African Missionaries and Rhodes’ Confession

This section explores the role of Missionaries and Cecil Rhodes in Africa during the 19^th Century. British involvement in Africa during the 19th century was deeply intertwined with the legacy of slavery, which in turn shaped racist attitudes regarding the perceived inferiority of African peoples. The British Empire’s early engagement with Africa had revolved around the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and although slavery was abolished in the early 19th century, the racist ideologies that had supported it lingered, influencing subsequent imperial ventures.

African Missionaries

In the wake of the abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in 1807 and the full abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1833, British Christians played an essential role in shaping Britain’s subsequent involvement in Africa. Many of these Christian missionaries had been instrumental in campaigning for the abolition of slavery and worked tirelessly to ensure that illegal slavery practices were suppressed. One of their primary aims was to establish new forms of trade that could replace the economic reliance on the slave trade. Another significant aspect of their mission was to bring Christianity to the native African populations.

David Livingstone, a Scottish missionary and explorer, became one of the most well-known figures in 19th-century Africa. Livingstone, who worked primarily in Central Africa, was not particularly successful in converting the local populations to Christianity, but he made significant contributions to the exploration of the region and the development of trade routes. His explorations along the Zambezi River were instrumental in opening up the area to further European trade. Livingstone’s work, though not religiously successful in the way some had hoped, contributed to a broader imperial mission of connecting British Africa to the global economy.

Another important missionary was Mary Slessor, also Scottish, who admired the work of Livingstone. She went to Calabar (in modern-day Nigeria) in the late 19th century, where she focused not only on missionary work but also on improving the welfare of the local Efik and Okoyong people. Unlike many missionaries, Slessor did not place heavy emphasis on converting Africans to Christianity but instead worked to improve the lives of the local population by promoting social justice. One of her most notable contributions was her efforts to protect and care for children, particularly twins, who were often abandoned or killed due to local superstitions. Mary Slessor’s work in Africa highlighted the complex and often humanitarian role that some British missionaries played in African societies.

Rhodes’ Confession

In South Africa, the figure of Cecil John Rhodes looms large, particularly in relation to the exploitation of Africa’s natural resources. Rhodes, who moved to South Africa in the 1860s, became immensely wealthy after the discovery of diamond mines in Kimberley, in the northern part of the Cape Colony. He was driven by a vision of British expansion in Africa, which he articulated in his famous Confession of Faith in 1877. In this document, Rhodes outlined his belief in the inherent superiority of the British people and extended this superiority to Anglo-Saxon peoples, including Americans. Rhodes believed that the British Empire had a moral obligation to extend its influence globally, and he envisioned British rule stretching from the Cape to Cairo—from the southern tip of Africa to the northern reaches of the continent. This vision provided the ideological justification for his territorial ambitions in Africa, which led to the creation of the colony of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1895.

Rhodes’ vision was not just about material wealth but was deeply rooted in a sense of racial superiority. He saw the expansion of the British Empire as both a moral duty and a practical necessity, believing that British governance and British culture were the best means of improving African societies. This belief in the civilising mission of empire was a cornerstone of British imperial ideology in the 19th century, and it significantly influenced British policy in Africa.

Jingoism

In the late 19th century, British enthusiasm for empire reached a fever pitch, driven by a sense of national pride and the belief in the righteousness of imperial expansion. This fervent patriotism, often underpinned by xenophobia and racism, was known as jingoism. Jingoism was characterised by an aggressive form of nationalism, where individuals were eager to demonstrate the strength and superiority of the British Empire. It often manifested in support for military action and imperial conquest, as well as an intense desire to expand British control over foreign territories.

This sense of jingoistic enthusiasm played a key role in shaping public opinion about the British Empire. Many Britons, particularly in the ruling and middle classes, embraced the idea that British imperialism was both a positive force for civilisation and a natural extension of British power. Such attitudes helped justify Britain’s continued expansion in Africa, as well as its other imperial ventures around the world.

However, this imperial enthusiasm was not without its critics. Some Britons questioned the moral and ethical implications of British rule in Africa, particularly when it came to the treatment of native peoples and the exploitation of natural resources. Despite these critiques, the power of jingoism continued to shape British attitudes towards empire, influencing both public opinion and government policy for much of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Conclusion

British involvement in Africa during the 19th century was driven by a complex mix of missionary zeal, economic interests, and racial ideologies. Figures such as David Livingstone and Mary Slessor played significant roles in shaping Britain’s humanitarian and religious missions in Africa, while figures like Cecil Rhodes embodied the imperialist drive for territorial expansion and economic exploitation. The development of a sense of British superiority, underpinned by Social Darwinism and jingoism, helped to fuel the expansion of the British Empire in Africa, with the belief that British civilisation was a force for good in the world. Despite the complex and often contradictory nature of these motivations, the British Empire in Africa would continue to grow throughout the 19th century, setting the stage for the colonial era that followed.