UNIT 1 – LECTURE 6 Theme 1: Experience and Strategies f Survival of Enslaved Peoples (a) The concepts of enslavement and slavery. (b) Control through “Slave Laws”: Spanish OR French OR British: (i) responsibilities: enslavers and enslaved; and (ii) penalties. GENERAL OBJECTIVES On completion of this Module, students should: 1. understand the character of Caribbean society during the period of enslavement; 2. appreciate the significance of the struggles against enslavement; and 3. understand the process of abolition. The Concepts of Enslavement & Slavery Introduction: How the Caribbean Came Under European Control: - - - - - The Caribbean was first colonised by the Spanish in the 15th century Other European countries came and settled overtime; namely France and England The English settled St. Kitts (1624), Nevis (1628) Barbados (1627), Antigua & Montserrat The French established colonies in Martinique & Guadeloupe England and France joined Spain which had established its first colony in the region more than 100 years before The Concepts of Enslavement & Slavery Introduction cont’d -: Why did the Europeans come to the Caribbean -The Spanish originally searched for gold & silver -They found relatively small quantities Instead the Europeans tried growing different crops to sell back home: -They unsuccessfully experimented with tobacco -The English colonists tried growing sugar cane and it grew well after its introduction Uses of sugar cane: - Sugar, as a sweetener for tea, coffee & Chocolate - Rum There was a demand in Europe for these products; as a result those who grew sugar cane became wealthy The Rise of Slavery The spread of sugar plantation in the Caribbean created a great need for workers -sugar production is labour intensive The systematic removal of the indigenous people and the imposition of European settlements in the Caribbean led directly to the development of TWO (2) labour system: • Indentured servitude • Chattel slavery Labour Systems (1) Indentured Servitude This employed white men & women from Europe – France, Holland, England & Ireland These indentured servants signed contracts for labour for FOUR (4) years This system predates chattel slavery (in the Americas) by about 10 years After enslaved blacks were introduced to the plantations the two systems were used to produce firstly cotton, tobacco, and indigo, then after the 1640s, sugar Labour Systems (1) Indentured Servitude - - - - Reasons indentured labourers came to the British & French colonies include: Some voluntarily greed to give service for a stipulated period, usually 4 years, to an employer in the Caribbean Others were vagrants & beggars who had become burdens on society. They were seen as undesirables and were sent to give labour under contract in the Caribbean Opponents who challenged the Government were banished (to Barbados or Guadeloupe) as punished Europeans who had been convicted and jailed were also among those who came to the Caribbean to serve on the plantations as indentured servants (1) Indentured Servitude Characteristics 1. It was contract labour for a specified time 2. Though they worked along side black enslaved people on the plantations, they were never classified as slaves 3. Unlike the offspring of black slaves, their children would not be forced to work. 4. At the expiration of their contracts indentured were free to leave -Some left, heading for places like the Carolinas, others going to Jamaica and the Western Caribbean in search of quick fortune -some remained in countries like Barbados where they occupied small plots of land on the east coast of the island and survived by fishing and farming (1) Indentured Servitude Characteristics (cont’d) 5. Provision was made for indentured servants t obtain legal redress if their “employers” were unduly harsh in their treatment. Unlike the enslaved blacks they could complain to the authorities Question: Why did Indentured Servitude end? (1) Indentured Servitude Reasons it Ended 1. 2. 3. 4. Increase preference for enslaved labour from Africa Indentured servants were always in short supply News of the treatment of indentured servants spread and this did not encourage voluntary migration From an economic perspective planters considered African labour to be cheaper in the long term – in 1694 an indentured servant cost about 12 Pound while an African was sold for 25 pounds. - While the indentured servant was cheaper initially, the cost of upkeep was higher than that of the African - The African served for life and his offspring could be enslaved - The indentured labourer served for 4 years NB: By the beginning of the 18th Century as importation of Africans increased, indentured servants became scarce in the Caribbean (2) Slavery - A condition in which individuals are owned by others who control where they live and at what they work. - slavery previously existed throughout history; the ancient Greeks, the Romans, Incas and Aztecs all had slaves What is Chattel Slavery? (2) Chattel Slavery A chattel slaves is an enslaved person who is owned for ever and whose children and children’s children are automatically enslaved Chattel slaves are individuals treated as complete property, to be bought and sold Chattel slavery was supported and made legal by many European governments & Monarchs This type of slavery was practised in European colonies from the 16th century onwards Indentured Servitude v Chattel Slavery The status of the labourer distinguished