History-Dutch at the Cape

15th to 18th centuries- The Dutch East India Company

Reasons for European expansion: 

  • The collapse of the Ottoman Empire freed up a sea route for voyagers to go through to Europe and Asia. Therefore, the collapse of empires enabled trading. 

- Therefore, the collapse of empires enabled trading. This collapse allowed European powers to bypass traditional trade routes controlled by the Ottomans, leading to new opportunities for direct access to Asian markets.

  • Spices and silks were in high demand, although at high prices, during this time.

-These goods were essential for flavoring and preserving food, as well as for luxury consumption, driving the demand for new trade routes.

  • The Portuguese were the first voyagers to start this trade; they dominated trade, thus gaining large profits. The Spanish, Dutch and British joined in the following. Portugal's early dominance spurred other European nations to explore and colonise, seeking their share of the lucrative trade.

  • Sao Tome became the biggest producer of starch for Europe.

-The island's fertile land and strategic location made it ideal for cultivating crops to supply the European market.

  • After setting up plantations in Sao Tome and Madeira, the Portuguese now wanted cheap labour- sugar was in great demand

  • Therefore, they started invading the interiors of Africa and traded sugar/other commodities for slaves- the Portuguese were the first people to trade for slaves 

  • After they colonised West Africa, they went on to Brazil to find more land to grow more sugar cane- they set up sugarcane plantations 

  • The Portuguese started taking Africa to Brazil and then transported that sugar to Portugal, to transport to other Eu countries.

  • Some slaves who were bought were also sent to Europe

  • African chiefs were also responsible for selling their people to the Europeans as slaves 

  • Started setting up slave stations 

  • Up to 12 million Africans were taken from their homes and shipped to America; at least 2 million died before even getting there 

  • Slave Ports would be situated on the coasts of West Africa and would house the slaves before starting their journey


    Timeline:

1430s- The Portuguese sent ships southwards along the African coast to trade for gold and find an easy sea route to the East

By 1500- Established trading forts and posts along the coast

In exchange for gold, they traded copper, brass and textiles.

Portugal controlled the flow of gold to Europe.

They established sugar plantations on Madeira and São Tomé

In South East Africa, some Portuguese traders (prazeros) settled in the

interior. This later became a Portuguese colony called Mozambique

Some Portuguese also settled in the coastal areas of Angola, which also became

a Portuguese colony.

1510- The Portuguese started exploiting African slaves, getting slaves from Brazil, Angola and the Kongo

By the 16th century, other European powers joined the slave trade:

1562-England

1626-Holland

1640s-France 

Ivory Coast- where the ivory trade was situated, as there was a large population of elephants. 

Links between colonialism and slavery in Africa:

  • Portugal was the first European country to start trading in African slaves, and therefore started the Atlantic Slave Trade

  • First slaves- taken to Portugal ( Portuguese sugar plantations on Madeira and São Tomé)

  • Later started a colony in Brazil, South America

  • They took slaves from Africa to work on sugar plantations on Madeira and São

    Tomé, and later to the Portuguese colony in Brazil

  • Brazil became the biggest market for slaves, and then later, Angola

  • The Portuguese also established a strong slave trading relationship with Kongo, situated near the mouth of the Kongo River

  • They bought slaves from the kingdom of Kongo, which became wealthy and

    powerful as a result, trading in manufactured goods and military support, the King welcomed the Portuguese

  • Kongo developed a wealthy and centralised state

    • Over time, Kongo’s power, state declined and collapsed

    • The Portuguese became richer and were no longer to the Kongonese; slave trading became more widespread.

  • By the 16th century, more European countries started trading- this also led to the collaspe of the Kongo

Impact of Slave Trading:

Africa lost at least 12 million people in the Atlantic slave trade, which went on

for 400 years

● This had a negative effect on economic development

● Some parts of Africa were very badly affected, such as the ‘Gold Coast’

(Ghana), the ‘Slave Coast’ (Nigeria) and especially Angola

● The slave trade led to instability, violence and warfare

● The trade in guns in exchange for slaves made wars more deadly

● African craft industries declined because of the supply of manufactured goods

from Europe

● The slave trade led to the growth of slavery within Africa

● The slave trade resulted in racist attitudes towards Africans

The impact of the Portuguese on the Indian Ocean trade

● Swahili city states on the east coast of Africa were part of the Indian Ocean

trade network

● They bought goods from China, India and Arabia, and exported gold and ivory

● The Portuguese seized control by force and established forts along the east

coast of Africa

● They also took over Muslim coastal forts around the Indian Ocean

● They dominated the spice trade between Asia and Europe for 100 years


Brazil:

  • The Portuguese colonists, when they invaded Brazil, first started to control the indigenous people. The Portuguese were the first to trade in the Indian Ocean 

  • The Portuguese brought diseases, like smallpox, causing the death of thousands of natives. This caused the Europeans to get slaves from Africa. 

