Time Period of 1750-1900

Evaluate the extent to which indigenous peoples’ reactions to state expansion differed during the period 1750-1900. The time period of 1750-1900 was when European Imperialism was starting to take place. This was also when the first industrial revolution started and these European powers needed raw materials in order to produce manufactured goods so they looked to foreign regions like Africa, Indian, and The Americas. Another reason they imperialized was to show these “uncivilized” people how to become better and more civilized and this was something which was proven using social Darwinism. The indigenous people who were being taken over by these foreign powers did not like this and they tried to fight this new state expansion in many different ways. Between the time period of 1750-1900, the indigenous people had different reactions to state expansion with a few regions using physical force and military might to fight these invaders and other regions trying to use diplomacy and protests in order to force out these invaders. Between 1750-1900, there were a few regions that used military force and might in order to fight off the European invaders who were trying to imperialize them. In document 3, the Ethiopians had physically fought the Italian invaders in order to dispel them. In the painting, this battle had been fought in Ethiopia and the natives are actually seen being the only ones that are killing off the enemy so this painting was supposed to glorify the victory that the Ethiopians had on the Italians and it was supposed to be a way to rally up support from the natives in order to fight the Italians. In Ghana, a similar thing had been happening under the leadership of yaa asantewaa. She was a person who had a lot of respect and society and she rallied up people to rebel against Britain’s colonial rule by using military force. In document 2, the Tonghak believers are shown to have exterminated the Japanese enemy because believers of this movement did not want to be influenced by foreigners. Since the audience is to soldiers and civilians, the purpose of this message was to unify the people of Korea to dispel all foreign involvement and invoke a feeling of nationalism and a shared cause. In 1895, a man named Marti had tried to organize a rebellion against Spain who had control over Cuba. He used tactics of guerilla warfare in order to try to get the Spanish to lessen their grip on Cuba so this was a way of how military force was used to respond to imperialism and state expansion. Between 1750-1900, there were also other regions that had tried to use diplomacy, their words, and protests to fight imperialism. In document 1, an Ashanti leader is shown to politely decline Britain’s protectorate status. Instead of trying to fight the British off by force, the leader told the British that the Ashanti would never accept such status and that the Ashanti would be better off without any foreign influence. In document 4, the Queen of the Hawaiian islands is shown to be upset with the United States’ action of asserting ownership of millions of acres of Hawaiian land. Instead of trying to wage war or use physical force against them, she writes about how she was not done justice and that she should have her land returned to her and she was able to do this in a diplomatic manner. Since she wants the United States, the legislature, and their citizens to see this, she wants everyone in that country to know how the United States had wronged her because the United States was very serious able law and justice, especially its own citizens so if they were able to witness what their own country had done to this queen, they would feel as if the U.S. government had not lived up to what they should have been and this would prompt the government to achieve justice for the queen and return her land back so they would not have been guilty of breaking their own rules. In document 5, Kartini is shown to be angry with the Dutch officials for making the rulers kiss their feet, which was the highest token of respect and she felt as if they did not deserve it. She was a pioneer for women’s education, so she had been trying to educate more people and spread awareness about the situation that is going on between the Dutch officials and the rulers of the Javanese and how the Dutch are going to be a problem for the Javanese. European state expansion had a lot of consequences for the foreigners that would be taken over. The indigenous people had been independent and they resented the idea of the white man trying to control them and make them change their ways so they tried to fight it in different ways. From the time period of 1750-1900, indigenous people had different responses to imperialism because some regions decided to use physical force and military might to dispel the invaders and other regions had tried to use diplomacy, words, and protests in order to fight the European invaders.