Bond of 1844

Bond of 1844
   A treaty, signed on March 6, 1844, by the King of Denkera and seven Fanti and Assin chiefs, acknowledging British “power and jurisdiction” over their respective territories on the Gold Coast. By the end of the year, the rulers of a dozen more coastal polities had signed the agreement, which banned human sacrifice and other customs and recognized the judicial authority of British officials. The treaty stood as the basic charter of British rule on the Gold Coast until it was superseded by the formation of Crown Colony of the Gold Coast and Lagos in 1874.
   In the early 1840s, British authority was officially limited to the coastal forts inhabited by British merchants. Nonetheless, British officials wielded a considerable degree of informal influence within a loosely defined protectorate and were periodically called on to intervene in legal and political disputes. During the tenure of George Maclean from 1830 to 1844, the frequency and scope of such actions grew inexorably despite the formal limits of British jurisdiction. In 1842, the informal and irregular nature of British legal proceedings on the Gold Coast was criticized by a committee of the House of Commons. One result of the inquiry was the passage of new legislation clarifying the legal foundation for British jurisdiction and requiring the formal consent of the various African states.
   In this context, it is clear that the Bond of 1844 was not intended to expand British jurisdiction, but simply to document its existing extent. As intellectuals like James Africanus Horton understood, the signatories to the Bond “submitted themselves to the British Government, not as subjects, but as independent nations.” In practice, the Bond provided a license for the continued expansion of British authority over the next three decades in ways that went well beyond the actual terms of the agreement. That the Bond was ultimately superseded by a unilateral proclamation of British authority in 1874 rather than another consensual agreement was no accident but rather a reflection of the altered balance of power on the Gold Coast.
   See also <>; <>; <>.
   FURTHER READING:
    Fage, J. D. Ghana: A Historical Interpretation. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1959.
   SCOTT ANDERSON

Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • 1844 — Années : 1841 1842 1843  1844  1845 1846 1847 Décennies : 1810 1820 1830  1840  1850 1860 1870 Siècles : XVIIIe siècle  XIXe …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Quadruple bond — A quadruple bond is a type of chemical bond between two atoms involving 8 electrons. This bond is an extension of the more familiar types double bonds and triple bonds [ To Boldly Pass the Metal Metal Quadruple Bond Radius, U.; Breher, F.… …   Wikipedia

  • William Cranch Bond — (Falmouth, Maine 1789 Cambridge, Massachusetts, 29 de enero 1859) fue un astrónomo norteamericano. William Cranch Bond. De profesión relojero fue un autodidacto que gustaba de estudiar por su propia cuenta en los intereses más variados; después… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Francis Bond Head — Sir Francis Bond Head, 1. Baronet PC (* 1. Januar 1793 bei Rochester; † 23. Juli 1875 in Croydon) war ein englischer Schriftsteller und Politiker. Head (spr. hedd) trat in die Armee, kämpfte mit in der Schlacht bei Waterloo und wurde 1835 zum… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Negative covenant — A bond covenant that limits or prohibits altogether certain actions unless the bondholders agree. The New York Times Financial Glossary …   Financial and business terms

  • Gold Coast (British colony) — This article is about the British colony in west Africa, 1821 1957. For other uses, see Gold Coast (disambiguation) Infobox Former Country native name = conventional long name = Colony of Gold Coast common name = Gold Coast| continent = Africa… …   Wikipedia

  • History of Ghana — The Republic of Ghana is named after the medieval West African Ghana Empire,[1] known to the dominant ethnic group the Soninke, as Wagadugu, which roughly translates to Land of Herds. The Empire became known in Europe and Arabia as the Ghana… …   Wikipedia

  • Albert Adu Boahen — (May 24, 1932 ndash; May 24, 2006), born Albert Kwadzo Adu Boahen, was a Ghanaian academic, historian, and politician. He was the first Ghanaian to receive a Ph.D in African history from the School of Oriental and African Studies. [… …   Wikipedia

  • . PITHECELLOBIUM DULCE (ROXB.) BENTH. - ПИТЕЦЕЛЛОБИУМ СЛАДКИЙ — см. 399. Дерево. . P. dulce (Roxb.) Benth. П. сладкий Benth. in Hook. bond. Journ. (1844) 199. Zingg (1934) 251. Howes (1946) 78. Kostermans (1954) 8. S у n. Mimosa dulcis Roxb.; Inga dulcis Willd.; Feuilleea dulcis 0. Ktze. М е с т н. н а з в.… …   Справочник растений

  • Liste de zoologistes — Attention, il n est pas d usage en zoologie d utiliser d abréviation pour les noms des auteurs (contrairement aux usages de la botanique, voir ici). Cette liste ne constitue pas une liste officielle. Nous attirons l attention du lecteur sur son… …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”