·
·
There were differences between the
Uitlanders and Cecil Rhodes. The Uitlanders wanted self government for the
Transvaal and Rhodes wanted an association with the rest of South Africa.
·
Before the raid could take off, Cecil
Rhodes had second thoughts about the possible success of his plan.
·
Jameson was to be sent out on 28th
December but on 20th December, Rhodes had to cancel this order
but Jameson advanced unprepared.
·
Jameson by 1895 was impulsive and
jealous about Boer achievements and failed to disregard the second order and
the raid began with 385 mounted soldiers, a small number compared the Boer
commandos wbo had occupied Botswana were he was to pass.
·
The Boers knew about his invasion by
the morning of the first day and Jameson found that his small band was no march
for the Boer Transvaalers who were better trained and well coordinated.
·
Jameson was surrounded at Doornkorp
rear Krugerdorp by the overwhelming Boer commando Bands and surrendered
unconditionally.
·
Jameson himself was responsible for
the failure of the raid because of his personality being impulsive and blood
thirst to acquire achievements too quickly especially after defeating Africans
in the 1893-1894 British- Ndebele war and the earlier Anglo-Boer war t 880-81
where he strongly needed revenge.
·
The Uitlanders did not have the
courage to revolt as had been planned by Rhodes and the BSACO who wished them
to revolt against their Boer masters over civil and political rights.
·
Paul Kruger and the Boers were militarily
equipped than the British under Cecil Rhodes and Jameson.
·
The raid created unity among the
Boer republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State.
·
Both joined to oppose British
imperialism. In such a force combined, British hopes of success were dashed.
·
The earliest imprisonment of Jameson
demoralised his men.
·
Paul Kruger became very popular and
so he had support in Transvaal, even Rhodes himself failed to smuggle fire-
arms in Transvaal.
·
The Boers became determined to
preserve their independence from the British.
·
Jameson entered Transvaal with only
480 soldiers a number, which could not match with that of the Transvaal Boer
Commandos.
·
There were also differences between
the Uitlanders and Cecil Rhodes for instance the Uitlanders wanted
self-government in Transvaal while Rhodes wanted the federation of the whole of
South Africa.
·
There was lack of proper
co-ordination between the Uitlander in Transvaal. The Uitlanders who
participated in the rebellion were discnrninated so much to the extent of
·
·
Summary of
fundamental rights denied to the Uitlanders bv Paul Kruger in Transvaal
·
·
Paul Kruger was aware of British
moves of calculated deception. His force determination to defend Boer
independence, existence and nationalism made him adopt a policy to exclude the
Utilanders out of politics of Transvaal; therefore he carried out the
following.
·
He was determined not to allow them
any civil and political rights like the right to vote.
·
He raised the years of residence to
the Uti landers in 1885 to seven years, 1890 to ten years and 14 years in 1893.
This was contrary to the British demand for two years in the London Convention
of 1884.
·
He imposed heavy taxes on the
Utilanders in order to discourage them for the mining businesses.
·
The Transvaal government also
monopolized other mineral support industries like dynamite for blasting and
exploding rocks. water supply and rail- road construction.
·
The Boers charged high prices for
the Uitlander products and service, which increased the mining costs and
expenses. English language was kept out in all government businesses and in
schools.
·
Their citizenship rights were withheld
and were not allowed trial by jury.
·
Although many Boer businessmen
lacked expertise and capital; contracts where only given to them through
backdoors or corrupt means. The Utilanders could not receive these contracts .
·
They didn't have any stake in the
affairs of Transvaal Republic.
·
How the
Uitlanders tried to solve these injustices
·
They tried to assert their cultures
and attitudes over Boer influence.
·
They ensured that they made many
investments as they expanded their population almost to the tune of the Free
Burghers or Afrikaners.
·
They increased their capital in the
mining business with influence. They also acquired experts in their business to
assist them.
·
The Transvaal National Union (TNU)
formed in 1893 by the Utilanders was aimed at fighting for their rights as
citizens.
·
They also intended fo abolish the
Transvaal monopoly of dynamite, water supply and railroad construction as
support industries in the Boer controlled areas near the Gold and Diamond
mines.
·
In 1895 they also formed the Reform
Movement (RM), which intended to improve and map strategies and demands for
civil and political rights (the right to vote or Franchise).
·
They also appealed to John Cecil
Rhodes and the BSACO to support them in the struggle against discrimination.
