Moshweshewe: Letter to Sir George Grey Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Moshweshewe might be considered as one of the most significant leaders in the history of South Africa of the 19th century. He mixed offensive military actions against rivals and smart diplomatic performance regarding colonial intrusions (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2020). Moshweshewe founded a remarkable African country during the invasions of Boers and the British. He was a chief of the Sotho – people who were living in the eastern part of South Africa. During Moshweshewe’s governance, the Sotho were constantly conflicting with Boers. Using his diplomacy skills, Moshweshewe intended to get help from the British to overcome the Boers’ expansion.

The letter provided for the discussion was written in 1858 by Moshweshewe to Sir George – High Commissioner of the Cape Colony – to gain British mediation and support to dissolve the territorial contradictions with Boers (“Letters from Moshoeshoe,” n.d.). This piece of writing is an essential historical document that reflects the colonial world order of the 19th century. Thus, in order to understand the historical process of Africa of the mentioned period, Moshweshewe’s letter might be a relevant topic to discuss.

Moshweshewe demonstrates his high-quality skills of a communicator from the very beginning of the appeal to Sir George, “It may scarcely appear necessary to lay before Your Excellency” (“Modern History Sourcebook,” n.d.). Such an approach shows the state of the art of relationships between metropole and colony in the 19th century. It might seem that the British were expressing a high level of dominance to which the Africans tend to follow strictly.

Nevertheless, the colonists protected Sotho at times, which resulted in the dedication and trust of the latter to the British. Hence, Moshweshewe considered the letter as the opportunity to prevent war with Boers and avoid numerous deaths of people. Right in the first passage, he emphasizes the horrors of the war and asks Sir George to provide his mediation. In the second paragraph, Moshweshewe expresses the deep respect to the English Government and contrasts it with Boers, who were aggressive and hostile (“Modern History Sourcebook,” n.d.). It might be supposed that he implements a flattery trick here to get Sir George’s favor in the purpose of peace and fair borders being established.

Moshweshewe does his best to depict that the Boers’ policy against the Basutos is unfair and vile. He claims, “the Boers went further and further … in troubling the Basutos and threatening war” (“Modern History Sourcebook,” n.d.). Moshweshewe also states that he undertook many actions to avert war even when it was not of his and his people’s interests. He depicts the vast extent of oppression that the Basutos were facing due to the Boers’ aggression in a masterpiece, balancing between dignity and vulnerability of his nation.

Furthermore, in depicting the deceit of the Boers, Moshweshewe said that they were attacking his people who were not even supposed to be attacked. Here, he invokes the plea of Christianity to make an emphasis on the fact that the Basutos’ victims were counting on it (“Modern History Sourcebook,” n.d.). They believed that the white people who, in theory, had to be Christians would not kill innocent people or kill at all; at least, the Basutos thought that the Boers would hunt only thieves. It might be supposed that Moshweshewe was quite successful in presenting his nation as the one being constrained and the Boers as the ones being cruel and evil.

To sum everything up, Moshweshewe was a noticeable leader who, using his strong diplomatic skills, tried to avert the war with the Boers peacefully. He wrote a letter to Sir George in which he asked him to mediate the conflict. This letter contributes to the understanding of the world order in the 19th century, as well as depicts the historical events in Africa of the period. The one getting acquainted with this Moshweshewe’s appeal might get a comprehension about the cruelness of the Boers, their territorial conflict with the Basutos, and the extent to which the latter were oppressed.

References

. (n.d.). Web.

. (n.d.) Web.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2020). Moshoeshoe. Web.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, February 10). Moshweshewe: Letter to Sir George Grey. https://ivypanda.com/essays/moshweshewe-letter-to-sir-george-grey/

Work Cited

"Moshweshewe: Letter to Sir George Grey." IvyPanda, 10 Feb. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/moshweshewe-letter-to-sir-george-grey/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) 'Moshweshewe: Letter to Sir George Grey'. 10 February.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "Moshweshewe: Letter to Sir George Grey." February 10, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/moshweshewe-letter-to-sir-george-grey/.

1. IvyPanda. "Moshweshewe: Letter to Sir George Grey." February 10, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/moshweshewe-letter-to-sir-george-grey/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Moshweshewe: Letter to Sir George Grey." February 10, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/moshweshewe-letter-to-sir-george-grey/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1