Slave Control Slavery was a legal institution. All the colonies passed laws to control their s laves.

The Spanish instituted the Siete Partidas, the French had the Code Noir but the English Government left it to the individual Assemblies to enact their own laws as they thought best. Siete Partidas Code Noir You may imagine that at the same time it seemed like a marvelous idea. Why? It saved England the trouble' and time of writing these laws that might not even be fit for the colonies. In the same vein, she felt it best that the planters th rough their representatives in the House of Assembly construct these laws since they lived in the colonies. The truth was that at the time she was more concerne d or shall we say engrossed in the increase in the revenues that she received fr om the jewels in her Crown'. The British Caribbean had strong Assemblies with a lot of power invested in them from England. Most if not all the members of the Lower House were sugar planter s. They all had the same attitude towards their slaves and basically agreed on h ow these slaves should be treated. France chose to draw up a slave code because, unlike the English, the French col onies never had a plantocracy which was fully in control as it was in the Britis h colonies. Until 1785 there were no French Local Assemblies. Therefore, all law s and policies were decided in France and carried out by the Governor or the Int endant and the many officials on the islands. Slaves worked on coffee as well The British viewed their slaves as chattel property and as such, they could be s old, transferred to another estate or used to pay debts. Slave marriage and manu mission therefore, were not encouraged. The Spanish, on the other hand, consider ed the slaves to be human beings-albeit lesser human beings! They acknowledge th at slavery was wrong, but argued that it was a necessary evil. The Spanish felt that they had a Christian duty towards the slaves. This was ref lected in the slave laws themselves and account for the main differences between the Spanish slave laws (Siete Partidas) and the British Slave Laws. For example , Spanish slaves had rights-they could not be starved, overworked or unlawfully punished. The law guaranteed them right of ntry to the Roman Catholic Church as well as time for religious instructions. They could also marry without their own ers' permission and were allowed to have a family. One must note however that ma ny of these laws were just on paper. Both the British and the French planters tried to control the economic life of t heir slaves in terms of property, time and earnings. - Slaves who stole animals would be put to death. - Slaves could not legally possess property or legally make contracts. - Slaves could not be paid for any work that they did. - As personal property slaves could be sold in debt or left on the will for some one to inherit. - Slaves could not own land, they were allowed a small plot to plant ground prov isions on so as to save the planter money that would have been used to import fo od. Psychological/Ideological Control The whites argued that the Africans were barbaric and uncivilized heathens. They were doing them a favour by exposing them to European civilization and Christia nity. Most of the psychological control surrounded the slaves' race and colour w hich was seen as inferior to the whites. The planters tried to crush the slaves' spirit, but this was not always easy. Th e Ashanti and Mandingo slaves, for example, were known to be fierce and resistan t A fight with the Ashanti

They were stripped of their identity, especially the African born slaves who wer e forced to take the name given to them by their owner. They were stripped of th eir dignity- made to feel less than a human. Men were not allowed to have any ego. When placed in leadership positions it wa s of such that the slaves that they were in charge of hated them and saw them as traitors, for example: Slave Drivers. Social Control How did the planters control the slaves in the areas of food, clothing, housing and dress? They dictated what they should eat and when they should eat. Although they built their own huts, they were directed to build one room, one window, one door, and huts with dirt floor- signifying and emphasizing their inferiority. Slaves were not allowed to be educated. Ignorance was a powerful means of contro l. Their dress was inferior, of poor quality, lacking in style and of course inadeq uate. It is said that children went naked until about age six. The adults were given two suits of clothing per year. The domestic slaves were often given hand -me-down clothing which they were expected to relish. Physical Control The slaves' every movement was watched by the owners. The overseers, drivers an d watchmen had a vital role to play in this form of control. Punishment was the biggest form of control. The whip was a stimulus to labour an d a constant form of punishment. For fear of the hundreds of lashes the slaves ke pt in line' and did basically as they were told. The slaves could not move off t he estate without a pass. They worked for fourteen hours a day under strict and constant supervision. Cultural Control The slaves were not allowed to practice their own religion. Instead, they were f orced to acknowledge their owner's religion. They were only allowed to sit at t he back of the Anglican/Catholic Churches. Certain aspects of their culture such as their music and dance were seen as vulgar, lewd and uncivilized behaviour. T he planters openly scoffed at them. Other aspects such as drumming were banned o n penalty of severe punishment, even death. The planters in colonies with Maroon s settlements in particular would have either known or heard of the effectivenes s of the abeng and drums as instruments of communication in a revolt. Despite all of these various methods of control, the slaves resisted the system of slavery. The period of slavery in the Indies is punctuated with acts of resis tance as well as bloody violent revolts. Slave Resistance (Lesson 2) 1. First and foremost is the basic desire for freedom. They rebelled against th eir owners- they did not want to be owned and treated as if they were a mere pie ce of property. 2. Abuse of the masters. Women in particular were raped, denied the right and t ime to bond with their children, name their children and so on. A female slave tied to a tree 3. Severe Punishments that did not fit the crime, but was far greater than the c rime or offence. Methods of punishments included branding, of course whipping, p utting them in stocks or amputating a limb. Slave punishment A slave being beaten 4. Forced labour: The ex-slaves worked without wages or reward for their labour. This was made even more difficult to bear when they considered that the planter s were able to live in great houses, eat well and wear fine clothes because of t he profit from the sugar that the slaves grew!

