stanley greatly furthered imperialistic development in Congo with his skewed morals and brutal efficiency. Stanley was born John Rowlands on January 28th, 1841, as the illegitimate son of a Welsh woman. He was ignored by his family as a teen and left for New Orleans on a ship after escaping a harsh work camp. He was "adopted" by a family he worked for, the Stanleys, and displayed great loyalty to them until he was rejected a second time. After fleeing to Arkansas, he became involved in the American Civil War from 1862 onwards, eventually switching sides, from Confederate to Union, in order to avoid a prolonged stay in prison. Stanley became a successful journalist, and in 1870 was assigned by the New York Herald to search for a man named David Livingstone in Africa. Being an ambitious journalist, he accepted the offer. David Livingstone was a successful missionary who was humane to the African peoples and hence was well-liked; he generously administered prayers and medicine and was compassionate towards the tribes' beliefs and customs. He had gone missing in
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