From the beginning of King Leopold II's endeavours to secure the Congo Free State (CFS) as his personal domain, through to the legitimization of his rule at the Berlin Conference in 1884–85, the United States has played an important role in the tragic history of the CFS. This article seeks to explore the complex relationship between humanitarianism and race in the story of the American connection with the CFS and subsequent Congo reform movement. It will unpack the role of key individuals involved and their relationship with American humanitarians in the reform movement, arguing that while pursuing reform in the CFS, American humanitarians established close relationships and collaborated with notable racists who shared their beliefs on race and colonialism. By examining these alliances, it becomes evident that their efforts for reform were entangled with individuals who contradicted the supposed humanitarian goals. This article will also examine the reception of this activism in the African American press, showing that the response to the reform campaign was ambivalent at best, with questions raised as to why key African American activists involved in the movement focussed their efforts abroad in the era of Jim Crow in the US.

中文翻译：

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“美国的伤口”：种族与美属刚果改革运动，1885-1908 年

从国王利奥波德二世开始努力确保刚果自由国 (CFS) 成为他的私人领地，到 1884-85 年柏林会议上他的统治合法化，美国在这段悲惨的历史中扮演了重要角色。粮安委的。本文旨在通过美国与 CFS 以及随后的刚果改革运动的联系来探讨人道主义与种族之间的复杂关系。它将揭示改革运动中所涉及的关键人物的作用及其与美国人道主义者的关系，认为在CFS进行改革的同时，美国人道主义者与在种族和殖民主义方面有共同信念的著名种族主义者建立了密切的关系并合作。通过审视这些联盟，我们可以明显看出，他们的改革努力与那些与所谓的人道主义目标相矛盾的个人纠缠在一起。本文还将探讨非裔美国媒体对这一激进主义的接受情况，表明对改革运动的反应充其量是矛盾的，并提出了为什么参与该运动的主要非裔美国激进分子在这个时代将他们的努力集中在国外的问题。美国的吉姆·克劳法。