King Leopold's Ghost: The Congo Reform Movement

In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the global grassroots campaign that exposed the atrocities of King Leopold II's Congo Free State. They explore the roles of key figures like E.D. Morel, a British shipping clerk who turned whistleblower; Roger Casement, whose 1904 Consular Report shocked Europe; and African American missionary William Sheppard, who documented rubber quotas and mutilations. The discussion covers the founding of the Congo Reform Association, the strategic use of photography and lectures, the involvement of Booker T. Washington and Mark Twain, and the political pressure that eventually forced Leopold to cede the Congo to Belgium in 1908. Lucas explains how the movement combined moral outrage with meticulous evidence, and how it set a precedent for modern human rights campaigns. #KingLeopoldII #CongoFreeState #CongoReformAssociation #EDMorel #RogerCasement #WilliamSheppard #BookerTWashington #MarkTwain #ForcePublique #Rubberquota #HiltonYoungCommission #GeorgeWashingtonWilliams #BelgianCongo #Humanrights #Colonialatrocities #Genocide #History #FexingoHistory #BerlinConference #ScrambleForAfrica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo