Delilah West - Congo Suspect Presentation by

Henry Morton Stanley

863899 — 2025-04-22 17:28:51 UTC

Henry Morton Stanley was born in Denbigh, United Kingdom on January 28, 1841. Later in life, he went to the Congo in Africa, to find David Livingstone, who had been exploring for a while, but had not been heard from in recent months. He found him a short while later, and when he returned home, wrote a book titled, How I Found Livingstone, which started his crave for fame. After this, he was set on another expedition to continue exploring the Congo. When he returned, his report of the Congo interested King Leopold II of Belgium, who reached out to him, employing him to claim the Congo for him. He then worked for Leopold to force the natives of the Congo to produce rubber and harvest Ivory for him, so that Leopold could make a profit.

Evidence One

863899 — 2025-04-22 17:29:28 UTC

"You kidnapped and abused African tribesmen... because you thought that you were better than them."

Evidence Two

863899 — 2025-04-22 17:29:38 UTC

"Your journals and letters show that what you cared most about was glory and fame... you wanted to look good for the pictures that would be published in the newspaper."

Evidence Three

863899 — 2025-04-22 17:29:46 UTC

"The one who negotiated treaties with the Congolese... the one who made the maps for the traders who stole the resources... your drive to become famous made Africa seem like a land where anyone could become rich and powerful."

Reasoning One

863899 — 2025-04-22 17:29:55 UTC

This evidence shows how Henry Morton Stanley murdered and took advantage of millions of innocent people, because they were different from him. Henry Morton Stanley killed millions of people in the Congo, because he thought that he had more power than them. There was a language barrier between them, and by tricking them into giving everything they had up, Henry Morton Stanley made himself believe that he could take advantage of millions of innocent Congolese.

Reasoning Two

863899 — 2025-04-22 17:30:09 UTC

This piece of evidence shows that Henry Morton Stanley wasn't just killing people to follow orders. It reveals that he actually wanted to benefit from all of the abuse and torture he was putting people through, by being portrayed as a hero and an explorer. So, not only did Henry Morton Stanley hurt all of these people, but he posed for photos with them, and wrote all about how he was a grand savior and a true pioneer of Africa.

Reasoning Three

863899 — 2025-04-22 17:30:30 UTC

This piece of evidence shows how Henry Morton Stanley was actually the one who got his hands dirty, and the one that really conned everyone into trusting him. He tricked people who spoke different languages into giving up everything they had. He was the one who cut the hands off of people, and who kidnapped the families of people who didn't produce enough rubber. He was the one who actually did everything. King Leopold didn't tell Henry Morton Stanley to do all of that, he told him to produce rubber and ivory. Henry Morton Stanley took that and ran, which is why he is to blame for the murders of ten million Congolese people.

Fun Fact:

863899 — 2025-04-22 17:30:43 UTC

Henry Morton Stanley's most famous quote is, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" from when he met Livingstone during his expedition to find him.

Fun Fact:

863899 — 2025-04-22 17:30:51 UTC

Henry Morton Stanley's real name was John Rowlands, but when he moved to New Orleans, he befriended someone of the name Henry Stanley, and took it as his own.

Why is Henry Morton Stanley to blame?

863899 — 2025-04-23 17:10:17 UTC

Henry Morton Stanley is the one to blame for the deaths of ten million Congolese people. Henry Morton Stanley was in the Congo working for King Leopold II from 1879 to 1884, and he helped murder and abuse millions of Congolese people, help King Leopold make more money and produce more rubber, and helped explore and exploit the Congo's resources. He stood by while innocent people were killed and disfigured, and he accepted all of it. He can try to blame Leopold, but it is he who has the blood on his hands.