The Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire lasted from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 467 A.D. to 1453 A.D., when Constantinople was lost to the Ottoman Turks. In its thousand year history Byzantium had many important rulers although Justinian and Theodora were perhaps the greatest among them. After Western Rome fell the Eastern emperors still saw themselves as rulers of all of Rome. In the year 527 Justinian, succeeded his uncle as emperor and Justinian make this a reality. After many campaigns lead by his best general, Belisarius, Justinian had conquered all the territory Rome ever ruled and could now truly call himself a Caesar. Justinian did not rule the empire alone, his wife Theodora also worked with foreign leaders, passed laws, and took part in politics. In 532, during the Nika Rebellion, Theodora convinced Justinian to stay in the city when he had wanted to flee to safety. To rule his vast empire Justinian created a set of laws know as the Justinian code. Justinian created the code from old Roman laws that still applied for Justinians time. Byzantium was constantly attacked from its beginning to its end. Thus, the Byzantines became skilled warriors and shrewd diplomats. They employed tactics such as diplomacy, bribery, and military power to fight their foes. Like the fallen Eastern Empire they found that they could trust mercenaries, sometimes even more than their own soldiers. A company of Scandinavian mercenaries known as the Varangian Guard remained under the control of the Byzantine emperor and they could be trusted far more than Byzantine soldiers. The Byzantine Imperial flag is yellow with a double-headed eagle wearing black crowns. The double-headed eagle was the symbol of the Palaiologos, the last Byzantine dynasty to rule from Constantinople from 1258-1453. The double-headed eagle symbolized the dynastys interests in both Asia and Europe, and was kept despite the fact that nearly all of the Empires Asian possessions were seized by the Ottomans. The two headed eagle would eventually become identified with the empire itself, and with institutions outside the Byzantine Empire that were connected to Constantinople. Thus, it is not surprising that the flag was in use by the Russian Czars and the Greek Orthodox Church. Another flag of the Byzantine Empire is a combination of the St. George cross (which is a red cross on a white field) and the arms of the Palaiologos family (yellow crosses on a red field). The four symbols in the corners of the two crosses in the arms of the Palaiologos family could be either firesteels, which were used in badges of the Order of the Golden Fleece, or as the Greek letter Î’, which makes up the initial letters of the Paleologuess motto: Î’Î ±ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¹ÃŽ »ÃŽ µÃâ€¦Ãâ€š Î’Î ±ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¹ÃŽ »ÃŽ µÃâ€°ÃŽ ½ Î’Î ±ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¹ÃŽ »ÃŽ µÃâ€¦Ãâ€°ÃŽ ½ Î’Î ±ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¹ÃŽ »ÃŽ µÃâ€¦ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¹ÃŽ ½ which means: King of Kings, ruling over Kings. The Byzantine Empire also developed its own unique culture that separated it from its Roman ancestors while still preserving Greco-Roman culture and its many great works. Justinian worked to beautify Constantinople by repairing buildings and building a stone wall along its Western half. He also built the Hagia Sophia, which was considered to be the greatest church built in medieval times and still stands today. The Hagia Sophia symbolizes the union of Church and State in the Byzantine Empire. Byzantine art was heavily influenced by its Roman ancestors, which was influenced by Greek art. Therefore Byzantine artists never lost sight of their classical heritage. Because of this, the Roman art of creating mosaics was retained by the Byzantines. Byzantine art, while influenced by its ancestors, had developed its unique style. Byzantine painting and mosaics use many colors and figures but the figures were typically seen as stiff or flat. The figures have large eyes with golden or gold tone d backgrounds and were mainly produced for churches and as such the art often portrays people as somber and solemn. Byzantine art also shows only a small attempt made at creating realism. Throughout the centuries Byzantine emperors issued coins in gold (the solidus), silver, and copper. Their picture and name would be imprinted on the coins. The main function of coins was the collection of taxes. Works Cited American Museum of Natural History. American Museum of Natural History. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Awesome Planet. Www.awesomeplanet.org. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Constantinople. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Democracy frontline. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Globe Hoppers. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Harris, Jonathan. Byzantium and the Crusades. New York and London: Hambleton and London, 2003. Print. Herrin, Judith. Byzantium The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2008. Print. The History Guide. Steven Kreis. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Planetfigure. Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Sherrard, Philip. Byzantium. New York: Time-Life Books, 1966. Print. Timothy Ministries. TimothyMinistries.org. Web. 26 Dec. 2009. . Treadgold, Warren. A Concise History of Byzantium. New York: Palgrave, 2001. Print. Weider History Group Online. Weider History Group. Web. 26 Dec. 2009.

