Colonization In South Africa

The twentieth century history of South Africa contains many struggles and obstacles as its people worked towards creating a more unified country. Modern human beings have inhabited South Africa for more than 100,000 years and a great deal of colonization has occurred within the last 300 years. During the late 18th century, 90 Dutchmen landed on the Cape of Good Hope as part of the Dutch East India Company, representing the first permanent settlers of South Africa. In 1652, they were instructed to build a fort and to start growing crops to aid the ships travelling along the Eastern trade route. Five short years later, approximately 250 white men occupied the area, bringing with them slaves to aid in growing more crops. Their farmland began

Immigration was encouraged in the 19th century, and the independent farmers called “trekboers” started to expand their farmland to the north and east. Slaves brought into South Africa by the white colonists created a mixed race group known as “colored”, creating a mixture of race and culture seen today in South Africa. Native South Africans were losing ground to this expanding Dutch colony and their slaves (Southafrica.info, 2012, pg. 1). According to the U.S. State Department (2012), African farmers known as the Boers began to migrate into South Africa in 1836. These colonists fled to Africa partly to escape British rule and due to the recent abolition of slavery in Britain. This created strife and conflict with the native South Africans, the most formidable being the Zulus. The leader of the Zulus, Shaka, reigned over the area from 1787 to 1828. Under him, the

Included in the negative tone was the military deaths that the British Empire incurred; 22,000 British dead opposed to 6,000 Boers. The lopsided numbers were due to the Boers use of guerilla warfare and their desire to protect their homeland. There were two concessions included in the Treaty of Vereeniging; there were to be no recriminations and Afrikaner children in public schools will be taught the Dutch language. In addition, there was an unspecific promise made in the Treaty of Vereeniging that the Boer colonies would eventually be able to be self-governed. Due to the conduct of the recent war by the British, the promise was fulfilled when the Conservative British government was replaced in 1906 by a Liberal administration. The result was the Transvaal republic being given self-governing status in 1906, and the Orange River Colony receiving self-governing status in 1907 (Historyworld.net, 2012, para. 16). The region began to prosper due to the union of the Boers and the British and the mining of valuable minerals as the British Empire continued to keep a strong hold on the