·
In the same year, on the orders and
careful instructions from Cecil Rhodes, Sir. L.S Jameson led over 300 BSACO
commandos to support an uprising on the rand. He started from Pitsani near
Mafeking.
·
The Jameson plot was not a success
but demonstrated ambitions, strategy, opportunities and the need for Uitlander
rights. It was indeed a shame to the Boers.
·
It was the height of the work of
imperialism which also led to the South African War 1899-1902.
·
Causes of
the Raid
·
The raid was caused by the British
concern to protect the UitJanders in Transvaal. They had been denied civil and
political rights by Paul Kruger and his administration of Transvaal.
·
Jameson and Rhodes were determined
to force Paul Kruger change his policy towards the Uitlanders in the Republic
of Transvaal.
·
The Uitlanders also hated the Boer
government for heavy taxation and forbidding language in Courts.
·
Rhodes' health made him lose
patience and wanted to see to it that Federation actually materializes.
·
Rhodes believed in the special
talent of the British to rule nations and also wanted to overthrow Paul Kruger.
·
German urge and imperial interests
in Southern Africa at the time.
·
Paul Kruger had also continued to
defy the London Convention of 1884.
·
Rhodes wanted the riches of
Transvaal to come under the British control by force especially the gold
fields.
·
The British also wanted to control
the whole of South Africa including Transvaal and that's why they wanted to
control the Boer strength.
·
The Boers had refused the Uitlanders
to have civil rights and were not allowed trial by jury.
·
The Boers had recognized the threats
of the Uitlanders to their way of life and insisted that for any Uitlander to
become a citizen, he had to have stayed in Transvaal for over ten years, which
annoyed Cecil Rhodes and the Uitlanders.
·
The British calculated concern to
protect the Uitlanders in Transvaal.
·
Cecil Rhodes also wanted the riches
of Transvaal (gold) to come under British control by force.
·
The Uitlanders also hated Paul
Kruger's government for taxation imposed on them and forbidding English
language in courts.
·
The Uitlanders were also worried for
their wealth as Paul Kruger accused them of idolizing money on luxuries,
drunkenness and ungodly immoral behaviors.
·
To Paul Kruger and the Boers, they
wanted to extend their control over the neighboring territories.
·
Effects of
the raid
·
The effects were positive and
negative;
·
The raid was a failure as the Boer
troops were alert and they defeated Jameson who surrendered at Doonkorp and
Krugerdorp. The Uitlander Reform Movement ended up in disaster.
·
Cecil Rhodes was forced to resign as
Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. He also resigned as the Director of the
British South African Company (BSACO).
·
The Governor of the Cape Colony Sir.
Robinson Hercules resigned his post. Chamberlain replaced him with Sir. Alfred
Milner who was a dynamic imperial bureaucrat.
·
The raid aggravated the already bad
relationship between the Boers and the British.
·
It destroyed the alliance of Rhodes
and Jan Hofmeyr aimed at creating a united South Africa.
·
In Matabeleland, the Shona people
joined the Ndebele between 1896-87 to fight BSA company rule because of the
failure of the raid and the news of the resignation of John Cecil Rhodes.
Internally Britain was diplomatically isolated by many European powers.
·
The Jameson raid caused a temporary
international crisis for Britain when Germany threatened to ally with Russia
and France in support of the South African Republic.
·
There was even the possibility of an
armed clash between German and British ships off the Delagoa Bay. Starr Jameson
was tried and imprisoned in London for about 4 months.
·
Boer victory over the British was a
humiliation to the British worldwide.
·
Germany the enemy of Britain sent a
congratulatory message to Paul Kruger over his victory in protecting his independence.
Kruger grew more popular which enhanced Afrikaner nationalism.
·
The raid displayed ambitions on Boer
territories and this strengthened Boer alliance.
·
It increased hostility between the
British and the Boers.
·
The Boers seriously harassed the Uitlanders
for their alleged collaboration with the British at the cape.
·
It increased hostility and enmity
between the Boers and the British.
·
It boosted Paul Kruger's prestige
and Afrikaner Nationalism with independence as its aim.
·
Paul Kruger's stand towards the
Uitlanders strengthened and continued being strict on them.
·
The raid drew Orange Free State
closer to Transvaal from British aggression.
·
Even Natal, the English state in
South Africa criticized the Cape Colony and Cecil Rhodes for starting the raid.
