Accra Native Confederation

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In 1869, the Accra Native Confederation tried to unite Accra and push for self-government as European powers expanded in the region. It drew ideas from the Fanti Confederation and from James B. Africanus Horton’s notion of a "Republic of Accra." At meetings in Mankessim in 1868, leaders from Fante and from Denkyira, Wassa, Twifu, and Assin in Accra pledged loyalty to Britain and sought to keep the Dutch from taking control. The Confederation planned a government with a King-President, a council of Kings and Elders, and a National Assembly representing the people. It failed quickly because local chiefs did not fully back it. As Britain and the Dutch pressed their claims, a British-led force of about 15,000 men enforced taxes and expanded control, and conflicts continued through 1873, limiting native autonomy. The arrival of Europeans also brought diseases like smallpox and dysentery, worsening life for the Accra as traditional ways of life and local economies were disrupted by colonization and resource exploitation.