Modern World History – Honors
Ms. Wiley
King Leopold’s Ghost Instructions
Name: ________________________________
King Leopold’s Ghost is a best-selling history book that we will be reading to supplement
our understanding of imperialism and the forces that shaped the modern world. King
Leopold II of Belgium gained personal control of the Congo in the 1880s, a colony that
was 76 times larger than Belgium. He claimed that his primary motive in establishing the
colony was to abolish the slave trade. However, he licensed companies that brutally
exploited Africans, by forcing them to collect sap from rubber plants. Rubber production
under Belgium rule was one of the worst exploitations of Africans in the history of
African imperialism. Armed soldiers drove people into the forest to collect wild rubber.
Those who refused were killed, and their left hands taken as trophies to show the
commissioner. The Congolese were uprooted, separated, enslaved, whipped and
mutilated leaving as many as 10 million dead. So severe were the forced labor, excessive
taxation and abuses of the native Congolese, that humanitarians around the world demanded changes…
Part I—Movie: We will watch a movie that mirrors what we are reading in King Leopold’s Ghost. You are responsible for
taking detailed notes whenever we view sections of the movie in class. Title a sheet of lined paper “King Leopold’s Ghost
Movie Viewing Form” and place in binder immediately following this instruction form. You may organize this movie
viewing form in a way that works best for you (outline form, graphic organizer, etc.). If is required, however, that you
highlight the following:
-
Background Information Regarding the Congo and/or Belgium
Information Regarding Key Characters
Motives for Imperialism in the Congo
Impacts on the Congo
Part II—Activities: You will have 14 “activities” to complete as you move throughout the book. Each of these activities
should be labeled, dated, and inserted into your binder in chronological order. These activities may be checked in class,
collected, used for a quiz, or utilized for a class discussion. Your responses to each activity should be original, thoughtful,
and thorough, demonstrating clear evidence that you have read and understood the chapters. You are required to record
the prompt/question before providing your response. At the completion of the text, Ms. Wiley will collect these activities
and they will be graded collectively as a portfolio assignment.
Part III—Presentation: You will also be assigned a partner and a section of the book (which will correspond to one of the
“activities”) to present to the class. It will be your responsibility to organize a brief class lecture/discussion of the assigned
reading where key ideas are explained and explored. Major requirements are as follows:
-
10-15 minute presentation
Two-sided handout for all students in the class, highlighting key figures, events, themes, places, key quotes, etc.
from the chapter/s
Brief PowerPoint highlighting key ideas and images from the chapter/s
Handout and PowerPoint sent to Ms. Wiley prior to presentation
Effective collaboration—part of your grade will be determined by how well you and your partner worked together
and whether or not each partner pulled their weight
Part IV—Assessment: At the completion of the text you will take an assessment on the book (multiple choice, true or false,
and essay). With that in mind, it is recommended that you approach this book with sincere effort and advocate for yourself
if/when you are struggling.
King Leopold’s Ghost – Presentation Schedule
Activity #
1
Due Date/Presentation Date
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14*
Partner Information:



Name –
Phone Number –
Email Address –
*Your group is responsible for a review session/game. See Ms. Wiley for assistance.
Presenters
King Leopold’s Ghost – List of Activities
Directions: You will have 14 “activities” to complete as you move throughout the book. Each of these activities should be
labeled, dated, and inserted into your binder in chronological order. These activities may be checked in class, collected,
used for a quiz, or utilized for a class discussion. Your responses to each activity should be original, thoughtful, and
thorough, demonstrating clear evidence that you have read and understood the chapters. You are required to record the
prompt/question before providing your response. At the completion of the text, Ms. Wiley will collect these activities and
they will be graded collectively as a portfolio assignment.
Excellent (A): Responses show clear evidence that the student read and understood the chapters. Responses completely
answer all prompts/questions with accuracy and analysis. Materials are well-organized and all items are easy to locate.
Proficient (B-C): Responses show evidence that the student read and understood the chapters but is limited in some
respect. Responses are adequate but not thorough in answering all prompts/questions and some may be inaccurate.
Materials are well-organized and all items are easy to locate.
Basic (D): Responses show limited evidence that the student read and understood the chapters. Responses to
prompts/questions are limited and, at times, inaccurate. Materials need greater organization – some items are difficult to
locate.
Below Basic (F): Responses indicate that the student did not read or understand much of the chapters. Responses to the
prompts/questions are largely incomplete or inaccurate. Materials are presented in an unorganized fashion.
_______KLG Activity 1 “Intro” and “Prologue” (pages 1-18) Due ________
Intro: Create/answer the following:
1) What were the shipments to and from Antwerp in Belgium and the Congo? Why did this seem strange to Edmund
Morel? What movement did he begin?
2) Why were the atrocities in the Congo not well known for many years? When did the worst of the bloodshed in the
Congo take place?
Prologue: Create at least 2 of the following based on your readings:
a) A graphic organizer illustrating the causes and effects of Portuguese interactions with Africans in the Congo
region.
b) A letter written from the perspective of one of the first Portuguese explorers describing the people, culture, and
government in the area of the Congo.
c) An obituary of Alfonso I, written from the perspective of a native of the Congo River region, stressing his reaction
to the slave trade.
d) A European’s description of the Congo River, explaining why it was so difficult to explore.
______KLG Activity 2 (Pages 21-46) Due _________
Chapter 1 (pages 21-32)
1) Write a resume of Henry Morgan Stanley as he would want his personal history known.
2) At the bottom of the page, make your personal observations as to how the reality of Stanley’s life differs from his
resume.