Deception Point Page 14

â€Å"Delta-One,† he said, speaking into the transmitter. The two words were instantly identified by the voice recognition software inside the device. Each word was then assigned a reference number, which was encrypted and sent via satellite to the caller. On the caller's end, at a similar device, the numbers were decrypted, translated back into words using a predetermined, self-randomizing dictionary. Then the words were spoken aloud by a synthetic voice. Total delay, eighty milliseconds. â€Å"Controller, here,† said the person overseeing the operation. The robotic tone of the CrypTalk was eerie-inorganic and androgynous. â€Å"What is your op status?† â€Å"Everything proceeding as planned,† Delta-One replied. â€Å"Excellent. I have an update on the time frame. The information goes public tonight at eight P.M. Eastern.† Delta-One checked his chronograph. Only eight more hours. His job here would be finished soon. That was encouraging. â€Å"There is another development,† the controller said. â€Å"A new player has entered the arena.† â€Å"What new player?† Delta-One listened. An interesting gamble. Someone out there was playing for keeps. â€Å"Do you think she can be trusted?† â€Å"She needs to be watched very closely.† â€Å"And if there is trouble?† There was no hesitation on the line. â€Å"Your orders stand.† 16 Rachel Sexton had been flying due north for over an hour. Other than a fleeting glimpse of Newfoundland, she had seen nothing but water beneath the F-14 for the entire journey. Why did it have to be water? she thought, grimacing. Rachel had plunged through the ice on a frozen pond while ice-skating when she was seven. Trapped beneath the surface, she was certain she would die. It had been her mother's powerful grasp that finally yanked Rachel's waterlogged body to safety. Ever since that harrowing ordeal, Rachel had battled a persistent case of hydrophobia-a distinct wariness of open water, especially cold water. Today, with nothing but the North Atlantic as far as Rachel could see, her old fears had come creeping back. Not until the pilot checked his bearings with Thule airbase in northern Greenland did Rachel realize how far they had traveled. I'm above the Arctic Circle? The revelation intensified her uneasiness. Where are they taking me? What has NASA found? Soon the blue-gray expanse below her became speckled with thousands of stark white dots. Icebergs. Rachel had seen icebergs only once before in her life, six years ago when her mother persuaded Rachel to join her on an Alaskan mother-daughter cruise. Rachel had suggested a number of alternative land-based vacations, but her mother was insistent. â€Å"Rachel, honey,† her mother had said, â€Å"two thirds of this planet is covered with water, and sooner or later, you've got to learn to deal with it.† Mrs. Sexton was a resilient New Englander intent on raising a strong daughter. The cruise had been the last trip Rachel and her mother ever took. Katherine Wentworth Sexton. Rachel felt a distant pang of loneliness. Like the howling wind outside the plane, the memories came tearing back, pulling at her the way they always did. Their final conversation had been by phone. Thanksgiving morning. â€Å"I'm so sorry, Mom,† Rachel said, phoning home from a snowbound O'Hare airport. â€Å"I know our family has never spent Thanksgiving Day apart. It looks like today will be our first.† Rachel's mom sounded crushed. â€Å"I was so looking forward to seeing you.† â€Å"Me too, Mom. Think of me eating airport food while you and Dad feast on turkey.† There was a pause on the line. â€Å"Rachel, I wasn't going to tell you until you got here, but your father says he has too much work to make it home this year. He'll be staying at his D.C. suite for the long weekend.† â€Å"What!† Rachel's surprise gave way immediately to anger. â€Å"But, it's Thanksgiving. The Senate isn't in session! He's less than two hours away. He should be with you!† â€Å"I know. He says he's exhausted-far too tired to drive. He's decided he needs to spend this weekend curled up with his backlog of work.† Work? Rachel was skeptical. A more likely guess was that Senator Sexton would be curled up with another woman. His infidelities, though discreet, had been going on for years. Mrs. Sexton was no fool, but her husband's affairs were always accompanied by persuasive alibis and pained indignity at the mere suggestion he could be unfaithful. Finally, Mrs. Sexton saw no alternative but to bury her pain by turning a blind eye. Although Rachel had urged her mother to consider divorce, Katherine Wentworth Sexton was a woman of her word. Till death do us part, she told Rachel. Your father blessed me with you-a beautiful daughter-and for that I thank him. He will have to answer for his actions to a higher power someday. Now, standing in the airport, Rachel's anger was simmering. â€Å"But, this means you'll be alone for Thanksgiving!† She felt sick to her stomach. The senator deserting his family on Thanksgiving Day was a new low, even for him. â€Å"Well†¦,† Mrs. Sexton said, her voice disappointed but decisive. â€Å"I obviously can't let all this food go to waste. I'll drive it up to Aunt Ann's. She's always invited us up for Thanksgiving. I'll give her a call right now.† Rachel felt only marginally less guilty. â€Å"Okay. I'll be home as soon as I can. I love you, Mom.† â€Å"Safe flight, sweetheart.† It was 10:30 that night when Rachel's taxi finally pulled up the winding driveway of the Sextons' luxurious estate. Rachel immediately knew something was wrong. Three police cars sat in the driveway. Several news vans too. All the house lights were on. Rachel dashed in, her heart racing. A Virginia State policeman met her at the doorway. His face was grim. He didn't have to say a word. Rachel knew. There had been an accident. â€Å"Route Twenty-five was slick with freezing rain,† the officer said. â€Å"Your mother went off the road into a wooded ravine. I'm sorry. She died on impact.† Rachel's body went numb. Her father, having returned immediately when he got the news, was now in the living room holding a small press conference, stoically announcing to the world that his wife had passed away in a crash on her way back from Thanksgiving dinner with family. Rachel stood in the wings, sobbing through the entire event. â€Å"I only wish,† her father told the media, his eyes tearful, â€Å"that I had been home for her this weekend. This never would have happened.† You should have thought of that years ago, Rachel cried, her loathing for her father deepening with every passing instant. From that moment on, Rachel divorced herself from her father in the way Mrs. Sexton never had. The senator barely seemed to notice. He suddenly had gotten very busy using his late wife's fortunes to begin courting his party's nomination for president. The sympathy vote didn't hurt either. Cruelly now, three years later, even at a distance the senator was making Rachel's life lonely. Her father's run for the White House had put Rachel's dreams of meeting a man and starting a family on indefinite hold. For Rachel it had become far easier to take herself completely out of the social game than to deal with the endless stream of power-hungry Washingtonian suitors hoping to snag a grieving, potential â€Å"first daughter† while she was still in their league. Outside the F-14, the daylight had started to fade. It was late winter in the Arctic-a time of perpetual darkness. Rachel realized she was flying into a land of permanent night. As the minutes passed, the sun faded entirely, dropping below the horizon. They continued north, and a brilliant three-quarter moon appeared, hanging white in the crystalline glacial air. Far below, the ocean waves shimmered, the icebergs looking like diamonds sewn into a dark sequin mesh.

