The Research of Rev. Dr. John Philip

I have chosen to center my microhistory on the work of abolitionist Wesleyan missionary Dr. John Philip who travelled to the Cape of Good Hope in 1818 to investigate the attempts to close a mission run by the London Missionary Society. His five years spent in the Cape coincided with the arrival of thousands of British settlers and merchants, and with rising public outcry over the practice of slavery in the British colonies. His observations along with a general survey of missionary efforts in Cape Town and the surrounding countryside were published in 1828 under the title Researches in South Africa. Excerpts from the survey quickly disseminated throughout the Anglo-phone abolitionist press, which is how I first came across the source. The newspaper articles describe it as an account meant to change public perception of the situation in the Cape, where the practice of slavery was considered to be 'mild' in form. Philip emphasizes the horrors of slavery and its detrimental effects upon slaves as well as masters. What makes the source valuable to me is what it reveals about the shifting power relationships at the Cape with the new British government seeking to establish itself among Dutch burghers and boors who are less enthusiastic about the 'ameliorative' reforms sought by humanitarian missionaries. The missionaries were at constant odds with the government over policies regarding native relations; this was especially true when issues relating to slaves and masters became embroiled in larger debates over education and civilization. Philip believed that missionaries provided the kind of spiritual and cultural education that both the 'coloured' people and aborigines required to find success in the expanding economy. Philip's account is filled with stories that are both shocking and enlightening that were meant to draw attention to the plight of the marginalized populations of the Cape. His efforts were partly successful for in 1828 the colonial government assured Khoisan people in Cape Town the same rights as indentured servants, yet enslaved persons remained the property of their masters. His accounts of settler conflict with the 'Bushmen' precluded the expanding war against the native South Africans on the frontier, but also illuminates the complexity of the relationships between various native peoples in their struggle to find solidarity. Naturally the missionary proposes religion as a unifying factor. The source provides as much valuable insight into the mentality of these reformers as it does of the conflicting interests in the colony.  

Although Philip's account is certainly valuable and will center my microhistory it is not the only source I plan on using. I found it infinitely helpful to use other sources to help flesh out some of the events alluded to by Philip. These include other abolitionist writings on the Cape Colony, including the New York published Freedom's Journal which ran a series titled, "On the Demoralizing Influence of Slavery," in 1828 that touched on many of the same themes as Philip. One particular event got my attention. Appearing in the abolitionist press and reported on by the London Times, JWL Gebhard, son of Rev. Gebhard, was executed in Cape Town on the November of 1822. He was sentenced to death for the murder of a slave, his father's property, by excessive punishment. The articles in the Times are vaguely sympathetic and much attention is given to the piety the offender as he faces the noose. Strangely enough Dr. Philip is reported to have given spiritual guidance to Gebhard and even rode with him from his place of confinement to the gallows. This intrigued me for several reasons. The first of which is that it seemed rather odd that Dr. Philip would have place himself so close to the condemned since this was a high profile slaves vs. masters trial, and was considered controversial enough to warrant reporting in London. Apparently the Dutch considered the trial a farce meant to sacrifice one of their own to the abolitionist cause, and yet in the abolitionist press the affair is painted as an attempt to prolong Cape Slavery by making it legally just. The reactions of the slaves in attendance are reported as solemn and lacking exultation. This event and the manner in which it was recorded is full of references to the larger politics of change at the Cape during this period.

A major challenge that I have been wrestling with is how ought we treat our sources as we construct a microhistory narrative? Some authors such as Ladurie and Ulrich are very interested in presenting the sources they use as products of a unique context. Others like the Cooks and Thornton stick fairly close what their sources give them, but do not necessarily interrogate them as much. This problem is especially difficult to overcome in the case of Philip's researches because it was meant to be consumed by a mass audience at home, so certain episodes feel like they've been portrayed to evoke a desired response. One such episode is when Philip and fellow missionaries are out in the country side preaching among the 'Caffires' and they report that they have no knowledge of the Christian religion at all. I find this hard to believe as missionaries had been active in these parts for decades before. Did Philip want it to appear that his party was the first among these natives? And that it was himself who had brought peace among the frontier natives alone? Missionaries of the period were certainly not above embellishment. In fact, daily life at the missionaries was presented in the most favorable of terms despite the fact that these missions were built and supported largely by unpaid African labor. How much should a microhistory narrative attempt to reveal these silences or stick to the what the source tells and understand it on its own terms?