The anti-slavery agitation against the Transvaal Republic 1852-1868

The accusations of slavery against the Transvaal and the part they played in the relations between Great Britain and the northern Boer Republic during the period from 1852 to 1868 are to form the central theme of the following pages. The question whether the Boers were slave-holders or not has been the subject of much controversy in the actual course of South African history as well as in its des¬criptions. The allegation has been made and contradicted that the emancipation o the slaves in the Cape Colony was the most important cause of the Great Trek. The prevalence of slavery in the Republic of Natal was one of the alleged reasons for its annexation by the British in 1842. Accusations of slavery again accompanied the annexation of the Orange River Territory and aimed at inducing the British government to extend its rule to the emigrants living to the north of the Vaal River. ... Zie: Introductory