5. Denial of Rights. The slaves were denied the most basic human rights. African slaves were not allowed to keep the name that they received at birth but were f orced to take on the name that their master gave them. They were forbidden to ma rry without the master's permission. 6. African slaves wanted to return home. They longed for their familiar sights and scenes of Mama Africa. They missed parents and siblings and friends back hom e. Some of them were leaders in their homeland and found it more difficult to ad just to a life of bondage: for example, Tacky was a chief in Ghana . 7. Inhumane treatment: slaves rebelled against and resisted the inhumane condit ions under which they were forced to live and work. They worked from sunrise to sunset everyday and as much as eighteen (18) hours per day at harvest time. Hous e slaves had to obey the whims and fancies' of the master. Spiteful mistresses of ten gave the attractive house slave girls demeaning' tasks to do. They were unde rfed and overworked. There were two main types of Resistance: Passive and Active. Passive resistance may be defined as the subtle methods used by the slaves to ex press their rejection of slavery. It is not easily detected. Types of Passive Resistance (a) Suicide: the African slaves in particular believed that after death their s pirit returned to Africa. They were therefore willing to obtain the ultimate irr eversible freedom. (b) Malingering: we know this as go slow'. The slaves would deliberately work sl ower or below their productive capacity. (c) Ill-treatment of estate animals: the slaves would deliberately wound the es tate animal with intent to harm or kill them. It would cost the planter a pretty penny' to replace these animals. (d) Murder by poison: arsenic was probably the most common form of poisoning bu t the slaves also used potions' that they obtained from the obeah men as well as their own concoction from trees and shrubs. For example, in 1774, an overseer on a Barbadian plantation was murdered (poison ed) by his slaves. (e) Feign madness: a slave would pretend to completely misunderstand every orde r given to him or her. In essence he would pretend to be stupid' or insane. We re fer to this as the Quashie' syndrome. Some planters would keep such a slave for e ntertainment purposes. (f) Feigning illness: the slaves would sometimes feign illness, prolong an old illness or even inflict fresh injuries. (g) Runaways: running away or pulling foot' was a fairly common means of resista nce. What particular ways did female slaves rebel? They prolonged the weaning process-taking up to two years, so that she could mak e full advantage of the one hour in the morning and the one hour release given b efore the end of the day by some planters for breast feeding activities. Painful though the exercise was some women opted to deliberately miscarry or com mit infanticide or abortions. Her tongue she discovered was also a very effective weapon. Thus insolence was a common charge or offence that the slave woman was incessantly charged for and f ound guilty! Active Resistance: Revolts The Bush Negroes Runaway slaves in Surinam were called the Bush Negroes of Surinam'. The Bush Negr oes of Surinam were given this specific title because of their choice of base wh en they ran away from the plantations. They hid in the tangled forest and swampy interior of the forest. The first runaways escaped from the plantations set up by Lord Willoughby, the G overnor of Barbados (1651). This explains why the Bush Negroes spoke Creole and

all black surnames had an English base. Many of the runaway slaves were brought from Africa and when they escaped to their hiding places, they maintained their African culture and religion. Bush Negroes However, during the Second Anglo-Dutch war, (1665-1667), the territory was captu red by the Dutch. Dutch ownership was made official by theTreaty of Breda in 166 7. During these two years of warfare the slaves took the opportunity to escape t o the mountains, where they established independent communities/settlements. The Bush Negroes lived in the forest clearings with their houses, (circular huts ), surrounded by groves of plantations and cash crops from their small farms. Th ese villages were often barricaded with moats, (deep holes filled with water), p its and stockades, which they used for protection. They also organized raids on the European plantations on military lines. Eventually, the Dutch reorganized the independence of the Bush Negroes in the in terior on the condition that they would not raid the coastal plantations. Treati es were signed between the Dutch and the Bush Negroes in 1749, 1761, and 1767. There were six Bush Negro groups: Djuka, Saramaka, Alubu, Ouca, Matawai, and Paramaka. They lived inland along