How NJHS Benefits Your School Essay

I see National Junior Honor Society as great opportunity to hone my leadership skills, earn scholarships, learn and apply new character qualities to my personal life as well in my school life, and as a stepping stone to getting more involved in community service. But along with that, I see it not only as an incredibly beneficial opportunity as a student, but also feel that I would be able to apply the same qualities learned, later in life. Working alongside other students who have the same desire for all the qualities that NJHS stands for would be a privileged experience and to find myself as a candidate of the NJHS would be an honor that I’m certain will have a big impact on my future. To the NJHS, I will be contributing my competence/capability as a runner and my eagerness for assisting those in need. I’ve always wanted to contribute more to my community, and believe that NJHS will provide an excellent opportunity to get more involved in such activities. Along with accomplishing a GPA score of 3.5 or higher, I have also begun running as a member of one of my school’s many clubs. Running has helped me, specifically, in the area of self-confidence and has also helped me to take on a more active leadership position in encouraging others to reach for higher goals themselves. Added to that, as an older sibling in a large family, I’ve also come to realize, over the years, that patience and the tenacity to persist are paramount and valuable qualities in a good leader and has led to me successfully prioritizing my responsibilities and has, on numerous occasions, helped me to do my best in everything. i see national junior honor society as great opportunity to hone my leadership skills earn scholarships learn and apply new character qualities to my personal life as well in my school life and as a stepping stone to getting more involved in community service. but along with that i see it not only as an incredibly beneficial opportunity as a student but also feel that i would be able to apply the same qualities learned later in life. working alongside other students who have the same desire for all the qualities that njhs stands for would be a privileged experience and to find myself as a candidate of the njhs would be an honor that im certain will have a big impact on my future. to the njhs i will be contributing my competence/capability as a runner and my eagerness for assisting those in need. ive always wanted to contribute more to my community and believe that njhs will provide an excellent opportunity to get more involved in such activities. along with accomplishing a gpa score of 3.5 or higher i have also begun running as a member of one of my schools many clubs. running has helped me specifically in the area of self-confidence and has also helped me to take on a more active leadership position in encouraging others to reach for higher goals themselves. added to that as an older sibling in a large family ive also come to realize over the years that patience and the tenacity to persist are paramount and valuable qualities in a good leader and has led to me successfully prioritizing my responsibilities and has on numerous occasions helped me to do my best in everything. for the last several years ive regularly participated in playing the piano at nursing homes cleaning out junk and debris from elderly peoples backyards babysat for friends etc. i enjoy helping out and feel that specifically the leadership gained from njhs would provide me with a more efficient way of serving the community. im certain that being a member of njhs will continually challenge me to improve and upgrade my personal standards whether it is my talents or knowledge in education. i also believe that being selected as a candidate for njhs would encourage me to continue to strive for academic excellence. the standards for ingress into the njhs are scholarship character leadership and service and i believe that i am fully capable enough to be chosen as a representative into this organization. all the way though this year as a haas hall scholar i consider myself as having displayed/bespoken all four of these hallmark qualities. For the last several years, I’ve regularly participated in playing the piano at nursing homes, cleaning out junk and debris from elderly people’s backyards, babysat for friends, etc. I enjoy helping out and feel that, specifically, the leadership gained from NJHS would provide me with a more efficient way of serving the community. I’m certain that being a member of NJHS will continually challenge me to improve and upgrade my personal standards, whether it is my talents or knowledge in education. I also believe that being selected as a candidate for NJHS would encourage me to continue to strive for academic excellence. The standards for ingress into the NJHS are scholarship, character, leadership, and service, and I believe that I am fully capable enough to be chosen as a representative into this organization. All the way though this year, as a Haas Hall scholar, I consider myself as having displayed/bespoken all four of these hallmark qualities.

