3.2.1 Summary

Three Things I Learned
1. I did not even know about the rubber trade in the Congo. I can't believe that i didnt know about the horrific events that occured there. It's crazy to think that something like that could not be well known. (Also can i please borrow King Leopold's Ghost Maz?)

2. Another thing I learned was about the Sepoy Mutiny. I did not know this occured but i thought that it was interesting how the Sepoys started the revolt because of their strong religious beliefs.

3. I also learned about the Cape to Cairo Railway.

Two Things that Interested me
1. One thing that interested me was how Japan decided to adapt rather than be controlled.

2. Another thing that interested me was how much racism was involved in Imperiralism.

One Question I Still Have
1. Were any reparations given to the countries who were controlled by imperialistic countries?

Spotlight on the Suez Canal

The Suez Canal is currently controled by the Arab Republic of Egypt. About 20,000 ships pass through the Suez Canal each years. The Suez Canal has been quite sucessful since the beginning of its operation. The trip through the Suez Canal is much shorter than the alternate trip around the Cape of Good Hope. However the Suez Canal has caused the invasion of Red Sea species into the Mediterranean sea. Also pirates have caused the amount of traffic in the Suez Canal to decrease.

The Uprising in Libya

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/uprising-libya-qaddafi-out_550517.html

On February 15, 2011 uprisings began in Libya mainly being spurred on by the previous uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Social media has been a big component of the uprisings in Libya. As of right now Libya is on the brink of a civil war. The Libyan protestors are trying to overthrow the government of Muammar Gaddafi. Gaddafi is a the dictator in Libya and is very oppresive towards his people. Gaddafi has decided to use force on the protestors and has killed thousands. Currently there has been no interventions from other countries. So far it is hard to say whether the uprisings have been affective or not.

Sepoy Mutiny

The Sepoy Mutiny occurred on May 10, 1857. The Mutiny began with the Sepoy's who served the Dutch East India Company who heard that the cartridges in their rifles were greased with lard and beef fat. This was a problem because the cow is sacred to the Hindu's and the Muslims are not allowed to eat pork. The Mutiny began with the forced freeing of prisoned Sepoys who refused to fire their cartridges. However the Sepoy were soon joined by Indian civilians and they took control of Delhi. The rebels were finally defeated in 1858 and many rebels that were taken prisoner were eventually killed. The Sepoy Mutiny did not really help the Indians but harm them because the British then became more defensive.



Two US Events from this Time Period

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was a federal law that limited the number of Chinese iimmigrants allowed in America to one hundred and five a year. This act also limited the ability of Americans of Chinese descent to leave and return to America. This Act was passed because Americans were fearful of losing their jobs to Chinese Immigrants. The act was supposed to only last ten years but it was renewed and additional acts were passed. The act was not repealed until 1943.

The views that the Chinese Exclusion Act created were felt overseas in the imperialism of China. The act helped support the racist idea that Europeans and Americans are superior to Chinese. Which spurred on imperialism.

The Native American Wars

As America expanded into the western part of the contient conflicts with Native Americans became more common. The US army began fighting against the Native Americans in order to gain land for America. Two of the most famous incidents were the Wounded Knee Massacre and Custard's last stand. The Native Americans were overpowered by the US army's size and modern equipment. Eventually the Native Americans were given two choices by the US government, either they lived on reservations or they became part of the American Society.

The Native American Wars were just reflections of the imperialism going on in the other parts of the world. The Native Americans were treated just like the African chiefs, both were given faulty treaties that they did not understand. The Native American's like all other victims of imperialism were tricked into giving up their land.

Is the United States Imperialistic

I do believe that yes America has been Imperialistic. For example Puerto Rico is currently a protectorate of the United States. Also there are people that say the Spanish-American War was started purely for the imperialistic gains of America. Then there is also the Native American Wars in which the US used the idea of Manifest Destiny to take the native people's land. However on the other hand Puerto Rico is working on becoming a state or an independent country and their government isn't really a puppet government. Also the Spanish-American War was also started because of the sinking of the USS Maine. Finally the US tried to apologize for the Native American Wars by giving the Native Americans reservations except for the fact that this wasn't a very affective apology. Even today we still claim the Native Americans' land as our own and Puerto Rico as a protectorate.

Current US Imperialism Cartoon

This cartoon is depicting a lone Islamic man with the words "Islam: There is no god but the God and Muhammad is His messenger," printed on his back shouting no and the massive US armed force. The author's opinion in this cartoon is that the US so greatly outmatches the people they are fighting in the Middle East that the war is not just to prevent terrorism but also to change the way of thinking of the people there. I think that this picture shows the strong will of the fighters in the Middle East, that one man would stand up and face a massive force like that in the cartoon.