Saramaka, Copenaime and Cottica and Marowjine regions. Terms of the Treaty (1761) An annual gift of arms and ammunition was promised to the Bush Negroes in return for their co-operation. The Bush Negroes were to return all new runaway slaves that they encountered. The Negroes promised never to appear armed at Paramaribo to more than or six at a time. The Bush Negroes were to keep their settlements at a certain distance from the t owns and plantations. Lesson 3 The Maroons of Jamaica On May 10, 1655, Admiral William Penn and General Robert Venables began their at tack of Jamaica. The island was poorly defended. The Governor, Juan Ramirez was old and sick. Only five hundred (500) men could handle a gun. The English, on t he other hand had had an army of eight thousand (8000), this included two thousa nd (2000) armed men, a stunning ratio of sixteen to one (16:1) in favour of the English. Admiral William Penn In desperation, the Spanish freed their slaves to help them fight. In return the y were promised their freedom. In alliance with the Spaniards some of them forme d settlements in the mountainous region of the Cockpits. Others in the face of d efeat decided to escape to parishes such as Trelawney, Portland and St. Elizabet h where they formed independent settlements. The Spanish surrendered in 1660 aft er Juan De Bolasdefected to the English. In 1670 by the Treaty of Madrid the isl and of Jamaica was officially ceded to England. Why were the English and Maroon engaged in warfare against each other? At first the English refused to recognize the escaped slaves (maroons) as free p eople. Instead, they enlisted the help of turncoats' such as Juan De Bolas to hel p them recapture the Maroons. Anxious to become as wealthy as their Barbadian counterparts, they had begun to seriously operate sugar estates. They needed to constantly import slaves to work on these estates. As long as the Maroons were at large', so to speak, they would be a source of ins piration for these slaves. This proved to be so true. During the seventy six yea rs of irregular warfare between the English and the Maroons, many slaves ran awa y from their estates and joined the Maroons who gladly welcomed and provided a s afe haven for them. In the early years just after the English had captured Jamaica, the island was r uled by Commissioners. In 1663, one of these Commissioners, offered the Maroons l

and and full freedom if they surrendered. The Maroons thought about this. The Maroons decided therefore that they needed something in print- in black and w hite' before they would even consider surrendering! They needed legal recognitio n of the land and the freedom that the English offered' them. For the next sevent y-six years, therefore, they fought the English to give them this legal document . Course of War There were sudden and constant attacks on the plantations. The Maroons would set fire to the fields. The English in reply would also set fire to any Maroon sett lement that they happened to find. Making sure that their provision grounds: sou rce of food was destroyed. The Maroons managed to secure various weapons during their raids on the plantati ons. These include: lances, machetes, and firearms. Maroons The Maroons raid sugar plantations taking away whatever useful supplies they cou ld find. This includes tools such as machetes as well as food supply such as sma ll livestock (fowl, pigs, etc.) The Maroons gladly accepted any runaway slave especially the males who became a part of their army. Troops from Britain were sent to aid the local militia. This was not very successful as they unaccustomed to the climate, the long marches i n difficult terrain and the Maroons' peculiar methods of fighting. A fighting Maroon The Maroons perfected the art of guerilla warfare. They would cover themselves i n bushes and leaves from head to toe. Then they would hide themselves (camouflag e) among the trees. From this vantage point they set ambush for their enemies. In addition the Maroons employed a lookout. He or she would be placed at a strat egic spot. This person was responsible for alerting the others when the enemy wa s approaching with the use of an abeng, conch shell or drum. The English employed Mosquito Indians famous for their ability to track down fug itives. In addition they used dogs to ensure that they could detect the Maroon h ideouts which were so cleverly concealed. 