Colonial African - 1913

The Age of Discovery, an event begun in the 15th century and lasting until the 18th century, was a period when the Europeans dared to explore further than ever before. Their initial purpose was to enrich themselves through trade. Using reliable ships to sail across vast oceans, they found opportunities beyond all expectations. To protect these newly acquired sources of wealth, they used their military superiority to claim, to hold, and to discourage intrusion from rivals; it was also used to subdue local resistance.

The conquest of Africa began slowly; Portugal attacked and took control of Ceuta, a Muslim settlement in Northern Africa in 1415. By 1884, it became a scramble as the Europeans gathered at the Berlin Conference to divide what remained of Africa. In 1870, almost two decades before the Berlin Conference, a mere 10 percent of Africa was held by the Europeans; by 1914, the figure had increased to 90 percent and left only three independent entities on the African continent: Ethiopia, Liberia, and the undefined and disputed borders of the Dervish State.

Languages of the Americas

Thousands of languages, classified in dozens of language families, were spoken throughout the Americas prior to the arrival of the Europeans. These languages covered a geographical area stretching from Alaska to Greenland and from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego. The most widely spoken language group stemmed from the Quechua family and includes Aymara, Guarani, and Nahuatl. Several pre-Columbian civilization such as the Maya, Olmec, and Zapotec had also developed writing systems; Mesoamerica, Mesopotamia, and China are three places where writing developed independently. The number of languages and the vast differences between the languages spoken throughout the Americas suggests several waves of migration had occurred over a long period time. This explains the wide distribution of the many unrelated languages spoken in the Americas.

Languages of the Caribbean

In the history of the colonization of the Americas, isolated occasions occurred in allowing native languages to co-existed with the language of the European colonizers. The Europeans understood how learning the language of the indigenous people could ease the communication barrier and make their presence acceptable or at least tolerable. It also allowed the Europeans to bring a comprehensive message to the native population in their attempt to subvert the indigenous people. The tolerance of native languages was rare. The common tactic used by the Europeans in subjugating the native populations was by destroying every aspects of their culture; primarily their ability to communicate. By the 18th and 19th century, the use of Native American languages fell into decline or became extinct; they were replaced by the languages of the European conquerors.

The Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was founded in 27 BC and remained a powerful entity until it was divided into an eastern and western sector in 395 AD. The eastern division, known as the Byzantine Empire, continued to flourish until 1453, finally succumbing to the Ottoman Turks. The first two centuries of the Roman Empire’s existence was a period known as “Pax Romana,” a period of internal stability, rapid economic growth, and territorial expansion achieved through victorious military campaigns. The Roman Empire reached its apex in 117 AD during the leadership of Trajan, the second to hold power during a chapter of Roman history when a successive line of emperors, known as the “Five Good Emperors,” led the country to prosperity. This golden era lasted for almost 100 years, beginning with Emperor Nerva in 96 AD and ended with the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in 180 AD.