The country of Panama didn't exist until the United States needed it to. In nineteen-oh-three, when Colombia refused to hand over its land for a canal, the most powerful nation on Earth backed a revolution, recognized the new country within seventy-two hours, and had a French lobbyist who hadn't set foot in Panama for seventeen years sign away its sovereignty. No Panamanians were present at the signing. This is the full story of how Wall Street lawyers, a desperate French engineer, and a president who openly bragged "I took the isthmus" conspired to manufacture a nation, build one of the greatest engineering feats in history on the graves of twenty-five-thousand workers, and create a geopolitical flashpoint that is still making headlines today.
From the catastrophic French failure that killed twenty-two-thousand laborers and bankrupted eight-hundred-thousand investors, to the volcanic postage stamps that swung a Senate vote, to the gunboat diplomacy that made it all possible — this is the story behind the shortcut between two oceans.
If you enjoy in-depth breakdowns of how power, money, and geopolitics actually work, subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss a video.
#panamacanal #ushistory #geopolitics #americanempire #theodoreroosevelt #panamaindependence #coldwarhistory #gunboatdiplomacy #colonialhistory #globaltrade #documentaryhistory #moneyandpower #latinamerica #colombia #manifestdestiny #bigstickdiplomacy #finance #economics #hiddenhistory #powerstructures

In 1893, a group of American sugar planters, backed by 162 U.S. Marines armed with Gatling guns, overthrew the sovereign Kingdom of Hawaii in a single afternoon. No act of Congress. No declaration of war. Just a corrupt diplomat, a handful of businessmen, and the threat of American firepower pointed at a queen whose only crime was trying to give her people the right to vote.
Queen Liliuokalani, the first and last queen of Hawaii, was deposed, imprisoned in her own palace, and forced to abdicate under threat that her supporters would be executed. The men who stole her kingdom? Grandsons of missionaries, sugar barons, and corporate oligarchs who controlled 90% of the islands' economy. Their motive wasn't freedom or democracy — it was profit. Hawaiian sugar was being crushed by American tariffs, and annexation was the only way to save their plantations.
President Grover Cleveland investigated and called the overthrow illegal. He tried to restore the queen. But the men who seized power simply refused to step down. Five years later, the United States annexed Hawaii anyway — over the signatures of 38,000 Native Hawaiians who petitioned against it.
In 1993, the U.S. Congress formally apologized, admitting that American agents overthrew a sovereign nation and that the Hawaiian people never consented to the loss of their country. But no land was returned. No sovereignty was restored. Just words.
This is the story of how America's first corporate coup became the blueprint for regime change around the world.
Sources and further reading:
— "Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen" by Queen Liliuokalani (1898)
— The Blount Report (1893), U.S. Department of State
— Public Law 103-150, The Apology Resolution (1993)
— National Archives: Joint Resolution for Annexing the Hawaiian Islands (1898)
— PBS American Masters: "Queen Liliuokalani"
#hawaii #overthrow #queenliliuokalani #americanhistory #hawaiiankingdom #colonialism #usimperialism #sugarbarons #hiddenhistory #geopolitics #1893 #annexation #nativehawaiian #corporatecoup #marinecorps #manifestdestiny #apologyresolution #documentary #economics #powerandmoney

In 1884, fourteen nations sat around a table in Berlin to divide a continent none of them owned. No African leader was invited. No African voice was heard. The borders they drew — through kingdoms, communities, and cultures — still define the map of Africa today. And they are still bleeding.
This is the story of the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, the room where Europe carved up Africa like a piece of property. From Otto von Bismarck's power plays to King Leopold's private horror state in the Congo, from the doctrine of "effective occupation" that launched the fastest land grab in history to the colonial identity cards that helped fuel the Rwandan genocide a century later — this video traces the full, devastating arc of how a few months of European diplomacy condemned an entire continent to generations of conflict, exploitation, and artificial nationhood.
Before Berlin, Africa was home to empires that rivaled anything in Europe. The Mali Empire, Great Zimbabwe, the Kingdom of Benin, the Ethiopian dynasty — these were not empty lands waiting to be claimed. They were civilizations with histories stretching back centuries. What happened in that room on Wilhelmstrasse was not development. It was theft on a continental scale.
The consequences are not history. They are headlines. Nigeria. Congo. Sudan. Somalia. Rwanda. The borders drawn by men who never set foot in Africa are still shaping who lives, who dies, and who profits.
If you want to understand why the modern world looks the way it does, you have to understand what happened in that room.
Sources and further reading:
— King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild
— The Scramble for Africa by Thomas Pakenham
— General Act of the Berlin Conference, 1885
— Michalopoulos & Papaioannou, "The Long-Run Effects of the Scramble for Africa" (American Economic Review)
#berlinconference #scrambleforafrica #colonialism #africanhistory #kingleopold #congofreestate #europeanimperialism #bismarck #africaborders #decolonization #panafricanism #coloniallegacy #hiddenhistory #geopolitics #rwandagenocide #africanempires #worldhistory #documentaryhistory #powerandcapital #colonialborders

👉🏿 INVEST IN INDEPENDENT BLACK MEDIA → Watch the FULL UNCENSORED interview with Bro. Sabubu Plata at https://ineverknewtv.com/premium/

For decades, Dr. Amos Wilson challenged Black people to think differently about education, psychology, power, economics, and the systems that shape society.

