The Truth About the Congo: The Chicago Tribune Articles

"The Truth About the Congo: The Chicago Tribune Articles" by Frederick Starr is an early 1900s report about the author's journey to the Congo Free State to explore and document the lives of the people there under colonial rule. Starr investigates to show the good and bad sides of what was happening, pushing against simple stories of colonial harm with what he saw himself. His journey into Congo came from his surprise and curiosity that grew after he saw some Congolese people at an exposition. Starr describes his arrival with expectations of seeing terrible conditions but finds a more complicated situation where there is both hardship and native people adjusting to colonial life. He notices different types of white people living there – leaders, church members, and business people – and tries to show how smart and flexible the Congolese people are, instead of just focusing on their pain.