  • By the 1600s, Brazilians no longer worked on plantations

  • Sugar was one of the most valuable commodities in Europe, as it was used for medicine and food, hid the rotting taste of food.

  • Slaves worked as carpenters and builders, working long, strenuous hours.

  • Only given bread, clothing, and a stick to be beaten with


The Processes of Conquest and Colonialism:

  • (17th century, 1600s) The Dutch, when joining in trade, tried to take over from the Portuguese and Spanish by introducing new technology. It was controlled by the VOC (Dutch East Indian Company)- this brought wealth to the Netherlands, and Amsterdam became the leading centre of banking and commerce. 

  • (Late 16th century) The Dutch started trading in the East for spices, silk and calico. In Africa, later slaves. 

  • The VOC or DEIC was just a company, not the whole of the Netherlands.

  • The VOC were trading from Holland through the Indian Ocean, through Africa to Asia and then traded their commodities throughout Europe (highly profitable)

  • 17th century- the DEIC was the richest trading company 

  • Had a virtual monopoly on spices, spices were a rare commodity and were in high demand

  • When passing through Africa, the Dutch realised they could go into the interior before travelling to Asia

  • Initially, they had no intentions of travelling to Africa 

  • They set up trading ports in Batavia (Indonesia) 

  • The Dutch felt that they needed an amenity spot as a place between their travels to repair their ships and sailors, and to remedy those with scurvy (a vitamin C and other micronutrient deficiency disease)

  • Initially, they used Mauritius and then in Delagoa Bay (Maputo, capital city of Mozambique). But the Cape was the most convenient place. At this point, their relationship with the Khoi was good- it was purely for trading. 

  • Through this trade, the Khoi learned the Dutch, French and English languages

  • The DEIC owned many trading ships and giant warships- they had major competition from England, France and Portugal. These warships were used as protection against an attack, to reduce their commodities being taken from the enemy 

  • In 1652, DEIC set up a military station

  • When trading, the sailors were not getting the essential nutrients of fresh fruit and vegetables. Started a garden to grow their crops, but were not interested in starting a colony, but wanted to secure their settlement 

  • The Khoi were hunter-gatherers who were nomadic and believed in freehold land ownership- their lifestyle was very simple. Believed that the land was free 

  • What started as a small garden turned into an established fort. The Dutch did not want to leave and started to situate themselves as permanent citizen. The Khoi did not agree with this as they only believed in communal land 

This started a clash in cultures, as the Khoi believed that humans had the right to any land that they wanted.


  • The Khoi were no longer allowed to enter the freshwater wells, it was fenced off by the Dutch

  • The Dutch felt that the Khoi needed to stay in one place and have a prescribed area of land. The Khoi didn’t like this; they believed in communist land ownership. The Dutch believed the individual land ownership

  • Free Burghers, farmers who were no longer part of the DEIC. Some of them were French or Dutch- they would sell the food to the company. 

  • Now, there was a market and a need for slaves, they bought slaves and took them to the Cape

  • A mass migration of people from Holland went to the Cape as they saw an opportunity to get free land (free burghers)

The permanent residence of the Dutch settlers caused resistance among the Khoi people


The Interpreters:

  • The only way that trade between the Dutch and Khoi could occur

  • Doman- Khoikhoi tribesman and interpreter with the Dutch settlers 

After going to Java in 1657, he witnessed how the Dutch abused and mistreated the native people. He challenged the Dutch and was the leader of the First Khoikhoi-Dutch War (1659-1660)

The interpreters had a difficult life, they needed to be loyal to both sides. 


There was a language barrier, so around the time when there was a pure trading relationship, the Khoi people had interpreters that were able to communicate with the Dutch.


Kroatoa

  • She was a prominent figure in the Khoi community and history, as well as a Dutch/Khoi interpreter 

  •  She was sold/kidnapped to/by Jan van Riebeck and was used as a male, she was young

  • She was (believed) to have brought about Afrikaans, as she was speaking to Portuguese and Dutch  sailors, slaves from Asia. 

  • She was extremely skilled in different languages, therefore was able to communicate with all of the travellers

  • She was taken away from her family, therefore had no protection- face much abuse and violence, she tried to run away many times 

  • Living in a household where there was 140 men and only 6 women- rape allegations are suspected 

  • Kroatoa experienced major turmoil and split loyalties, she was Khoi but worked as jan van riebeeck's chief interpreter

  • During the first Dutch-Khoi war, Kroatoa tried to prevent it from happening- Doman did not like this 

  • She had no control over her life, she started having children at 15. She ended up having 7 children, which turned into a stereotype for all Khoi people. 

