Summary: An Argument For African Self Rule

Matthew Clark
HIST 1112
04 MARCH 2015
An Argument for African Self-Rule In Chapter 7 we read about the forming of a self- government for the Fante, a people from the western coast of Africa. This chapter is very interesting to me because it focuses on the viewpoints of the Fante people. In the source, An Argument for African Self-Rule, James Afrikanus Horton tells the British people that the Fante were in fact “civilized” enough to self-govern, a lot of Fante were in fact educated in schools in England and Scotland, and those educated at western schools in the native land were just as bright. He is also telling African readers to takes steps toward self-governing. He then begins to give recommendations to the British for the specific situation of the Fante. Horton believed that the Fante still needed British help even though they were “civilized” enough to govern themselves because of the impending threat of an attack by the neighboring Asante to the north.
Without a British presence the Fante would have no superior authority to look to except the Governor, whose instruction is to not give support to the interior.
His offering would consist of little ammunition and few guns. As a result, each king will be responsible for furnishing a small number of their own men to defend their tribe, not nearly enough to handle the more prepared Asante. The Asante’s war tactics were to fight each king in detail. After completely devastating one king, they would then move on the next, resulting in the Asante always coming out victorious. This tactic by the Asante would leave the Fante people devastated. The Fante would become fearful of losing their property and lives, and start to think that they may be better off under the rule of the
Asante.
Horton continues by asking Britain for a ruler in which they can trust to step in and provide generals that have experience in brush fighting and battle both offensively and defensively, that would all report to the same authority. He asks for large and open roads to be built that can easily move a large number of men between the nation now called Ghana. Also he asks for Fante to be supplied ammunition and decent guns, as well as training of Fante’s men to be trained to use them effectively. If the British are willing to comply to Horton’s requests ten the Fante natives would then be able to form a compact, powerful, and independent government that would defy the Asante and give confidence to all the Fante natives.
If the British were to pull out, Horton warns of internal war sprouting up among the Fante people. Horton elaborates saying that the result would be “fearful and barbaric massacre and bloodshed, and every man’s hand would be against his neighbor”. Horton goes on to say, before the country should be able to self-govern that a responsible king that has been properly educated by western standards and has had experience must be selected. He must have the support of Britain on the coast as well as in Parliament. Also a British Consular Agency formed with the consul chosen being a man that aids and advises Fante government and guarantees protection from invasion by any European nation.
As a result of James Horton’s writings and activism for his native land resulting in the formation of the writing of The Constitution of the Fante Confederation. The Fante were the incorporated into the British Empire and less than a hundred years after they were incorporated into the British Empire the Fante became citizens of the country today known as Ghana. Horton’s activism and that of the Fante resulted in becoming a strong, compact, and self-sustaining centralized government. The Fante paved the way for many other African countries to be formed and their historical impact is significant to this day.