Letter To King Leopold 2 Analysis

Throughout history, various influential figures have written about the changes they wanted to see in society. In today’s culture, many of these objectives have been achieved. In Europe, George Washington Williams, Charles Dickens, Galileo Galilei, Olympe de Gouges, Karl Marx, and Giuseppe Mazzini all named numerous freedoms and prospects they sought, most of which have been partially or completely completed today. George Washington Williams witnessed the extreme mistreatment of the Africans in the Congo, and wrote An Open Letter to King Leopold II as a response. King Leopold II had obtained the Congo to supposedly enrich the lives of the people who lived there. However, in his letter, Williams claims that no effort has been made to aid these people, but instead to enslave them. The Congo citizens were so poorly treated that many of them perished. Also in his letter, Williams calls on the Belgian people, anti-slavery groups, and God to end the maltreatment of the Africans in the Congo. Today, the Congo remains affected by the exploitation of King
Galileo Galilei expressed his want for independence from divine authority in his Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina of Tuscany. Galilei believed that not everything in the Bible was accurate, and wrote this letter detailing his argument. He thought evidence and experience should determine what is true, not through scriptures. Today’s society has acquired the religious freedom sought by Galilei in that people are allowed to have their own beliefs. Likewise, Olympe de Gouges wrote Declaration of the Rights of Woman to encourage more women to defend their rights. She called for various rights for women, including equality in penalties for breaking the law, unrestricted communication, and shared wealth in a marriage. These rights have been achieved in today’s society with many of de Gouges’ marriage freedoms for women resembling those in a modern day divorce