one from the other The African: The Servant: Never lost his rights Stripped of his freedom, natural rights & denied citizenship, deemed as property, inventoried with the estate cattle & equipment, he could be destroyed or killed, separated from family by sale, sold for payment of debt , ill-treated without recourse Domestic slavery in West Africa was not chattel slavery A person could become involved in domestic slavery in West Africa if he were: -A prisoner of war -Owed a debt -Convicted of a serious crime (murder, rape, adultery, witchcraft) -Facing famine (some parents allowed their children to act as domestic slaves. MAIN Differences – slaves in West Africa could regain their freedom - the children of these enslaved persons in West Africa would never become slaves CHATTELS:FROM WEST AFRICA TO THE AMERICAS In the Villages Life of the chattel slave normally begins with the slave raid: Fires would be lit on the outskirts of villages resulting in chaos West Africans would be quickly captured by heavily armed individuals The captives were placed in coffles and forced to walk for miles to the coast During the journey they were poorly fed and hydrated resulting in may deaths. Those too ill or weak were cut from the coffles and left to die from their illness or from the elements At the coast, the Captives would wait to be placed on ships (Slavers) At the Coast • Captives were poorly fed and hydrated which led to many more dying before boarding the ship • African Traders would bargain with European agents (‘factors’) • Captives would be placed in baracoons at the mercy of the elements • Lastly, they were checked by doctors and those who were rejected (mackrons) would not go on the journey across the Atlantic • Rejects included – persons with grey hair, missing teeth, sexually transmitted diseases, open wounds etc. • Healthy individuals would be branded and placed on slavers. • Thus begins the journey – the middle passage, the second leg of the ‘triangular trade’ The Triangular Trade A historical term indicating trade between three (3) ports/regions. For this purpose, it is defined as trading during the 17th to 19th century that involved shipping goods and African captives between Europe, West Africa and the Americas The Middle Passage This was the second stage in the trans-Atlantic trade. The Middle was the journey of the African captives from West Africa to the Americas A horrific journey lasting between 6 to 8 weeks (depending on weather and destination) It is estimated that between 10 and 20 million African captives were taking to the Americas during the trade Ships were usually overloaded with their human cargo Conditions on the Slavers: Conditions were horrible resulting in high mortality Women and girls faced sexual abuse by the ship’s crew The ships lacked sanitary convenience – the areas occupied by the Africans were unhygienic; the area was washed daily with only water. This led to the outbreak of diseases (dysentery, cholera etc.) The Africans were placed below deck where they remained chained. Women & children were kept together and men by themselves. Below deck the temperature was hot and persons would die from heat stroke. If food supplies ran low only the healthiest individuals were fed, and sometimes the sick and very week were thrown overboard The Africans were allowed to go above deck once per day, if weather permitted, to exercise. The exercise was aimed at reducing the risk of blood clots that could result in death. Arrival in the Caribbean The horrible conditions of the Middle Passage would be evident on the African at the time of arrival in the Caribbean The ship’s crew would have to prepare the captives for sale. This process was called “refreshing”. The process involved giving the captives baths and removing visible grey hairs. Their muscles would be rubbed with palm oil to enhance their appearance, and to hide scars and bruises, a mixture of gun powder, lime juice and iron rust was used. They were also fed fruits and vegetables to enhance their complexion. In the Caribbean the captives would be sold either by a process of auction or scramble. Introduction Local colonial assemblies and individual planters introduced measures to repress their slave population. Many of these methods could be classified as : Legal Social Economic Psychological The system of enslavement in the Caribbean developed without any inherited rules/laws to govern its operation. The practise and the laws were developed along the way to guide the planters. These rules/ laws developed out of necessity These laws enforced the fact that the enslaved had no rights, they were property that could be bought or sold. They had no redress under the law e.g. if an enslaved was killed or mutilated by a white person who was not the owner, compensation was paid to the owner for destruction of property. The result – enslavement on a Caribbean sugar estate was the destruction of the identity of the enslaved person mentally and physically Legal Control Measures a) b) c) (I) British Laws The British Caribbean had no universal slave code but, individual colonies created their own laws Throughout the colonies there was a common thread with some of the legal slave control measures. These included: Slaves not being allowed to leave the estate without permission Slaves not being allowed to congregate in large numbers because this would suggest unity which could possibly lead to revolt Slaves not being