Colonization of Africa in 19th century

This map shows the colonization of Africa in 19th century. In mid to late 19th century, Europe colonized Africa in what was known as "The scramble for Africa". Slave trade and other exploitative practices were engaged by European countries for a long time. I am pretty sure that European people wanted products from Africa like coffee, tea, and cocoa which were high demand products at that time. 

In my opinion, two main ideas that Europeans had justify their treatment of Africans:

1. Belief that Africans were inferior

2. Christian idea that Africans needed to be civilized. Also called the "White Man's Burden"

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The White Man's Burden

Take up the White Man's burden--

Send forth the best ye breed--

Go bind your sons to exile

To serve your captives' need;

To wait in heavy harness,

On fluttered folk and wild--

Your new-caught, sullen peoples,

Half-devil and half-child.

Take up the White Man's burden--

In patience to abide,

To veil the threat of terror

And check the show of pride;

By open speech and simple,

An hundred times made plain

To seek another's profit,

And work another's gain.

Take up the White Man's burden--

The savage wars of peace--

Fill full the mouth of Famine

And bid the sickness cease;

And when your goal is nearest

The end for others sought,

Watch sloth and heathen Folly

Bring all your hopes to nought.

Take up the White Man's burden--

No tawdry rule of kings,

But toil of serf and sweeper--

The tale of common things.

The ports ye shall not enter,

The roads ye shall not tread,

Go mark them with your living,

And mark them with your dead.

Take up the White Man's burden--

And reap his old reward:

The blame of those ye better,

The hate of those ye guard--

The cry of hosts ye humour

(Ah, slowly!) toward the light:--

"Why brought he us from bondage,

Our loved Egyptian night?"

Take up the White Man's burden--

Ye dare not stoop to less--

Nor call too loud on Freedom

To cloke your weariness;

By all ye cry or whisper,

By all ye leave or do,

The silent, sullen peoples

Shall weigh your gods and you.

Take up the White Man's burden--

Have done with childish days--

The lightly proferred laurel,

The easy, ungrudged praise.

Comes now, to search your manhood

Through all the thankless years

Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,

The judgment of your peers!

This famous poem, written by Britain's imperial poet, was a response to the American take over of the Phillipines after the Spanish-American War.  There are definite examples displaying broader attitudes toward it from throughout Europe. In the first stanza, the author speaks of leaving your sons and going off to complete the duty that you have been given, and catch the half-humans that roam about Africa. This could be seen as a glory thing, where imperialism and what it represents is an honor to participate in. In the second stanza it displays what is said to be the proper show of dignity when a man has to “check his show of pride.” This implies that those whom he is speaking to are not at the level of prowess as he, and he needs to be mindful of that. After the author states, “By open speech and simple,” which to me means that it is understood that the people that the Europeans made contact with in Africa are not educated, so they need to 

stoop down to their level of language to be understood. <http://world-history.nmhblogs.org>

The poem describes how the white race is superior to all others.