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Dylan Goodman
Mettee
European Lit
6 April 2015
Colonialism is a sensitive topic for many nations; those that have practiced it in various
forms prefer to gloss over the atrocities of the past, and those taken advantage of by imperialist
values often demand reparations or acknowledgement of past wrongs. Most modern nations have
some form of connection with colonialism, whether its modern day American Samoa or recently
independent African nations. Much of Europes wealth and relative stability rises from the
exploitation of smaller nations centuries ago; even the bastion of freedom and independence that
is the United States owes its prosperity to exploited peoples. This essay seeks to explore the
deeper, historical roots of colonialism, and how it may even manifest itself on a smaller scale in
day to day life.
Colonialism is most often recognized on a scale of decades. Just like the Spanish
Inquisition, no one expects colonialism. Most cases of recognized imperialism in fact are initially
thought of as humanitarian missions to underprivileged peoples, intended to bring poor,
uncivilized people to the light of whatever institution is in vogue for a particular era. Its only
later, when the bodies have been counted and the losses calculates, that its recognized as a
negative endeavor for at least one party. Such is the case for the Belgian Congo, in the 19th
century. The ruler of Belgiums stated missive was to civilize a previously unknown portion of
Africa; apparently the best way to accomplish this was a destructive rampage through native

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peoples homeland, raping and pillaging the land of natural resources on the way. Of course, this
provided a great opportunity for the upper class of various European states.
An outlier in colonized states, Haiti circa 1800 is the location of the only successful slave
revolt in history. The revolt, organized by Toussaint Louverture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines,
created the independent state of Haiti and shook the assumption that a colony was impervious to
dissent. Both men were children of wealthy plantation owners, and both had been educated.
Toussaint used his leverage as a leader to gain more and more from French and Britain, by
frequently switching alliances. After they successfully wrested control of Haiti, Dessalines was
installed as president. Unfortunately, the economys dependence on sugar plantations meant that
a strict working schedule with few benefits had to be enforced- this system was tantamount to the
slavery that Haitians had just escaped.
The French National Assemblys response to the Haitian crisis was little and late. They
declared Haiti a free state for a brief period during political turmoil, but reverted to a slave
colony during economic duress. Two years later, they no longer controlled the most profitable
colony in the Caribbean. Ever since the revolution, Haiti is consistently recognized as a generally
unstable and unsafe place. It has been one of the poorest nations in the western hemisphere for
over 100 years, which is even more striking due to its immediate proximity to the Dominican
Republic. The Dominican Republic was part of Hispaniola until 1844, when granted
independence. Since then, a method of responsible governance and sustainable use has allowed
the Dominican Republic to become a benefit to its citizens.
Today, modern analogues to colonies still exist. Two major examples are Guam and
American Samoa. Both are technically classified as US Territories, which means that the citizens

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are subject to the laws and taxes of the United States. However, they are not allowed to vote, and
receive no benefits from the government such as Social Security. They are not even considered
full citizens of the United States, with a disclaimer on passports stating The bearer is a United
States National and not a United States Citizen.
Vladimir Lenin chimed in with his book, Imperialism, the Highest Form of Capitalism. In
it he discusses the act of investment in a colony, return of that investment, and how it closely
reflects the last stage of capitalistic development; developing something to ensure greater profits.
By this definition, Lenin felt safe declaring imperialism as the highest stage of capitalism. He
takes a view based almost entirely on economic impact. Coining the term finance capitalism,
or investing in a less developed country, and gaining monopolies of the local market. This is all
so that the home market, which is limited as to its potential productivity, can expand and grow
off of the profits of others while benefiting a capitalist society. Obviously this is an exploitative
system- in nature it would be considered parasitic. However, many economic superpowers today
owe their status to such a relationship with a developing country.

William Allan Rogers, 1898

Joseph Keppler Jr. 1904

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Above are two examples of Colonial art. Rogers piece, depicting Kiplings poem The
White Mans Burden shows Uncle Sam Lecturing a class full of minorities and one British man.
All of the minorities are depicted as churlish and immature, as Uncle Sam attempts to discipline
them. However, its obvious that for there to be any affect much more energy, time, and
resources have to be used. A common view at the time, that colonialism wasnt inherently bad;
but it was simply a pain to enlighten people. The second piece, done in 1904, focuses on the
United States once again. Stretching from the southeast to Panama, captioned with Gee, but this
is an awful stretch!, our national emblem the eagle advances US interests. Flags are set at the
Panama canal and Puerto Rico, a pro-US colony in the Caribbean. One of the wings even extends
over the Philippines, where one other flag is set, designating it as US territory.
Blatant imperialism is almost unilaterally derided today, yet many feel as though US
policy is stilled guided by imperialistic policies. One of the most striking examples of this is the
Iraq war- ostensibly started in order to curb terror and make sure that an unstable region had no
weapons of mass destruction. However, the real reason behind starting the Iraq war is hotly
debated. Max Boot, a prominent military historian and author of the book Invisible Armies, said
that a more muscular American policy could keep the conflict from spreading" in Iraq. This is a
basic imperialist idea- yet here it is, staring at us in the face from a well-known and educated
man. What does this mean about imperialism and colonialism? Are they as far behind us as most
like to believe, or are we still exploiting developing countries for financial gain?
These questions remind, and many of the contributors of this issue, remind me that the
times we consider so barbaric and outdate often havent even left our society yet. Very few
people would agree with you if you asked Should the United States take advantage of other
countries and peoples for the benefit of its own? but a similar amount of people protest for the

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equal treatment of American Samoans today. The plight of millions of people isnt known in first
world countries small bubbles of luxury, were we can learn about the atrocities of the past and
forget the inequities of today. It is an incredible privilege to live in our world, where food, water,
and electricity come on demand, and living in our world requires us to source our disposable
resources from somewhere. And while we dont like to think of ourselves as imperialist
exploiters, at some point we must step up to the pate and recognize hat not only are exploited
countries, but that we, first world denizens, are the direct cause of many of them. Just as King
Leopold II got rich from Congo rubber, we suck dry the resources of other countries for the
benefit of our own.