History of Botswana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of Botswana - Essay Example There was a high expectation that the northern region of what was to become the Republic of Botswana was under the British colonies that was protecting it. They were located in the north of the Molopo River and their intention was to merge the protectorate with the south of the region. The southern part of that region was under the colony of Cape. The British controlled the area called Bechuanaland after a request to put it under its protection was influenced by the then tribal leader, Khama III. Khama traveled to the United Kingdom to request the British to put their land under the protection of the crown so that it was not disturbed by their hostile neighbors. To but their land under their protectorate, the colonial secretary requested that it allows the British to construct railway line across their land that later came to be an economic opportunity to their land as it had opened them up to trade. In the early twentieth century, particularly 1910, the Cape politicians wanted to jo in the Bechuanaland and this was influenced by the Union of South Africa, but it would later become a challenge to join the state. Before the Cape politicians could join the Bechuanaland, there was to be a signed agreement between the rulers of Bechuanaland and the British. The grandson of Khama III by the name of Seretse Khama went to the United Kingdom to study at the Oxford University. At that time, their neighbors, South Africa, had introduced apartheid laws that restricted the intermarriage and other fundamental rights between different races.