allowed to beat drums, blow horns and carry weapons Legal Control Measures a) b) c) d) (I) British Laws (cont’d) Reading & writing, and slave marriages were forbidden Enslaved persons were not allowed to rent houses or land, or buy liquor without the master’s consent Obeah and group meetings carried the death penalty Manumissions, the ability to purchase one’s freedom, were discouraged Legal Control Measures (II) French Laws (Code Noir\Black Code) The laws were directly drawn up in France. The articles in the code: a) b) c) allowed enslaved Africans the ability to marry with their master’s consent Suggested that planters were to provide food & clothing for slaves and to provide for the elderly & disabled Provided slaves with the ability to appeal to legal officers known as Procureur-general (attorney General) to complain about ill treatment and neglect, but at the same time the code stated that the slaves could be punished by means of flogging, branding, mutilation and execution for theft, assault, and attempts to escape. Legal Control Measures (III) Spanish Laws (Las Siete Partidas) a) b) c) These governed treatment of the enslaved Africans. The Spanish Laws: Outlined that enslaved peoples should not be overworked, starved or unlawfully punished by their masters Gave the enslaved the right to buy their freedom, to marry and to appeal to the court against illegal treatment Masters were obligated to provide basic amenities for his slaves Economic Control Measures There was severe limitation on free time for the enslaved, as free time was equated to loss of production time on the estate. A structure of economic dependence was created whereby enslaved Africans relied to a great extent on the planters for their basic amenities. Though there was an internal marketing system by the enslaved population, the planters instituted several measures they sought to limit its viability Severe restriction was placed on the ability of the enslaved Africans to carve out an economic livelihood e.g. the growing of ground provision for sale in the market Psychological & Ideological Control Measures Enslaved Africans were also subjected to psychological & ideological control, but they continued to resist the system of slavery. They did this by: o Running away o Malingering, and o Rebelling Enslaved women also participated in resistance movement and used their bodies as weapons in resisting slavery; they practised what was described “gynaecological resistance”. The plantation society created a culture whereby the practices of the whites were seen as superior to that of the Africans. As a result African cultural practices were denigrated/put down Social Control Measures In an effort to control the enslaved population, covert as well as overt social control measures were encouraged The creation of a rigid social divide in the wider society as well as amongst slaves For Example: – domestics were usually lighter-skinned slaves and they were entrusted with their master’s valuables and children - They were allowed too wear better clothes - The females were allowed to wear necklaces, bracelets and earring - Some learnt to cook, sew, read and write These slaves were loyal to their masters and were most likely to report plans or rebellion Social Control Measures cont’d Skilled slaves or artisans were highly valued by their masters and were sometimes hired out. The skilled slaves had more freedom of movement than other slaves on the plantation The Field Slaves – they were seen as the “worse class” on the sugar estate and were the ones to usually receive the harsher punishment This reflected the system of divide and rule amongst enslaved labour PRESENTATIONS: The Enslaved LECTURE # 6 – From Capture to Arrival on the Plantation -Capture & Enslavement in Africa -Journey to the coast (and other departure points) -Storage and package for shipment -Trans-Atlantic crossing (Middle Passage) -Sale & distribution in the Americas LECTURE: MEASURES OF CONTROL-Br, Fr, Spanish Recap Br then continue with Fr & Spanish Forms of Resistance RESOURCES: Liberties Lost – Chapter 6 Atlantic Interactions – Chapter 4 The Caribbean, the Atlantic World & Global Transformation – Chapter 4 FORMS OF RESISTANCE Resistance took the form of the following methods: - insurrectionary - non-insurrectionary Who can give an example of each method? FORMS OF RESISTANCE (A) Insurrectionary Methods These methods tended to be violent and cause more damage to the plantation and the whole slave system Such methods include: 1. Destruction of Property: Damage to plantation tools & machinery, done in such a manner so as to appear accidental. Over a prolonged period, this caused considerable cost to the plantation in terms of repairs FORMS OF RESISTANCE (A) Insurrectionary Methods Cont’d 2. Murder of Plantation Owner(s) Poisoning was one of such methods used by domestics 3. Running Away/ Maroonage 4. Rebellions FORMS OF RESISTANCE (B) Non-insurrectionary Methods These were prolonged non-violent approaches to resisting slavery Such methods included: 1. Gynaecological - Exaggerating female complaints - Inducing abortion - Prolonging the period of gestation, sometimes opting to breast feed for as long as two years - Pretending not to understand the language to evade work FORMS OF RESISTANCE (B) Non-insurrectionary Methods (cont’d) 2. Malingering - Pretending to be ill or - Exaggerating any existing ailment or - Sometimes injuring themselves 3. Suicide
