British-boer relations
The origin of the Anglo-Boer war was the result of a long dispute between the Boers and British who both resided in South Africa when the British gained control of the Dutch cape colony in 1806 during the Napoleonic wars resulting in the first influx of British immigrants to the cape colony as a result of the unemployment problem in Britain, this period saw the largest stage of British settlement with 4000 arrived in the cape in 60 different parties. The Boers who were also called Afrikaans were the descendants of the original Dutch settlers in South Africa were a group who were very passionate towards their beliefs and independence, which sparked an automatic resentment towards the British.
The Boers and British had different opinions on the laws and running of the cape colony specifically in regards to slavery, the Boers relied heavily on slave labour and trade for the wheat and wine farms as they refused to pay the high wages demanded by the European workers the laws against slavery also prevented the Boers from using Khoi (indigenous South Africans and Namibians) as slaves, turning to the Atlantic slave trade for the lowest costing slaves usually from Mozambique,Madagascar and Asia.Although there were many rules in place to protect the safety of the slaves many of the owners ignored these rules as they believed that the slaves should be “kept on a tight leash” and were rarely punished.
The British however had a different take on slavery as they passed the Abolition of Slavery Act ended slavery in the cape in 1834 under pressure from the London Ministry Society by publicizing cases of missionary intervention on behalf of mistreated black workers on farms, sometimes even winning convictions against farmers, made them enemies of the largely Afrikaner farming community.
The British however had a different take on slavery as they passed the Abolition of Slavery Act ended slavery in the cape in 1834 under pressure from the London Ministry Society by publicizing cases of missionary intervention on behalf of mistreated black workers on farms, sometimes even winning convictions against farmers, made them enemies of the largely Afrikaner farming community.
This saw 35,000 imported slaves being freed which increased the growing tensions from The farmers as they complained that they could not replace the labour of their slaves without losing a great deal of money. Importantly, the abolition of slavery did not change the colonial–feudal "slave–master" relations between black and white. Instead, these slave–master relations imprinted themselves on South Africa’s political, social and economic structures for years to come.
The Boers resenting the Anglicization of South Africa and the freeing of slaves lead 12,000 Boers to migrate north-east into African tribal territory as they were determined to live independent from colonial rule and the unacceptable racial equality given to the freed slaves and Khoi.In 1854 they founded the republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State where they were able to gain independence and live alongside the British colony.
The Boers resenting the Anglicization of South Africa and the freeing of slaves lead 12,000 Boers to migrate north-east into African tribal territory as they were determined to live independent from colonial rule and the unacceptable racial equality given to the freed slaves and Khoi.In 1854 they founded the republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State where they were able to gain independence and live alongside the British colony.