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British Bengal
After the British faught back against nawabs, the weak Mughal emperor acknowledged the East India Company's right to rule Bengal. This was an important staging part in EIC's way to dominating India. This image shows early British colonialism in India. -
Declaration of Independence
With the Revolutionary War in full swing, colonists especially wanted their independence from Britain. Thomas Jefferson and a few others drafted the Declaration, which was formally adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4 in Philadelphia. The image is John Trumbull's famous painting, in which the drafters are presenting their work to the Congress. -
Australia Day
Captain Arthur Phillip guided 11 British ships of convicts to the colony of New South Wales, thus founding Australia. The first few years of colonization were rough, as the colonists were not accustomed to the different climate, soil, etc. As Europeans colonized the land, the native Aboriginies lost their homeland. Australia remained a penal colony until gold was discovered. The image is a painting by Algernon Talmage depicting the arrival of Captain Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove. -
Hatian Revolution
Hatian slaves rise against their oppressive owners. This later became the Hatian revolution, in which the French colony of Saint Domingue became independent. Haiti became the second colony (after the United States) in the Americas to declare its independence. The slave revolt was most notably led by Toussaint L’Ouverture. In the image, L'Ouverture is holding the Hatian Constitution in 1801. -
Napoleon Invades Egypt
The French wanted control over Egypt so that they can industrialize, protect French trade interests, and weaken Britain's access to India. But Napoleon's troops were forced to withdraw in 1801 after their defeat at the Battle of the Nile and because of conflicts in France. Egypt then attempted to copy France's industrialization methods under the rule of Muhammad Ali. The image is a painting by Mather Brown showing the Battle of the Nile. -
Sierra Leone Colonization
In 1808, Britain colonized Sierra Leone in hopes of it serving as a base for their anti-slave-trade naval squadron. It did just that and was used as a place where "captured" vessels were sent and helped to recover. This old-timey photo depicts the a certain town in Sierra Leone where pervious slaves were sent. -
Padre Hidalgo
In 1810, Padre Hidalgo in the small town of Dolores, rang the church bells and attracted thousands of people. He wanted to rise up against the oppression of the Spanish officials. This officially began Mexico's fight for independence. In the picutre, Hidalgo is seen with his followers. -
Junta in Caracas
In 1811, a Junta led by creoles declared independence in the capital of modern day Venezuela, Caracas.This revolutionary movement later placed the front of it in the hands of Simon Bolivar. This image shows the independence of later South American countries, inspired by Caracas. -
Jose Maria Morelos
2 years after Hidalgo's death, Jose Morelos rekindled the revolutionary spirit by creating a formidable fighting force against the Spanish rule. Although he was defeated and killed later, Mexico would continue on to gain independece. This is a portrait of the man himself. -
Battle of the Thames
This Battle was part of the War of 1812, in which the United States were victorious against Britain and the Native Americans. Many British troops were captured, and the Shawnee Native American tribe's leader Tecumseh was killed. This allowed the United States to strengthen its control and expand into the West. The image depicts the death of Tecumseh. -
Monroe Doctrine
President Monroe of the United States addressed Congress regarding foreign policy. He wanted to disentangle the United States from European affairs, thus the Europeans were prohibited from further colonization of Latin America. The image is a letter sent from President Monroe to Thomas Jefferson, asking for foreign policy advice. -
Singapore Occupation
In 1824, Britain's East India Company established a new free port at Singapore under the command of Thomas Stamford Raffles. After attracting business men and merchants, this became a center of trade and shipping between China and the Indian Ocean. This picture shows modern day Singapore, and how prosperous it has become. -
Simon Bolivar
After years of battling against oppresiong foreigners and Spaniards, Simon Bolivar and closest supporters attempted to draw the former colonies into a confederation. Although this attempt did fail, it showed the persistence of South Americans and their hatred for colonizers. This is another portait, this time of Simon Bolivar, the main independence leader. -
Opium War
For a long time, China had been exporting its world-class porcelain, tea, and silk to the rest of the world. Until, the British wanted to balance this trade and forced the Chinese to trade opium (which came from the newly gained territory: India). This harmed the Chinese, who were no match for Britain's superior navy. In the end, China signed a treaty, giving Britain five trade ports and silver compensating for Britain's loss in opium. The image shows British war ships destroying Chinese junks. -
Caste War
The Mayans, recently seeing their oppresors divided, rebelled in 1847, known as the Caste War. The well-organized and popular uprising almost returned the Yucatan to its rightful owners. This revolt was largely due to the accumulation of grievances through the years since the arrival of Europeans. This image depicts a book about the wars that took place during this time. -
Commodore Matthew Perry in Japan
American Commodore Matthew Perry brought steamships to Tokyo Bay. For several centuries, Japan had isolated itself from the outside world by not trading with anyone. Commodore Perry wanted to change that. He accomplished this a year later when Japan signed a treaty opening up trade with the United States. The image shows him meeting imperial commissioners. -
Sepoy Rebellion
This was an unsuccessful rebellion by the Indian sepoys against British rule. The Sepoys decided to rebel after the mistreatment by the British such as the requirement of unloading ammunition with teeth when it was grimy. This is a picture of the Sepoys being strapped to cannons, a show of force by Britain -
Mexico and France
Five years earlier, miberals imposed sweeping reforms and Benito Juarez assumed presidency to defeat the conservatives. In 1862, France decided to send troops against Juarez, forcing him to flee. This image shows Benito Juarez, and just how lovely he looked, of course the French loved him! -
Kingdom of Asante
Starting in 1874, and continuing on until 1900, when they were finally overwhelmed, the kingdom of Asante fully resisted foreign occupation. This commercial state tried to retain its old way of life and push out unwelcome European nations, which proved to lead to its downfall. This picture shows a book cover about the war for Asante, which is valuable on the Gold Coast. -
Berlin Conference
The Berlin Conference was a meeting of European nations, organized by the first Chancellor of Germany, Otto von Bismarck. This was when the Europeans split up Africa amongst themselves, and it can be seen as a formalization of the Scramble for Africa. The image shows the result, in which Africa is almost completely colonized by Europeans. -
Ethiopian Resistance
Under the command of Menelik as emperor, the Ethiopians had been purchasing new weaponry from Italy for 6 years. In 1896, Italy decided to take Ethiopia, bu was defeated by the larger and better-trained army which they had previously supplied. This image shows the victorious Ethiopians.