Creation vs. Evolution †Theology Essay

Creation vs. Evolution – Theology Essay Free Online Research Papers Creation vs. Evolution Theology Essay The questions posed to us about a religion and faith we are supposed to know made things very tricky and hard. When thinking about God usually I just think back to the previous weekend at church. These questions have changed that though I have had to look at him and what he has done in a completely different way. So I chose the topic that involves his creation of humans earth and all that is, and the theory of evolution. The Catholic Church and evolution are two major opposites but I believe that are very much connected in the ideas behind man and earth. I am talking about creation and evolution I should probably let you know what they are. Creation is the art by which the eternal God gave a beginning to all that exists outside of him. Creation also refers to the created universe or totality of what exists, as often expressed by the formula â€Å"the heaven and the earth.†(Paragraph 290 CCC) Then you have Evolution which means a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations. (According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary). There are two main differences between these two, one states that God created the earth and all its creatures and the other just states that things just were there is no real evidence behind where they came from or what they started as. The Catholic Church shows in Genesis ch.1 that god created the earth in seven days. They showed us a picture or created an image in our heads how he created it over the week. The first day he created light and the separation of night and day, on the second they showed the creation of the sky separation of the waters, on the third god created the earth and its ground and the sea, the fourth day he created the sun and moon, on the fifth day he created all living creatures, on the sixth day he created all fertile things seeds and flowers, and the seventh day god rested. Now you show the theory of evolution and there is no real evidence that their was a beginning organism or a beginning thing that began all the different things being made. There are many people who have said they found evidence that backs this up but there can be no way to ever prove either God or evolution right or wrong.(Genesis chapter 1) From one of the handouts we received in class a priest of the catholic church states â€Å" the theory of evolution rather than negating the need for God, helps believers understand his relationship to the universe.† (father George Coyne) Which is what I believe I was saying you can know evolution for what it is and still know god for his higher being. No matter the evidence we receive or never receive in the case of evolution are faiths are our own and we can know God to his fullest with evolution also. If God created all didn’t he have to create the theory of evolution also. The second part of the question asks if a person can believe in the Catholic Church and evolution at the same time. Well obviously the church is going to say that you cannot but in the end it’s all personal preference and it all depends on your feelings. There is no way you can be kept from believing in both because both are so unproven and this makes it easier to think one or the other could be possible making me think sure evolution could be how we were created or it could have been the seven days of creation will we ever know for sure which is true? The third part of this question is for me to tell you what I believe and I really don’t know sure I believe god created the earth and all living beings but there is no proof there to support it. The same comes from evolution sure man could have been created from dust but where is the proof stating all things came from one thing. There isn’t any solid matter or truth to either making me skeptical to all that I have learned is a truth. In conclusion God created man as equals so why did man go and try to create evolution as a theory to underarm god? The people that support evolution are usually not related to the Catholic Church at all making them perfect examples of Atheists and evolutionist. Will we ever know the truth and will we ever be shown who the almighty reign of the earth is, will we ever get to see the almighty God or is he just something someone created just like evolution? Work Cited Page New American Bible: Genesis Ch1-2 Evolution important for insights into God: London, The Leaven, August 19, 2005 Research Papers on Creation vs. Evolution - Theology EssayGenetic Engineering19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCapital PunishmentEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenQuebec and CanadaHip-Hop is ArtUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionThree Concepts of Psychodynamic