1734 Captain Stoddart launches a successful attack against Nanny Town. Using swi vel guns and explosives he demolishes the settlement. Some villagers in their ha ste to escape jumped over a nearby cliff to their death. Lesson 4 Origins Of Haitian Revolution The Origin The origin of the Haitian Revolution can ironically be traced to the Revolution that started in their Mother Country France in 1789. In that year, the French pe ople rallied and motivated by the watchwords of Liberty, fraternity and Equality decided to begin the process that would radically change the political and soci al order of France. This revolution appealed to the Grand Blancs of San Domingue as the colony was n amed before the revolution. They decided that it was an opportune time to demand more political power from the newly elected Constituent Assembly in France. The Constituent Assembly denied them their requests. In an unprecedented move, they called elections in 1790 for a General Assembly a nd excluded the small/poor whites (Petit Blancs) and coloureds from participatin g. Needless to say this would mean that they, the White colonists (Grand Blancs) would win' the election. Having gained control of the Assembly the Grand Blancs proceeded to defy colonia l authorities and the Constituent Assembly in France. To signify their revolutio nary status they wore a red tassle and became known as the pompons rogues. The poor/small whites and colonial authorities/militia combined to crush the Gra nd Blancs' revolt and dissolved their Assembly. It was while, they, the whites, both great and small' were pre-occupied with thei r diplomatic' war that the free coloureds decided to use the opportunity to stage

their own revolt and the rest is still history. The coloureds were able to get the support of the "Amis de Noirs" or Friends of the Blacks. Led by Vincent Oge, who had declared himself the protector of the co loureds, they staged their own revolt. Their numbers were too small however, and Oge eventually gave up and was tortured and executed. Vincent Oge The conflict between the whites and the coloureds gave the slaves a chance to fi ght for their own freedom. The rebellion started in the most prosperous and dens ely populated area, in the northern part of Haiti. Why did these groups revolt? The Grand Blancs or rich whites, most of whom were planters, wanted to get rid o f the Mercantile System. Please note that Haiti produced one third of the sugar reaching the world market. They wanted greater freedom of trade than the concess ions granted to them in 1784. Since France was in a state of revolution herself, they thought it was a good time to do so. There was much discrimination against the free coloureds. The Petit Blancs or po or whites were jealous of the free coloureds many of whom had inherited property from their white fathers and had gone into coffee cultivation, sugar being view ed as the exclusive domain' of the Grand Blancs. As a result many restrictions were placed on these free coloureds. They could NO T be called Monsieur or Madame carry arms or be promoted to any top ranking position in the army. marry any white person, not even a poor one! vote or of course hold any political position attend the same theatres or plays as the whites. If they chose to attend the sam e Church, they could not sit in the same area or seat with a white person The slaves revolted for pretty much the same reason as their counterparts in the British West Indies. Each group on the French island felt the other to be its enemy. The planters hat ed the officials, despised the poor whites, and distrusted the growing class of the coloureds and poor whites who wanted the privileges of the planters. Course The slave rebellion was initiated by a voodoo ceremony on the night of August 14 , 1791. It was led by a slave known only as Boukman. By dawn the rebellion was i n full swing, within a week fields and buildings had been set ablaze. The white and coloured masters were slain. Voodoo ceremony before the revolt The rebellion was exceptional and it forced the whites and the coloureds to join together to fight against their common enemy. This agreement was called The Con cordat. It was intended to keep the mulattoes/free coloureds in their place'. The y did not want them to ever get the impression that they were equal to them mere ly because they had a bit of wealth. In 1792, a remarkable slave by the name of Toussaint L'Overture assumes leadersh ip of the Haitian revolution. Between 1792- 1803 in the colony of Saint Domingue erupted into the civil war. In response, French reinforcements were sent in Ma y of 1792, they too found themselves in conflict with the coloureds. The new Com missioner sent from France, General LeClerc attempted to capture Toussaint. Tous saint formed an alliance with the Spanish and gained black control over the enti re north of Saint Domingue, except Le Cap. A picture of Boukman, taken from 'Overture www.ulrickjeanpierre.com/boukinv.htm Toussaint L

