Posted by Chester Morton / Tuesday, 9 May 2017 / No comments
The major contributions of George Maclean to the establishment of British rule in the Gold Coast
THE MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS
OF GEORGE MACLEAN TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BRITISH INFLUENCE IN THE GOLD COAST
Introduction
George William Maclean was a Scottish, born on 24 February,
1801. He was commissioned into the Royal Africa Corps and was sent to Sierra
Leone and the Gold Coast in 1826. After falling ill in 1828, he had to go back
to England. In 1829, he was appointed as the President of the council of
Government by a Committee of Merchants and arrived in the Gold Coast again in
1830. He died in 1847. George Maclean made a lot of contributions to the
consolidation of British rule in the Gold Coast.
CONTRIBUTIONS OF GEORGE
MACLEAN
Promotion of peace
One of the major contributions of George Maclean to
establishment of British influence in the Gold Coast was the promotion of peace
between the Southern states and the Ashantis, who were the major local power at
the time. In 1831, George Maclean brokered a Tripartite Treaty between the
Southern states, the Ashantis and the British. Under the treaty, the Ashantis
agreed to renounce their desire to control the coastal states. With this
treaty, the British assumed an automatic control of the costs of the Gold
Coast.
The establishment of a judicial system
Another contribution of George Maclean was that he
spear-headed the establishment of a judicial system to enable the administration
of justice in the colony. Mr. Maclean thought it wise that if the colonies were
to develop economically, there was the need for peace. Therefore the
introduction of a judicial system of administration was to bring about the
needed peace for economic activity.
Settlement of inter-state disputes
George Maclean encouraged the settlement of disputes among
the coastal states. Hitherto, disputes were settled through battles. This did
not promote the interest of the British. Mr. Maclean helped to settle disputes
that came to his attention. A typical example was the dispute between the
Krobos and the Akyeam. His actions helped to promote peace among the coastal
states and created the needed atmosphere for British interests to flourish.
Role as judicial assessor in the Gold Coast
Another contribution of George Maclean was after his
appointment as the Judicial Assessor in the Gold Coast. This was after the
signing of the Bond of 1844. George, as the Judicial Assessor, was assigned the
responsibility of ensuring that the conditions of the Bond of 1844 were
enforced.
Criticism of George Maclean
George Maclean was accused of turning a blind eye to
slave-trading activities in the colony. He was also accused of exercising
powers beyond the ones granted under the responsibilities of his position. A
parliamentary Select committee was appointed to investigate these allegations.
This committee recommended that the British should take over the direct
responsibility of the Gold Coast.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. Outline the major contributions of George Maclean to the
consolidation of British rule in the Gold Coast.
2. How did George Maclean help the British to entrench their
control over the Gold Coast?
