Houd den Bek Slave Rebellion

February 1825
Galant's Criminal Trial
in G.M. Theal, Records of the Cape Colony, Vol 20, pp. 188-341

Primary Source
Criminal trial records published in:
Theal, George McCall. Records of the Cape Colony from February 1793, Vol. 20. London: Printed for the Government of the Cape Colony, 1897-1905.

Secondary Sources
Rayner, Mary. “Wine and Slaves: The Failure of an Export Economy and the Ending of Slavery in the Cape Colony, South Africa, 1806-1835. Ph.D. dissertation, Duke University, 1986, 174-189.

Ross, Robert. Cape of Torments: Slavery and Resistance in South Africa. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1983, 105-16.

Van der Spuy, Patricia. “‘Making Himself Master': Galant's Rebellion Revisted,” South African Historical Journal 34 (1996), 1-28.

Watson, R.L. The Slave Question: Liberty and Property in South Africa. Hanover: University Press of New England, 1990, 50-59.

I. Reading a Rebellion
A. Secondary Source Readings
In class we will talk about the historiography of the Houd den Bek slave rebellion and carefully examine four different texts that deal with the rebellion: Rayner, Ross, van der Spuy and Watson. As you read, bear these questions in mind. Prepare responses to discuss in class.

1. How different are these four selections from one another? What does each selection accomplish? Where do you see shortcommings? Is one interpretation more convincing than others?

2. Context and form for intellectual production
a) Time period: Consider Rayner, Ross, van der Spuy and Watson in chronological order. Can you discern a difference in focus that changes over time? Do events at the time each author wrote affect the way in which they write about the rebellion?

b) Scope of work: Only van der Spuy treats this rebellion as full subject for historical inquiry; the other authors deal with the rebellion as part of larger works on slavery. In what ways do you think this authorial decision affects the quality of their work regarding the rebellion? Conversely, is van der Spuy's focused attention on this single event warranted?

3) Analytical framework: Each of the four authors emphasizes different aspects of the rebellion, and offers a particular framework for explaining the events and causality. How would you categorize the analytical framework of each selection (social, political, economic, religious, etc)?

4) Personal & Political: What differences are embedding in thinking about these events as "Galant's Rebellion" or "The Houd den Bek Rebellion"? Is this story best told as one of events, or as biography?

B. Primary Source Readings
What do you know about court proceedures at the Cape of Good Hope in 1825?
Under what circumstances were these documents produced?
Who physically wrote the text? In what language? In what language did the prisoners give testimony?
When and why were these trial transcripts published? For whom?
What acts were criminal? What was the accepted punishment for the crimes of this trial?

**What other kinds of sources could you look at to round out the story of this rebellion and subsequent trial?

Reading Questions:
What motivated the accused individuals to act?
The 13 prisoners offer different responses to the charges against them; How do you account for the differences?
What differences do you see in the way prisoners are questioned?

Who testifies? Can you group witness into categories?
How are questions different for various witnesses? Can you detect a pattern?
Where there a differing accounts, who do YOU believe? Why? Where other than the trial transcripts can you go to resolve these differences?

How does the state respond to these crimes? What aspects are emphasized? Which actions do you think are really being punished?
What evidence is most convicing to the court? What evidence is most convincing to you?


II. Writing a Rebellion
This writing assignment is NOT an integrated paper, but rather separate responses to questions. Nevertheless, you should strive for clear, elegant prose, without grammatical errors or typos. Your assignments must include citations, in Chicago style, included as footnotes. More details about the expectations for written work are in the course syllabus. If you have questions, please get in touch with me before the assignment is due.

ALL ACADEMIC WRITING SHOULD HAVE A CLEARLY ARTICULATED ARGUMENT. Your responses to each of the following questions should have a strong thesis statement.

1. Historiography (2-3 pages)
A) How do you account for the similarities and differences in the four published accounts of this rebellion? Which of the accounts is the most satisfying explanation of the rebellion, and why?

B). What aspects of the trial records do the published accounts overlook? How do you account for both the emphases and the omissions of this literature?

C) What common questions or themes emerge in the various accounts of Cape slavery you have read this quarter?

2. Writing your own history (2-3 pages)
Focus on one aspect of the trial records that you find most compelling. What do you think is going on in this story? How would you begin to answer the questions you have?
It is okay for this section to be a bit tentative; you don't have access to all the secondary literature you would need to construct a full-blown response; you have license to use your imagination--bounded by references to the source material you do have available.