British Empire - Sub-Saharan Africa

By seamusgallagher

  • Britain abolishes Slavery

    Slave Trade Act prevents Africa from being a source of slaves for the British, as they had previously transported 3.1 million slaves through British colonies

  • Swing to the East

    Britain sought to expand their empire into Africa in the wake of the American Revolutionary War. The Cape was an important port for ship voyages to the Indies, and Africa as a continent was rich in natural resources such as gold, ivory and diamonds.

  • David Livingstone begins Zambezi River expedition

    Funded by the British government, scot Livingstone had been a member of the London Missionary Society and aimed to spread Christianity and commerce in Africa. He aimed to find natural resources and sent 2,000 letters home. He was staunchly anti-slavery, witnessing episodes of it on his travels. One of his companions was John Kirk, a Scottish physician and botanist.

  • John Hanning Speke discovers Lake Victoria

    First European to see Lake Victoria. He had accompanied and fought against Burton over the years

  • Richard Burton co-founds the Anthropological Society with Dr. Hunt

    A linguist and scholar of Muslim and broader Eastern ideas and manners, Burton published books such as the Kama Sutra (1883) and Arabian Nights (1885). He believed in scientific racism, that different human races had different genetic origins and even species.

  • Livingstone begins expedition to find the source of the Nile

    In addition to finding the source of the Nile River, Livingstone aimed to extend the gospel and abolish the slave trade.

  • Exports

    Main exports from tropical colonies were cocoa, coffee, groundnuts, sugar and palm oil. Nigeria's main export was tin, Sierra Leone and Kimberley were diamonds. Gold coast and Rhodesia principally exported gold.

  • John Kirk becomes acting British Consul in Zanzibar

    He pressed Sultan Barghash, the Omani ruler of Zanzibar, to abolish the slave trade on the island.

  • Brussels Conference begins

    King Leopold II, who personally led the DRC, organised this conference to justify European intervention in the African continent. However, the European powers became suspicious of each other's intentions. "Open up to civilisation" Leopold sought to develop Africa's perceived backwards culture.

  • Berlin Conference concludes, General Act signed

    The European powers met at Chancellor Bismarck's request in Berlin to carve up Africa into arbitscription (optional)
    Write
    Preview
    To arary countries. They disregarded local indigenous linguistic and ethnic lines, establishing the principle of 'effective occupation'.
    At the start of the conference, 90% of Africa was controlled by local tribes.
    By 1902, 90% of African territory was European. It lay the foundations of WW1

  • South Africa's main export becomes gold

  • Imperial British East Africa Company founded

    Founded by William Mackinnon, this company controlled areas of Uganda and Kenya, governing taxation and granting exemptions to British civilians.