Imperialism In Nigeria

From as early the 15th century, Europeans had begun exploring Africa, with Prince Henry the Navigator being the first European to successfully explore Africa (albeit in search of West Indies trade route). Through the centuries, more and more of Africa was explored, with the biggest wave occurring with African slave trade. The eventual downfall of slave trade led to the rise of their colonialism, as European countries, specifically Great Britain, annexed many West African states, including what would become the country of Nigeria. Today, though Nigeria has its own unique identity as a nation, its roots lie in the impact that Great Britain had on it. British colonization of Nigeria massively influenced the course of its cultural development, as seen through Nigeria’s spoken language, system of government, religions, and education system.

So when explorations of Africa by the Portuguese began in the early 15th century, the profitable opportunities that slavery presented could not be ignored. Soon other countries, like the Netherlands, Spain, and Great Britain, joined, and slave trade roared to life. Not only was transatlantic slave trade a means of profit for the countries that participated, it also became an instrument of power: a power to exercise European dominance in Africa. However, after about 300 years of slave trade, the British Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act of 1807, which abolished Slave Trade in the British Empire and encouraged British action to press other European states to do the same. The British began to make anti-slavery treaties with West-African powers, some of which were enforced militarily and/or involved promises that those West-African powers would abide by British rules. This military presence, combined with these promises, were the beginnings of British colonialism in West