Henry+Morton+Stanley



You are Henry Morton Stanley, famous explorer who uttered the famous words upon finding Dr. Livingston, "Dr. Livingston I presume?" Not only are your famous for finding Dr. Livingston in Central Africa but also famous for being hired by King Leopold II to explore the new Belgian territory called the Congo Free State. Here is a brief explanation of his trip to the Congo:

Claiming Congo for the Belgian king
Stanley was approached by the ambitious Belgian king Leopold II, who in 1876 had organized a private holding company disguised as an international scientific and philanthropic association, which he called the International African Society. The king spoke of his intentions to introduce Western civilization and to bring religion to this part Africa, but didn't mention he wanted to claim the lands. Stanley returned to the Congo, negotiated with tribal chiefs and obtained fair concessions (that were later falsified to his advantage by the king). But Stanley refused to impose treaties on the chiefs that would cede sovereignty over their lands. He built new roads to open the country, but this also gave advantage to the slave traders. When Stanley discovered that the king had other plans, he still remained on his payroll. In later years he spent much energy defending himself against charges that his African expeditions had been marked by callous violence and brutality. Stanley's opinion was that "the savage only respects force, power, boldness, and decision." Stanley would eventually be held responsible for a number of deaths and was indirectly responsible for helping establish the rule of Leopold II of Belguim over the Congo Free State.

As Henry Morton Stanley you are key witness for the defense because you should establish that you explored the Congo area for the idea of a free trading zone and not as a personal colony of Leopold II. Although you were hired by the King, this does not necessarily mean that you were working just for Leopold II. In fact, Elizabeth I commissioned the first East India Company expidetion to India in 1600. Therefore this is not a rare event for rulers to hire explorers (in the English case a company) to uncover resources of their new territory. Hit the fact that you refused to impose unfair treaties and how you built roads to benefit the territory and not hurt it. Write down some notes on a peice of paper so that you may solidify your story. Below is a link to Henry Morton Stanley's notes and journal entries about his expedition to Congo [|Stanley Expedition]