Chapter 2 (pages 33-46)
3) Explain how the background of King Leopold’s life explains his interest in acquiring a colony in the Congo.
______KLG Activity 3 (Pages 47-74) Due __________
Chapter 3 (pages 47-60)
1) Write a newspaper editorial about Stanley’s crossing of Africa including your opinion of how he interacted with
Africans.
Chapter 4 (pages 61-74)
2) Explain how King Leopold, with Stanley’s help, went about gaining control of much of the Congo, including how
they deceived natives of the region. Describe the size and characteristics of the territory that Leopold hoped to
control.
______KLG Activity 4 (Pages 75-100) Due __________
Chapter 5 (pages 75-87)
1) Describe the many clever ways that King Leopold manipulated people to gain control of the Congo.
Chapter 6 (pages 88-100)
2) What tools were vital for King Leopold and other imperialists in Africa?
3) Why did King Leopold gain international support for his control of the Congo? How did his real goal differ from his
purported goal?
_______KLG Activity 5 (Pages 101-139) Due ___________
Chapter 7 (pages 101-114)
1) Describe the differences in their viewpoints about the Congo and explain why these differed:
a. King Leopold
b. George Washington Williams
Chapter 8 (pages 115-139)
2) Based on what you read in this chapter, prepare a detailed indictment of charges against King Leopold and his
functionaries in the Congo. This indictment should be written from the perspective of natives of the Congo.
_______KLG Activity 6 (140-166) Due __________
Skip Chapter 9 
Chapter 10 (pages 150-166)
1) Who was William Shepherd and why were his travels in Central Africa so significant?
2) Why had rubber supplanted ivory as the most lucrative product in Leopold’s Congo? Why was it so difficult to
gather rubber? How were natives forced to do this?
________KLG Activity 7 (Pages 167-181) Due __________
Chapter 11 pages 167-181
1) Create two columns labeled “Leopold” and “Natives of the Congo”. In the first column list all the ways Leopold
gained from his colony, including how he used his wealth. In the other column list all the ways natives of the
Congo lost out in Leopold’s colony.
2) Explain how Leopold attempted to cover up complaints by missionaries about abuses in the Congo.
3) Describe the background of Edmund Morel. What did he discover about the implications of trade with Leopold’s
Congo.
_______KLG Activity 8 (Pates 185-208) Due __________
Chapter 12 pages 185-194 and Chapter 13 pages 195-208
1) How did E.D. Morel go about proving King Leopold’s abuses in the Congo? What was the result of Morel’s
disclosures?
2) In the role of Roger Casement
a. describe your personal background
b. write a report of what you found from your investigations of the Congo
c. explain your effect on E.D. Morel
_______KLG Activity 9 (Pages 209-234) Due ________
Chapter 14 pages 209-224
1) Create two columns and make a list of the following:
Column A: Advantages/Positive Traits of E.D. Morel
Column B: Disadvantages/Negative Traits
2) Explain how Morel made effective use of the media and give some examples of this.
3) Who was Hezekiah Andrew Shanu? How did he contribute to the Congo reform campaign?
4) How did King Leopold’s foibles end up turning public opinion against him?
Chapter 15 pages 225-234
1) List four reasons for deaths in King Leopold’s Congo and a) give examples of the causes for each and b) how each
of the causes was documented.
2) Why has it been difficult to stop mass murders such as occurred in Leopold’s Congo?
________KLG Activity 10 Chapter 16 (Pages 235-252) Due ___________
1) Describe the methods that King Leopold used to mount a counterattack against E.D. Morel’s crusade? Give
examples of how these were misleading.
2) Explain why King Leopold established a Commission of Inquiry? Why did the Commission’s findings not turn out as
he had hoped? How did he try to limit the damage?
_________KLG Activity 11 (Pages 253-291) Due _________
Chapter 17 pages 253-274 and Chapter 18 275-291
Write two reports in the role of an investigative reporter:
1) Report 1: Investigate the sale of Leopold’s Congo including a) why Belgium wanted to buy it and b) any suspicious
parts of the transaction.
2) Report 2: Investigate changes, if any, that happened in the Congo after King Leopold’s death including a)
treatment of natives and b) the ability, if any, of natives to reclaim lost lands.
_________KLG Activity 12 (Pages 292-306) Due ______
Chapter 19 pages 292-306
1) What does the author mean by the “politics of forgetting”? How did this apply to Belgium and the Congo?
2) Describe some ways that colonizers, like Belgium, perpetuated fictions of beneficent colonial rule.
3) How and why were former imperial nations complicit in the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first elected
President of an independent Congo?
4) Summarize the accomplishments of the Congo Reform Movement. Where is this type of movement still in
existence today?
_______KLG Activity 13 “Afterword” (Pages 309-318) Due _______
1) Why does the author think that American readers feel more sympathy for the millions of victims of Stalin and
Hitler than for the millions of victims of imperialism? What similarities does he draw?
2) What was the reception to this book in Belgium? In which ways is Belgium still not facing up to the historical
record?
3) Why did a civil war engulf the Congo after 1997? By 2004 how many Congolese had died in the war?
4) What steps does the author suggest to end the conflict in the Congo?
5) What reason does the author give for writing the book?
6) What reasons does he give for why African nations have had difficulty moving beyond their colonial heritage?
_______KLG Activity 14 Book Review Due _______
Write a three paragraph book review as follows:
1st paragraph: Summarize the key content and message of the book.
2nd - 3rd paragraph: Explain how this book has contributed to your understanding of our modern world using SPECIFIC
evidence and argument.