As the emancipation of millions of dark workers took place in the West Indies, North and South America, and parts of Africa at this time, it was natural to assume that the uplift of this working class lay along the same paths with that of European and American whites.  This was the first suggested solution of the Negro problem.  Consequently these Negroes received partial enfranchisement, the beginnings of education, and some of the elementary rights of wage earners and property holders, while the independence of Liberia and Hayti was recognized.  However, long before they were strong enough to assert the rights thus granted or to gather intelligence enough for proper group leadership, the new colonialism of the later nineteenth and twentieth centuries began to dawn.  The new colonial theory transferred the reign of commercial privilege and extraordinary profit from the exploitation of the European working class to the exploitation of backward races under the political domination of Europe.  For the purpose of carrying out this idea the European and white American working class was practically invited to share in this new exploitation, and particularly were flattered by popular appeals to their inherent superiority to “Dagoes,” “Chinks,” “Japs,” and “Niggers.”

This tendency was strengthened by the fact that the new colonial expansion centered in Africa.  Thus in 1875 something less than one-tenth of Africa was under nominal European control, but the Franco-Prussian War and the exploration of the Congo led to new and fateful things.  Germany desired economic expansion and, being shut out from America by the Monroe Doctrine, turned to Africa.  France, humiliated in war, dreamed of an African empire from the Atlantic to the Red Sea.  Italy became ambitious for Tripoli and Abyssinia.  Great Britain began to take new interest in her African realm, but found herself largely checkmated by the jealousy of all Europe.  Portugal sought to make good her ancient claim to the larger part of the whole southern peninsula.  It was Leopold of Belgium who started to make the exploration and civilization of Africa an international movement.  This project failed, and the Congo Free State became in time simply a Belgian colony.  While the project was under discussion, the international scramble for Africa began.  As a result the Berlin Conference and subsequent wars and treaties gave Great Britain control of 2,101,411 square miles of African territory, in addition to Egypt and the Egyptian Sudan with 1,600,000 square miles.  This includes South Africa, Bechuanaland and Rhodesia, East Africa, Uganda and Zanzibar, Nigeria, and British West Africa.  The French hold 4,106,950 square miles, including nearly all North Africa (except Tripoli) west of the Niger valley and Libyan Desert, and touching the Atlantic at four points.  To this is added the Island of Madagascar.  The Germans have 910,150 square miles, principally in Southeast and South-west Africa and the Kamerun.  The Portuguese retain 787,500 square miles in Southeast and Southwest Africa.  The Belgians have 900,000 square miles, while Liberia (43,000 square miles) and Abyssinia (350,000 square miles) are independent.  The Italians have about 600,000 square miles and the Spanish less than 100,000 square miles.