King Leopold II of Belgium's speech to missionaries traveling to the Congo describes an attempt by the king to justify the subjugation of the Congolese people for the benefit of the Belgian economy. King Leopold addressed his speech to the Catholic missionaries who were planning to work with the indigenous population of the Congo in 1883. Leopold, blinded by racism and imperialist greed, emphasizes that missionaries should selectively interpret their biblical teachings in a way that seems rationalize the oppression and exploitation of the indigenous Congolese population. In doing so, the missionaries helped Leopold achieve his goal of transforming Belgium into an imperialist country with international influence. Leopold's use of incendiary diction, allusions to Bible scriptures, and repetition of commanding inflection in his speech convinced his short-sighted audience to commit terrible atrocities in his name. However, it should be noted that his lack of logical development, which includes inconsistencies in his reasoning, ultimately undermines his already weak arguments that he believes justify the subjugation of the Congolese population. King Leopold begins his speech by informing his missionaries that they will carefully interpret the principles of the Bible in a way that will benefit the Belgian state during Belgium's colonization of the Congo. He clearly showcases his strictly imperialist agenda by stating: “The main objective of your mission in Congo is not to teach the Negroes the knowledge of God, because they already know Him” (par. 1). Using this frank and direct method, Leopold makes no effort to hide the underhanded nature of his commands. Under the pretext of spreading rel...... middle of paper ......y generalizations of the Congolese culture and people and labeling them as inferior to his own without offering any proof. He also claimed that the atrocities were committed in his name without any justification that it was morally wrong other than his own opinion. Furthermore, his use of the Bible as a kind of justification is also wrong when considering the overall message of the Bible. The holy scriptures of Catholicism promote lessons of love, equality, and universal camaraderie and are completely counterintuitive to Leopold's arguments of superiority. Any audience can see the irony inherent in Leopold's speech whenever he alludes to the Bible, as his message is the opposite of the human rights violation he is defending. Works Cited Leopold, King, II. “African Global Network (AGN).” African Global Network (AGN). African Global Network and Web. February 18. 2014.