David Livingstone, a missionary from Scotland, set out to explore Africa in search of the land of Congo. His exploration gained interest from King Leopold 2 of Belgium. In between the time of 1879 and 1882, the local chiefs of the Congo River valley signed treaties. These treaties gave King Leopold 2 of Belgium control of these lands. He claimed that his motive for establishing the colonies was to abolish the slave trade and promote Christianity. But he licensed companies that brutally exploited Africans by forcing them to collect sap from rubber trees.