Part 1- Question #'s 3 and 4

What role do you think the imperialism of the 19th and 20th century played in sparking the civil war in Sierra Leone? (Michelle Cabral)

During the 1800's the Europeans began to dominate Africa as an effect of industrialization. People needed resources for their business and they wanted to get them more cheaply in order to make more money. Many countries looked at Africa and began to notice the many available resources that Africa had to fuel their business so something called "The scramble for Africa" began. This was a race between countries to take control over pieces of land in Africa. Imperialism in the 19th and 20th century played a role in the civil war of Sierra Leone because the goal of the British was to colonize the Africans by taking advantage of the diverse communities that there are in Africa in order to rob the country of this wealth. What the British did later brought other countries to decide to do the same thing which leads us to the civil war in Sierra Leone.
Although the English thought that it was their duty to "educate" the Africas, they did not exactly do so. If they would have done so then maybe the civil war would not have been as serious because the Africans would have an idea of how to manage the resources they have in their country and actually be able to benefit from them. The English left the Africans with no idea on how to manage their government. The first people who imperialized Africa not only introduced this way of stripping the country of its wealth but they also stripped the country of any other natural resources that they had.
The English overused the land in Africa up to a point when it was finally not fertile. If they would not have done this then perhaps the Africans would not have to be a part of this civil war and have to deal with people such as the RUF which is the Revolutionary United Front which attempts to take control of the diamond area.

Compare and contrast the colonization of the Age of Exploration (15th and 16th century) with the imperialism of the 19th and 20th century. (Michelle Cabral)

The Age of Exploration and the imperialism during the 19th and 20th century can be compared because the Europeans were after the same thing, God , gold, and glory. During the age of exploration the goal when it came to God, was to spread christianity. Over the years we can see that the English feel superior to others. They spread christianity because they believed that they had a duty to convert non christians througout the world, and when imperializing Africa they believe that it is also their duty to "educate" them and force on them the ways of the English in order to make them better people.
Another comparison between the age of exploration and imperialism is the link with the gold. People did not only travel because they wanted to spread religion, wealth was also a factor in this. During the age of exploration people were taken advantage of for their natural resources, and they would be taken and then sold for a much larger profit making the people selling the product much richer.