·
Paul Kruger, the Transvaal President
began diplomatic relations with the German Kaiser William II. He sent Paul
Kruger a congratulatory telegram that caused a great offence and insult to the
British queen. This brought tension to the Britfsh and It also started the 1899
- 1902 second Anglo-Boer war.
·
The
Jameson Raid 1895
·
·
Added on: 14 Oct 2015
·
Last Modified on: 14 Oct 2015
·
The BSACO colonial agent, Sir
Leander Starr Jameson led the Jameson's raid against the Transvaal government
under Paul Kruger.
·
Jameson, a British close friend of
Cecil Rhodes had a clandestine move to take full control of the Transvaal
government by force simply because it was a Boer republic.
·
In 1895, the Colonial Secretary was
Joseph Chamberlain who quickly intervened in a custom and tariff war, which was
developing between the Cape and Transvaal.
·
In 1895, Cecil Rhodes offered a
custom's union, which the Transvaal refused because of the Transvaal economic
strength. Therefore he tried to over throw the Boer government by supporting a
civil uprising by the Uitlanders. The UitJanders appealed to Cecil Rhodes and
Jameson for help in their struggle for political, civil rights and other
fundamental freedoms in Transvaal.
·
In fact Cecil Rhodes, Col. Frank
Rhodes (Cecil Rhodes elder brother) and Jameson intended that the raid should
support a revolt by the Uitlanders.
·
Rhodes had a second thought about
the success of his plan. On 281h December 1895, Jameson was sent out for the
raid, but Rhodes cancelled his order.
·
Jameson chose to disregard the
second order and the raid began with 385 to 500 soldiers from Botswana. His
small force was no match for the Transvaalers who surrounded the raiders at
DoornKorp and Kruger dorp after events at Rorke Drift.
·
In Britain, Jameson was taken as a
hero, as the raid had failed and this was the second humiliation for the
British.
·
Cecil
Rhodes and his involvement in the 1895 Jameson Raid
·
Since he was the controller of the
BSACO, which had been granted a charter to operate in Southern Africa by the
British government, Rhodes had the thirst to establish British influence in the
area.
·
Rhodes was therefore determined to
change the Transvaal government under Paul Kruger and be in position to replace
it with a British controlled government possibly under the Utilanders.
·
On many occasions, he convinced the
Transvaal Uti landers go in revolt against the Kruger government in the
Republic.
·
His policy and decision on the Boers
was not in favor of compromise, or understanding with the British. It is this
that angered him to the extent of the 1895 Jameson Raid, he ordered Sir. Starr
Leader Jameson to attack the Boers .
·
The Boer control of mineral
resources in South Africa made him concerned with envy and jealousy to have the
British control over Transvaal.
·
Rhodes very much advocated for the
idea of Federation and on many occasions he was so worried and disturbed by the
slow progress to achieve the idea. His health problems, fatigue and exhaustion
made him impatient about the union of white states, which drove him the
sanction the raid. He always wanted union now and not in the near future.
·
He also organized coordinated plans
to smuggle weapons to be used in rebellions by the Uti landers miners on the
Rand, as the British colonial secretary Joseph Chamberlain was fully aware of
these plans.
·
He made calculated plans with
British industrialists in Transvaal to start rebellion in order to arouse the
Utilanders revolt. According to the plan-with a rebellion the British invasion
in Transvaal could follow to protect Utilanders interests.
·
He was also a major brain behind the
Jameson Raid because as director and head of the BSACO, he mobilized volunteer
troops under the command of Jameson to start and support of an Uitlander revolt
on the Transvaal Republic.
·
Rhodes supported the Reform Movement
started by the Uti landers in Transvaal to fight for their rights. He also
wanted to achieve the fuU right of citizenship for the Utilanders. He was in
fact fuUy committed to the end.
·
When Gold was discovered on the Rand
1885, he formed the consolidated Gold Fields Company, which also employed many
Utilanders as employees of the Company. Therefore by 1895 Jameson Raid, he felt
it was the duty and word right by him to protect and uphold the interests of
the Utilanders.
·
Rhodes strongly believed that the
British nation had a special duty and talent to rule other races. He therefore
devoted bis wealth to train British personnel (Utilanders) to realize his
vision. Once the Boers were in his way to prevent realization of this. he was
determined to instigate the Utilanders on the Rand to start a rebellion.
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