In this rare and insightful conversation, we sit down with Brother Sababu Plata, a longtime collaborator of Dr. Amos Wilson who played a key role in preserving, editing, publishing, and distributing some of his most influential works.

Brother Sababu shares firsthand stories about meeting Amos Wilson, attending his lectures, helping bring *Black-On-Black Violence* to completion, preserving *Blueprint for Black Power* after Wilson's untimely passing, and the sacrifices required to ensure future generations would have access to his ideas.

This powerful discussion offers a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most important Black intellectual movements of the modern era and the people who worked tirelessly to keep that legacy alive.


00:00 Introduction
00:47 First Encounters With Amos Wilson
03:35 Building A Working Relationship
05:38 The Self-Hatred Series & Early Collaborations
06:03 Turning Amos Wilson's Lectures Into Books
08:48 Recording And Studying Amos Wilson's Presentations
09:17 Helping Complete Black-On-Black Violence
11:07 How Publishing Work Began
13:07 Working Side-By-Side With Amos Wilson
14:27 Enhancing The Intelligence Of The Black Child
16:23 Researching Blueprint For Black Power
19:17 Why Amos Wilson Used A Multi-Disciplinary Approach
22:43 Media, Social Media & Black Consciousness
24:22 Africa's Resources And Global Competition
29:06 Education Into Dumbness Explained
30:30 Education, Servitude & The Master Spirit
31:40 Why Reading Still Matters
34:04 Where To Find Amos Wilson's Books
37:54 The Making Of Blueprint For Black Power
40:24 Amos Wilson's Final Years
41:42 Amos Wilson's Passing
42:11 Completing Blueprint After Amos Wilson's Death
44:05 Preserving Amos Wilson's Magnum Opus
45:54 The Response To Blueprint For Black Power
46:27 Why Amos Wilson Remains Relevant Today

Please click the link below to learn more about Bro. Sabubu Plata
and his work: https://afrikanworldinfosystems.co/

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How did Nigeria become the country we know today?

In this episode of BlackBox x Nevon HQ, historian Ed Keazor joins Rufai Oseni for a deep dive into the hidden history behind Nigeria’s formation. From powerful pre-colonial kingdoms and early trade networks to the Royal Niger Company, European interests, and the Berlin Conference, this conversation explores the forces that shaped modern Nigeria.

If you’re interested in Nigerian history, colonialism, politics, business, or governance, this episode offers valuable historical context and thought-provoking insights.

Topics covered:

* Nigeria before colonial rule
* The Royal Niger Company
* The Berlin Conference
* British colonial administration
* Trade, power, and the making of Nigeria
* The influence of European companies on modern Nigeria

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#blackbox #nevonhq #edkeazor #rufaioseni #nigerianhistory #colonialhistory #royalnigercompany #history #nigeria

Deep in the Great Dismal Swamp, thousands of Black people created a hidden free society, one that defied slavery for centuries. This is the story of the rebels who turned a swamp into a sanctuary.This episode of In The Margins is part of PBS’ America@250 collection, celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary. Democracy is built on participation. Get involved at https://vote.org/pbsIn The Margins is a series that covers the history they didn’t teach in school, exploring obscure, yet captivating tales that offer unique insights into their time and place.Sources used in this episode:-Dismal Freedom, A History of the Maroons of the Great Dismal Swamp by J. Brent Morris-Slavery's Exiles, The Story of the American Maroons by Sylviane A. Diouf-Armed in the Great Swamp: Fear, Maroon Insurrection, and the Insurgent Ecology of the Great Dismal Swamp by Kathryn Benjamin Golden*****PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateORIG*****Subscribe to PBS Origins so you never miss an episode! / @pbsorigins And keep up with In the Margins and PBS Origins on:Facebook: / pbsdigitalstudios Instagram: www.instagram.com/pbsds

If you’re ever injured in an accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can start your claim in just a click without having to leave your couch: https://ForThePeople.com/PBS

Ona Judge was born into slavery on George Washington's Mount Vernon plantation. After her escape in 1796, Washington became obsessed with recapturing her. His relentless pursuit reveals the profound contradiction of his views of slavery and freedom.

This episode of In The Margins is part of PBS’ America@250 collection, celebrating the country’s 250th anniversary. Democracy is built on participation. Get involved at https://vote.org/pbs

In The Margins is a series that covers the history they didn’t teach in school, exploring obscure, yet captivating tales that offer unique insights into their time and place.

*****
Want to learn more? Check out:

Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

*****
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateORIG
*****

Subscribe to PBS Origins so you never miss an episode! / @pbsorigins

And keep up with In the Margins and PBS Origins on:
Facebook: / pbsdigitalstudios
Instagram: www.instagram.com/pbsds