Savages were put in human zoo to make a show and entertain white folks
Savages were put in human zoo to make a show and entertain white folks. One of the early proponents of putting people in zoos, or “ethnographic displays,” as they were known then, was Samuel P. Verner (Catholic Priest) , a minister from South Carolina and self-proclaimed “explorer.” It was Verner who had taken to the habit of physically kidnapping people in Africa and bringing them to the United States to rent out or sell to zoos. The exhibit at the World’s Fair in St. Louis in 1904 had many African people supplied by Verner. St. Louis Post Dispatch, June 26 1904 Verner cloaked his money-making enterprise in religion (Catholic Church), as he was a minister and missionary ( A good white Christian undecided ) . Giving these primitive people a taste of civilization was his justification. Verner took advantage of the complete exploitation of the Congo region by the Belgians in order to capture and bring to America dozens of people who would then be placed on display. All What's You Sho...