Tips for Remembering How to Spell Wednesday and Other Tricky Words

Tips for Remembering How to Spell Wednesday and Other Tricky Words Some words are tricky to spell even when you’re an adult, so imagine being a young learner trying to remember all those spelling rules. There are many tricky words in the English language and spelling rules don’t always apply.  The old adage â€Å"rules were made to be broken† is certainly true when it comes to spelling rules. â€Å"I before e except after c† is usually true  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ except for words like weird, heist, and feisty. If your student (or you!) always has a particular word or two that prove challenging, try these tricks, a  mnemonic device, or even a rhyme to help you remember. These tips can help your students remember how to spell commonly confused words like Wednesday, weird, niece, Renaissance, dessert, beautiful, accommodate, separate, and together.   How to Spell Wednesday One of the easiest ways for remembering how to spell Wednesday is to break it down into its individual syllables- Wed nes day. Pronounce it â€Å"Wed NEZ day† in your mind so that you don’t forget the d in the first syllable or the e in the second. Another trick is to use a mnemonic memory device. A mnemonic device is a technique to improve one’s ability to remember something. A common mnemonic trick is to create an acronym with the beginning letter of each word. For example, a mnemonic device for remembering the planets might be, â€Å"My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos.† This helps us to remember Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Try these mnemonic devices to help you remember how to spell Wednesday or make up one of your own: â€Å"WE Do Not Eat Sandwiches on WednesDAY† or â€Å"WE Do Not Eat Soup DAY.† How to Spell Weird The best way to remember how to spell weird is keeping in mind that it’s  a weird word because it doesn’t follow the â€Å"I before e except after c† rule. If that doesn’t help, try this trick for remembering how to spell it: We are weird.  We is the beginning of weird. How to Spell Niece Niece nicely follows the i before e, except after c rule; but it can still be confusing. Here is a tip to help you remember how to spell niece. My niece is nice.  Ni is the beginning of nice and ni is the beginning of niece. It may also help to remember that niece is spelled like piece, so make up a sentence using those two words to help you remember. Try something like, â€Å"My niece ate a piece of pie.† How to Spell Renaissance One way to remember how to spell renaissance is to think: â€Å"Rena is sance.† This can be particularly helpful if you know someone named Rena. How to Spell Dessert Dessert is tricky because it seems that it would only have one s, making the e a long vowel sound, Similarly, it would seem like desert would need two s’s to avoid the same. These sayings are helpful in remembering which word has one versus two ss. Dessert is twice as good as the desert. Strawberry Shortcake dessert and Sahara desert How to Spell Beautiful One helpful trick is the saying it is important to be a beautiful person inside and out. That way you will remember  beautiful begins with be a. You might also try a mnemonic device such as â€Å"Big Elephants Are Under Trees In Forests Until Light† or make up one of your own. How to Spell Accommodate Remember that accommodate is a big enough word to accommodate two c’s and two m’s. How to Spell Separate Many people misspell separate because of the as and es in the word. An easy way to remember to spell separate is to remember that there is a rat in the middle of the word. How to Spell Together As a young student just learning to spell, a trick to spelling together is by breaking the word down to â€Å"to get her.†

