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In 500 B.C.E small groups of people started moving from West Africa to East Africa. People like the Pygmies, Nilotes and Bantu started living in the Congo
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In 600 CE more ethnic groups started to occupy the Central African region. All the the region had its own different culture and languages.
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In the 1480's Portueguese arrived in the center of the Kongo kingdom. This is when slave trading began.
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In 1506 King Afonso became the king of the Kongo. He became a christian. And he sent one of his sons to study in Portugal. His son became the first black catholic bishop.
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In 1526, king Alfonso wrote a letter to the Poruguese king about how the slave trade is affecting the congo
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In early 1800s Europeans abandoned slave trade. But some countries continued. Many ethnic groups stopped their traditional activities to continue onto slave trade.
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In 1860's Tanzania exported more than seventy thousands slaves.
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In the 1870s Europeans and Americans started producing goods faster with their new factories
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Industrial Revolution didnt need slaves anymore. But they needed raw materails-- natural resources. Europeans started thinking more about Africa
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In September 1876 King Leopold had a gathering for explores and geographers.
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King Leopold brings together explorers and geographers. They went to bring cilization to Africa. They formed International Africa Association.
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1879- 1884 Stanley goes around and signs 450 treaties with Africans
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In 1883 France occupied countries such Algeria, Senegal, and Gabon and the Congo Republic
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From 1879 to 1884 Stanley went to Central Africa to sign treaties on behalf of King Leopold.
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From 1884 to 1885, Otto von Bismarck organized a conference to be held in Berlin. The conference was to provide organizations for Africans.
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Berlin Conference 3 goals for the conference was the three C's Commerce, Christianity, and Civilazation
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Leopold has a new territory called the Congo Free State. Leopold made up a law giving "vacant land" to the government.
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Leopold puts together an army titled Force Publique to control Congo. Cost about 3 million francs a year to keep control over the Congo
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Leopold has a new idea to get new funds or money. His idea was to tax everyone in the anti slavery confrence. He wanted to use the money to fight slavery. Passes another law that states that Africans could only sell their products to the Belgium
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In 1903 a british man Roger Casement investigated the Congo Free State