Colonial history depicts Kroatoa as sexually reckless, promiscuous and an aggressive alcoholic. But recent historians believe that she was put into those situations due to her being taken away from her family and forced to work as a house maid. 


Final defeat of the Khoi:

  • 1713- a smallpox epidemic broke out and weakened the Khoikhoi population. Smallpox travelled from Europe, on ships, to the Cape and spread to the Khoi. The Khoi were not immune to any disease, especially smallpox, therefore, many of them died.

  • The Khoi were not slaves of the VOC, but they were in an impoverished status.


How colonisation turned into slavery:

  • The Khoi resisted the DEIC and did not want to work on their farms

  • Dutch settlers needed cheap labour, but they couldn’t use the Khoi as they knew that the Khoi were involved in guerrilla warfare. 

  • Slaves 


During colonialism:

Afro-centric- point of view taken from African people 

Eurocentric point of view taken from European/Western people 

Source Based Exam:

-caption will give a short summary of the scene, read it!

-observation: exactly the source you are seeing

-inference: the conclusion you make from own knowledge and onservation

Level 1- only quote words/phrases. Define in own words.

Level 2-

Level 3:

Trustworthiness:

Do you trust the source? Explain why Source A is reliable to a historian researching on the trade between the Khoi and Dutch.

  1. There are other sources supporting it

  2. Who? Was the person there, is it a primary source (usually reliable)

  3. Where? Was the source maker in the place

  4. When? Was it written at that time or now? 17th century- 1600s

  5. Why? Why did the writer make this? Informative or propaganda?



    The source is not realiable because the artist, Thomas Herbet, who drew the Khoi meeting the Dutch never saw the Khoi. He created the picture and therefore what the Khoi looked like based on imagination. Therefore it is not realiable as he was not in the same location as the Khoi. The artist drew the Khoi with similar physical features as the Dutch, which is not a correct depiction. It is one-sided as it was drawn by a European, the Khoi had no impact on how the final piece would look. Herbet may have made the Europeans look good.

    • one source can be both reliable and unreliable, look at different angles

    • check bias/is it one-sided

    • emotive language- it is not reliable

    • Persuasive language

      Rhetorical questions- unreliable

      Repetitions for emphasise- unreliable

      reliable never say anything positive about China if it’s a Chinese writing about America reliable they will never say anything about America before I even go and read the source. I will highlight that and I will start to suspect from that angle is unreliable. The language is neutral, no questions no repetition no emotive language then it’s just neutral then from that angle and is not one sided. The person is looking at both sides then it is no it is reliable.


Useful (importance, can be used)

All sources are useful because they carry a message.

  • as long as the source has a message, it makes it useful

  • all sources that are reliable are usefil

Limitations (all sources are limited)

The source doesnt give all information, therefore has gaps in information.

The source would not cover all angles

  • Limited:

Biased

Emotive language

Repetition

not useful, not reliable

  • Not limited:

neutral language

supported by other sources

neutral- not one sided, considering all sides

Paragraph writing

250 words it’s fine can be 500 words it’s fine but cannot be missed than 80 lies and when you’re writing a paragraph please don’t leave the question. Paragraph if you leave your life here is what we do if you’re writing a paragraph and then you write if you leave this line we marked the first one and put your clothes on the second one. Look the moment you writing a paragraph you don’t live alone even when you’re going to the next page they are now two paragraphs we will mark the first one and the second one and say follow instructions in exam is very important. Paragraph means you are not going to leave a lie you will write continuously. I know some people this is so much shows are done with paragraph writing writing the difference in paragraph writing you are writing all your points in one paragraph, but you must have your background and then you answer the question okay?

Example of a Paragraph:

The Dutch had been using the Cape as a refreshment statiojvinvthe 16th and 17th cneturies. (OK) They didnt plan to permanently settle at the Cape (A) but because they were receiving so much profit and the company was growing, they decided to settle (OK). The Dutch increased the size of their gardens, taking over the Khoi’s grazing land (A). They imported slaves from some parts of Africa and Asia to work for them (A). These slaves lost their human rights and were abused phyiscally and emotionally (OK). The Dutch settlement at the Cape caused so many conflicts with the Khoi who were the indigenous owners of the land (B). There were many riots and confrontations between the Dutch and Khoi (B). The khoi lost the ownership of their land and some left to stay in the deserts and others started working for the Dutch (B and OK). Eventually, the Khoi lost their economic independence (OK).