STDs in the Print News Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

STDs in the Print News Media - Essay Example The alarming STD problem in the US is brought about by a combination of factors, the primary one being that people are not knowledgeable about the disease - its causes and effects, modes of transfer, dangers and risks. This shows in the lifestyle of most Americans and their condescending attitude toward premarital sex, multiple sex partners, casual and unprotected sex. Such practices erode the moral fabric of American society and, on the health implications of STDs, deprive this country of a healthy and robust citizenry. On the need to address the perceived lack of awareness of Americans on STD, it is agreed that media is a potent medium for that purpose. But the question is, does American media recognize the extent of the problem and the role it is being called upon to play The media in modern times has served as the primary means people use to gain insight into the various issues that bedevil American society. Media feed people information about current issues ranging from politics, global affairs, economics, and public health and is the information mix with the most extensive reach. The influence of media in people's lives is so vast it can sway public perception and opinion towards one side (Stoughton, 1994). Thus media can promote awareness of important issues such as STDs just as easily as it can prompt awareness regarding violence. This paper will discuss the role of one form of media, newspapers, in increasing public knowledge and awareness of STDs. News articles published in the nationally-circulated newspapers that tackle the issue of STDs will be analyzed to determine the ways in which the issue is presented and discussed. The primary objective is to determine how the print news media informs the public about sexually transmitted diseases. Four daily newspapers representing American mainstream media are herein presented for their views and editorial policies on the subject of STD: the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Miami Herald. The four newspapers enjoy the widest circulation and readership and carry the potential to sway not only public opinion but also government policies. Methods In this section, past studies will be discussed to determine the scope and intensity of coverage that the print news media devote to the subject of STD. Also, news articles from the nationally circulated newspap

Western Imperialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Western Imperialism - Essay Example Western imperialism is a recurrent theme in much of the historical and anthropological literature.By looking at a map of Africa, we can see a graphic example of how imperialism has affected the evolution of African countries and how the period of the "great empires" has devolved to "spheres of influence" in Africa today (Kindersley).The irony in analyzing imperialistic settling in Africa is that Africa provided the starting point for humanity over 2 million years ago. The great age of colonization from Europe started with the explorations of the Portuguese, shortly followed by the Spaniards, the Dutch, and then the rest of Europe.The English started the slave trade in the well-known "triangle" route between the UK, Africa and the Caribbean, starting in the early 1600's. On the route from the UK to West Africa, the ships' captains transported rum and trinkets, and sometimes firearms. They picked up slaves in West Africa, generally dealing with the coastal tribes who kidnapped or trade d for slaves from the interior of the Continent. The slaves were then transported to the Caribbean, generally to work on sugar plantations. At that point, the ships dropped off slaves and bought rum to transport back to the UK. The French began a similar trade, sourcing slaves for their plantations in the Caribbean.The rest of Africa was largely ignored until the Dutch settlers-the Boers-came to Southern Africa in the late 1700's. They co-settled with the English and engaged in wars against the tough native Zulus, Bantus and other tribes of the southern part of the Continent. The "golden," or "infamous," depending on your viewpoint, age of colonization was the 1800's. During that period, slavery declined but other forms of exploitation thrived. The discovery of gold and diamonds in South Africa and Rhodesia led to a renewed interest by Great Britain in that area. King Leopold of Belgium took over the Congo in the 1860's and ran it as a personal fiefdom for its mineral wealth. France took over what is now called French Africa (centered around the Ivory Coast), while Germany took what was then called Southwest Africa, but is now called Namibia. They also took Zambia. In East Africa, the British took Kenya and Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania), but failed to take the Sudan (Kitchener's famous routing in Khartoum). The French failed to take Madagascar, but took Reunion as an important naval base. They took Algeria, first as a French colony in the 1800's, then as a French "dpartement outre-mer," or non-contiguous state within France itself. The US only had a marginal role, with the 1820's founding of Liberia as a home for freed slaves. The capital of Liberia, Monrovia, was named after President James Monroe. In the early 1900's, the Italians managed to take Ethiopia. Their control was always loose, and generally limited to the Coptic Christian part of the country. During the Mussolini years of the 1920's and 1930's there was a constant low-level war, which resulted in Italy's loss of Ethiopia in the early 1940's as they pulled back their troops to the home country. Imperial rule in Africa varied from one conquering country to another. By far the worst human rights atrocities were committed by Belgium's King Leopold and his successors in the Congo and Rwanda, the two Belgian colonies in Africa. Brutal suppression by mercenaries kept the population down while the land was mined for copper, diamonds and gold. Probably the best (post-slavery) administrators were the French, who inculcated the West African colonies with language, investment and promotion of locals to important government posts. With independence in 1960 and beyond, the European colonists gradually abandoned their colonies. Portugal (Angola), Germany (Namibia) and Belgium (Congo and Rwanda) have the least to do with their former charges. France has retained stronger contacts through the CFA zone (there is