The war now came to involve three European nations: 1. France who was desperately trying to regain this precious colony back 2. England who wanted to get Haiti for herself 3. Spain, who owned the next door' (literally) colony of Santo Domingo and was ju stifiably afraid that the revolution would spread to her colonies and that her s laves would be tempted to either start a revolution or jump next door to freedom . In order to gain the needed support of the free coloureds, the Assembly in Franc e gave them most of the rights and privileges that they were fighting for. They gladly took it, but by then most of them had defected to the slaves' side. While the war continued, Toussaint who was successful in defeating all three gro ups by a policy of alliance and counter alliances decided that it was time to mo ve to another level. Toussaints' Reforms In 1801 he conquered Santo Domingo. He created a central assembly to make laws. He banned slavery and discrimination based on colour. He proclaimed himself Governor for life. Napoleon sent an army led by Le Clerc to defeat Toussaint and Toussaint undertoo k a "scorched earth" policy against Le Clerc. He instituted the fermage system. It was a labour system designed to continue th e production of the colony's exports crops which had been disrupted due to thewa r. In a bid to encourage this production and export, he decreased the taxes and cus tom duties. He made treaties with foreign Governments. He built roads, schools and other public buildings. In 1802 while locked in a life long struggle with Le Clerc, peace was negotiated by Cristophe but Toussaint was captured by trickery and taken to France. In 1803 on the twenty-seventh (27th) day of April, Toussaint died of cold and hu nger in Jiora Mountain prison. Jean Francois Dessalines After the capture of Toussaint, Dessalines took over leadership of the revolutio n. Dessalines however, did not maintain Toussaint's policy to revive sugar or to militarize labour. On January 1, 1804 Dessalines declared that the colony was i ndependent and was to be called Haiti the Tainos word for mountainous. He declared himself Emperor of Haiti. Jean Francois Dessalines From 1804-1806 Dessalines brought a large percentage of Haiti's land under stat e rule. He tried to revive agriculture and kept daily tallies of the amount of w ork by labourers and idlers were punished. He encouraged stable family life and Catholicism, but discouraged Voodoo. Dessalines' rule ended with his assassinati on in 1806. Why was this Revolution successful? (i) Good leadership. Toussaint provided skilled military leadership. He was ably assisted by Jean Jacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe. (ii) The rebels had the advantage. They knew the area better than the invaders. They were familiar with both the territory and climate. (iii) France was preoccupied with her own revolution 1789-1815. She herself was going through different stages. At one point her leaders agreed with and tried t o reinstate Slavery. At another time, her new leaders, the radicals who disagree d with Slavery sent decrees to abolish it. (1794) (iv) The troops sent from France to reinforce the local militia lost a number of their men within a few days. They died from tropical diseases such as yellow fe ver. (v) The division and rivalry between the Grand Blancs and the Petit Blancs gave

the blacks time to gather and plan their strategies. (vi) The whites, engrossed in their own struggle were taken by surprise. Some fl ed the country leaving their property behind. Many of these became bases of oper ation and headquarters for the rebel groups. (vii) The slaves, unlike the whites, were determined to fight to the end, even i f it meant death. After all, they had little to lose in a society where they wer e seen and treated just a little better than animals. (viii) The slaves were united by the strong bond of religion. They believed that they were indeed invincible and that the victory was theirs! Lesson 5 Effects of Haitian Revolution Haiti The slaves were freed and they declared their independence. The traditional social hierarchical structure based on colour was totally and pe rmanently dismantled. The Haitian constitution allowed Africans, Indians, and their descendants to set tle in Haiti. Haiti soon became a place of refuge for the enslaved of the Caribbean. The destruction of the economy of Haiti through war had removed a major competit or in the sugar and coffee markets. Because the revolution occurred at the time when Abolition had just begun in the Caribbean, the revolution may have helped to slow down the abolition process. Many humanitarians who supported abolition became fearful. Independent Haiti was being used by the advocates of slave labour in the Caribbe an, to prove that the Caribbean plantations needed to continue to use slave labo ur as best source labour. The monopoly that the whites had on land ownership was broken. Land could now be bought, owned and controlled by all groups in society. The mulattoes and whites sought refuge in the Leeward Islands. Because of the revolution Haiti traded wi th other independent countries, specifically the United States. The Wider Caribbean 1. In both Martinique and Guadeloupe, there was a rapidly expanding group of fre e coloured who were not only prosperous but did not experience much of the legal discrimination enforced against counterparts in Saint Domingue. 