The 'Civilizing' Mission of 1841

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Periodical article

Title:	The 'Civilizing' Mission of 1841
Author:	Ifemesia, C.C.
Year:	1962
Periodical:	Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria
Volume:	2
Issue:	3
Period:	December
Pages:	291-310
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Nigeria
Subjects:	history History and Exploration Religion and Witchcraft colonialism Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Abstract:	In 1857 Macgregor Laird and Richard Oldfield published a narrative of their voyage up the Niger in the years 1832-34. They drew attention to the fact that, despite British expenditure of money and men for many years, the slave trade had increased rather than diminished in West Africa. Moved by the revelations in this book, Thomas Fowell Buxton (1786-1845) sketched an abolition programma, to be achieved by all the 'civilizing' forces Britain could marshal at the time - naval, political, economic and humanitarian. Britain should embark upon a gigantic programme of imperial expansion in Africa by way of the Niger. The British Government sent this 'civilizing' mission up the Niger in 1841. The failure of this unique mission has been discussed many times but no attempt has been made to examine closely the programme of this enterprise, nor the reaction of contemporary Nigerians to this invasion, and no attempt has been made to show how near to success the expedition was and how it led to the British occupation of the entire country. With these neglected aspects this paper is concerned. Notes.