Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Pass Laws
This reading is about pass control laws in southern Africa. These laws were created to control the laborers and keep them as servants. These laws were first implemented during the period of slavery, when slaves were required to carry documentation when traveling within the colony, and other pass control laws were implemented when slavery was abolished. These laws were designed to restrict servant workers (not slaves anymore) movement and to keep them as servants so that the servant masters remained powerful. However, a market economy eventually developed in southern Africa, despite control laws slowing down the process. Cruel and extreme measures taken by Europeans to force the Africans into servitude labour such as cattle killing show how much the Europeans greed influenced their decisions. Africans suffered from European desire for power and the Europeans enacting laws to control southern Africans shows how Europeans abused their power. These laws delayed southern African prosperity and are an example of the negative effects of colnialism.
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Yup I agree with you that the British wanted to show their power and controls over the Africans. The law is technically similar to slavery although it had been abolished. The different thing is just that the employees earn wages from working. It was very cruel but the British benefited from it. They earned a lot of money and have plenty sources of cheap labors.
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