2. Because the revolution occurred at the time when Abolition was in the air in the Caribbean, the revolution may have helped to slow down the abolition process as a number of humanitarians who supported abolition became fearful. 3. The planters were fearful that the slaves would be influenced. They increased security on their plantations. 4. In 1795 there was an outbreak of trouble among the Maroons of Trelawny Town of Jamaica. The Governor: Earl of Balcarres was quite sure that St. Domingue had influenced them. It was felt that, the Haitian Revolution was giving Jamaica's blacks and mulattoes confidence to oppose the planters. They therefore pleaded w ith Britain to send more troops to defend the island. 5. Slaves from neighbouring colonies were escaping in canoes to Haiti where they would be free. 6. The destruction of Saint Domingue coffee industry also opened the door to inc reased coffee production in the Caribbean, for example, coffee production also i ncreased in Jamaica. Berbice Rebellion Berbice was a Dutch colony on the South American mainland. From 1733-1762 there were several small slave uprisings but a major one occurred the following year in 1763. Causes The main motive was to gain their freedom but others were: Resentment at the ill-treatment by the managers or overseers. Lack of provisions- Berbice Association economized on the imports of foodstuffs, the planters provided little or no provision grounds and this led slaves being

malnourished. The rebellion started on February 23, 1763 on plantation Magdalenbery on the Can je River and soon spread to the estates of Berbice. The slaves outnumbered the p lanters by eleven to one so this enabled them to control the province for over a year. Within two weeks other rebels joined the revolt. They moved from one plan tation to the other murdering some whites, imprisoning others and driving away r efugees. March 1763: Kofi nominates himself as Governor of Berbice and elects Accra as se cond in command. Troops numbering one hundred arrived. They were sent to some ma ny areas that they in turn were outnumbered. April 1763: the troops obtained the help of the native Indians. They attacked th e Canje rebels, some were killed while others escaped within an inch of their li ves. These continued to attack plantation for food, arms and supplies. July 1763: Some of the troops from Surinam mutinied. They were discouraged by th e difficulty of locating the rebels in the dense forest. July-November: The Indians continued to fight the rebels Meanwhile the Governor of Berbice-Van Hoogenheim was playing a game of "delay and conquer" with the lea der of the rebellion Kofi (Cuffee). Kofi employing diplomatic tactics had written to Hoogenheim asking him to offici ally recognize the division of Berbice-with the blacks occupying the interiors. Hoogenheim said he would send letters of request to Holland for the king there t o decide. What he was really doing was to stall' Kofi until reinforcement from Eu rope arrived. His tactics worked even better than he could have hoped. Kofi's decision to wait on and trust the Governor resulted in disunity among his followers. Some believ ed in Kofi's diplomatic way, others believed that it was a trick and wanted to c ontinue fighting. The rebel group then split into two. Atta became a second Gove rnor. During the struggle between Kofi and Atta many of Kofi's supporters were killed. Kofi unable to bear the burden of defeat, committed suicide (shot himself). Acc ra- his second in command was captured by Atta, but he later escaped and offered to hunt and disclose the rebels hiding place in exchange for his freedom. He man aged to capture Atta and from there, the rebels began to scatter. (January 1764) November 1763: European troops arrived. More arrived December. (600) Results The rebellion was largely unsuccessful. It did not secure the freedom of the sla ves or the rebels. Half of the slave population was killed and more than half of the white population was either killed or fled the country in fear of losing th eir lives. Barbados Revolt Why did this revolt occur? The activities of Non-Conformist missionaries or free coloureds such as Washingt on Franklin, Cain Davis, JR. Sergeant; slaves such as Bussa, Roach, Jackey, Rang er, Mingo contributed to the formation of the