What They Said: 1795-1910 South African History Documents

Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Kimberley: Maskew Miller, 1975 Preface to this high school text book: When we use documents we are dealing with the raw materials of our history books. There are many advantages in going straight to original sources. We see for ourselves what they said and we may judge for ourselves the spirit in which they said it. Where sufficient documents pertaining to a particular event are available we may study that event in depth. In this way we may attempt to decide for ourselves whether policies have been sincerely or cynically advocated, and justly or unjustly pursued. Thus by employing historical methodology we may arrive at a truer understanding of history than is possible by the use of textbooks alone. There are also obvious perils when working with documents in schools. Whereas the conscientious professional historian refers to all the documents he can trace which pertain to his subject, and makes an honest effort to assess them fairly, high school pupils have neither the time nor the maturity and historical background to undertake serious work of this kind. As a result the source materials provided for schools generally represent only a selection of available documents, and those selections are generally edited so that difficult or irrelevant passages can be avoided. In the course of selecting and editing the personal judgment of the editor makes an inescapable intrusion and this is something to be borne in mind when handling such documents. Those included in this book, representing as they do a very small selection from the mass of documents covering the period 1795-1910, are obviously a case in point. In this volume the syllabus for South African history for Standards 9 and 10 has been very closely followed. Important conventions and treaties, proclamations and ordinances, clearly have a place. Extracts from diaries, memoirs, newspapers and so forth add interest to the textbook accounts of many events. Some selections are designed to throw light on matters often dimly understood because referred to only fleetingly in texts: quitrents, suzerainty, Kruger's concessions policy, and so on. Where matters which have been the subject of bitter controversy, such as Slagtersnek and the abandonment of the Province of Queen Adelaide to mention only two, have been touched upon, it goes without saying that quite a different impression could have been conveyed by choosing other extracts. It has been thought worthwhile to include several topics not generally dealt with in high schools (such as representative and responsible government and the anti-convict crisis) in order to place them in perspective in the mainstream of South African history. Many of the selections might form the basis for class discussion and all are designed to supplement the texts currently in use. A fairly recent trend in the teaching of history is the so-called problem centered approach which makes it possible for high school pupils to engage in critical thinking through applying to the study of history the method which historians use. This in turn leads to a new type of examination paper in which interpretive questions play a part. In general this means that pupils are asked to apply their critical faculties to extracts from primary and secondary sources which are printed on the examination paper, drawing also for their answers on material learned during the year. The documents included in this volume are designed for handy reference and illustrative purposes and are not sufficient for in depth study of any single problemin. It is hoped, however, that in using this book, teachers will give some thought to the greater benefits which might be derived from the study of documents. January 1971 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 230 pages ------------------ Orders over $100.00 are shipped using tracked courier delivery services. Size: Approx 5½ " Wide - 8½ " Tall