Bloemfontein ultimately played an important role in the Province during the early years of the 19th century as it became the meeting place for discussions that would ultimately shape politics in South Africa for many years to come.
After the annexation of the Orange Free State by the British army in 1900, four prominent African political organizations emerged. The ORC Native Congress, the ORC Native Association ( initially called the ORC Native Vigilance Association), the Bechuana Mutual Improvement Association and the Native Committee, the latter being a Barolong organization that only operated in Bloemfontein and Thaba Nchu. The African Political Organisation which was Cape-based played a minor role in the political awakening of the Coloureds of the Free State.