revolt. Bussa These people preached ideas of freedom, equality and brotherhood but also urged the slaves to refrain from violence and to wait for freedom to come from England . The work and encouragement from missionaries like Wesleyan Methodists, Baptist s, and London Missionary Society along with the people mentioned above also serv ed as a form of motivation. A Registry Bill was suggested for all British colonies by abolitionist James Ste phen in 1812. This required all slaves to be registered. This would help to iden tify slaves being illegally shipped into the colonies. Their births, deaths, acc idents, runaways and recaptures would be recorded each year. It would therefore be illegal to have an unregistered slave and as a result the planter/owner would

be punished by a fine or other means. In 1815, the British Government asked all Colonial Assemblies to pass a Registration Act. The whites thought of this as a n unnecessary interference and would not agree to even vote on the bill. Slaves learnt about the registered schemes though pamphlets from the Anti-slaver y society arriving in the Caribbean as well as local newspapers carrying reports of antislavery meetings and debates in Parliament. Those who could, read local as well as English papers such as Bridgetown Gazette and Barbados Mercury passed on information to those who could not. News was picked up in various places such as markets. Domestic slaves heard thei r masters grumbling about the new schemes for ending slavery. The slaves thought that the Registration Bill was notice from England for their freedom, which was talked of by the Non-conformist missionaries. They learnt of the rejection of t he bill by the planters and believed that they were restricting the freedom, whi ch the British government intended them to have. The slaves were tired of being ill-treated and wanted freedom. Some thought of B arbados as a "Black man's land". They thought that only black people had a right to live there. The Course of the Barbados Revolt (1816) The aforementioned causes led to the careful planning and organization of this r evolt that was the first in Barbados in one hundred and twenty four years. This rebellion therefore represented an attempt by the slaves to influence the struct ure and conditions of the society in which they lived. As a result the actual pl anning begun after the House of Assembly refused to conform to the Imperial Bill in 1815. Certain slaves such as: Bussa, Roach, Jackey, Range and Mingo who live d on various estates in Barbados led this rebellion. But there was an important group of committed rebels throughout the southern and central parishes. The slaves chose April 14, which was a Friday, because it was a holiday during E aster. Many slaves who were involved in the planning with Bussa on the Bayleys E state began destroying property belonging to the planter and burning canefields but the first major battle between the militia and the rebels took place on Lowt hers plantation at noon on Easter Monday. The determined rebels armed with muske ts and pitchforks fought bravely against the militia. Slave uprising News of the revolt spread through parishes such as Christchurch, St. Thomas; St John, St. George, St Michael, therefore encouraging other slaves to join in the fight. Approximately sixty estate buildings and canefields were demolished at th e hands of local slaves with the aid of fire. More than half of the island was e ngulfed by the insurrection. It is reasonable to argue that the revolt lasted fo r four days since both the fire and the fight had ceased by Wednesday. Burning Canefileds Unfortunately the revolt was crushed by troops of militia and regulars led by Co lonel Edward Codd. These men showed no mercy, even though the slaves showed no v iolence towards them, they rounded up the protestors and quickly ended the chaos by punishing all those involved. The Results of the Barbados Revolt 1816 1. Unfortunately, one hundred and seventy six (176) slaves died during the rebel lion, including its leader, Bussa. Two hundred and fourteen other slaves were ex ecuted afterwards including Franklin, another leader of the rebellion. 2. The whites turned against the Baptist Missionaries, who they blamed for incit ing their members and threatened them to expel them from the island. They also p roceeded to damage the London Missionary Society's chapel belonging to Shrewsbur y. In fear of his own life, the Baptist Missionary William Shrewsbury was forced to leave Barbados and take refuge in St. Vincent. 3. The slaves destroyed one fifth of the sugar crop during the rebellion along w

ith sixty estate buildings. Damage estimated at some one and half million pounds . (1 m) 4. Approximately one hundred slaves (100) were deported to British Honduras but local officials refused to allow them on shore so they were taken to Sierra Leon e. 5. The revolt contributed to the abolition of slavery in 1834 by the British Par liament. It was used by the supporters of Abolition to strengthen their case. Th ey highlighted the negative effects of slavery particularly on the whites. Human itarians concentrated their arguments on the mortality rate of the rebellion. Th ey feared an even worse bloodbath' if the slaves were not freed in the near futur e. 6. The colonial authorities increased security in the colony while planters incr eased security on the estates. A chain link of signal stations were erected alon g the Barbadian coastline. Martial law remained in force for the next eighty-nin e days. 7. For their loyalty to the whites, the free coloureds were given an extension o f their civil liberties in 1817, the year following the rebellion. For example, they were allowed to testify in courts against whites. Jamaica The Sam Sharpe Rebellion: Causes of the Rebellion There are several reasons for the 1831 revolt in Jamaica. One of the main reason s given for the revolt was that the enslaved was led to believe that emancipatio n was being withheld. In Jamaica reports spread among the slaves that their "fre e paper" had come from England but their masters were holding them in bondage. I t was obvious that the slaves knew roughly what was going on, but they did not k now the precise details. Another cause was the activities of the Non-Conformist Missionaries. It was felt that the teachings and preaching of these religious sects, especially the calle d Baptists, Wesleyan /Methodists and Moravians had the effect of producing in th e minds of the slaves a belief that they could not serve both spiritual and temp oral masters. St. Matthew 6:24 St. John 8: 36, I Corinthians 7:23, Galatians 3:2 8 The third and most immediate cause was the flogging of a female slave in the nor thern part of Jamaica. Her husband was forced to watch the brutal flogging. He s truck the whipper. The overseer then ordered him to be arrested, but the other s laves refused. This began the chain of actions. Flogging of a slave Another cause was the influence of Sam Sharpe, a slave in Montego Bay who was ab le to urge the slaves to stop working on the plantations by spreading "watch wor ds" called freedom. He could read and write. From his master's newspaper he lear nt that emancipation was very near and that wage and labour would come to Jamaic a. He spread the news among the slaves. Under the guise of religious group meeti ngs in St. James, he organized a general strike during the Christmas week of 183 1. Christmas day in the year of 1831 came on a Saturday. This meant that the slaves had two consecutive days off from work. They were expected to resume working on Monday December 27, 1831. The Christmas holidays provided an excellent opportunity for the slaves to move around between estates and meet under the cover of traditional celebration or re ligious service led by Sam Sharpe a Deacon in the Baptist church. Sam Sharpe Course On Monday December 27, 1831 instead of reporting to work at sunrise with the blo wing of conch shells, the slaves island-wide went on a strike! It was to develop however into a bloody rebellion. The Great House and sugar works on Kensington Estate in St. James were the first to be set on fire; soon it spread to the neig

hbouring parishes such as Hanover, Trelawney, Westmoreland, St. Elizabeth. In al l nine out of the twenty two parishes, three hundred (300) estates were and appr oximately sixty thousand (60,000) rebel slaves were involved. Sharpe had hoped to negotiate a wage settlement with the authorities. The headma n on each estate was not only supposed to maintain the strike but also prevent v iolence. The slaves were already "carrying grievance" from two previous incident s. Thursday December 15, 1831. Attorney/overseer Grignon ordered a woman from Salt Spring Estate to be flogged for stealing sugar cane. Her husband objects: waving his machete at the overseer . Grignon goes to Montego Bay and orders two policemen to arrest the husband. Th e slaves on the estate become hostile and force the policemen to leave. December 23, 1831 Slaves on the York Estate in Trelawney were discontented with the overseer. The whites attempted to burn the Methodist Minister Rev. Henry Bleby alive, in Falm outh after smearing him with tar! The St. James Militia burnt Salters Hill Chape l. Governor Lord Belmore proclaimed martial law. The leader of the militia General Willoughby Cotton brought the revolt under control. But it took him two months t o do so because the slaves used their famous guerilla tactics. The slaves fled t o their hiding places in the forested areas and mountainous Cockpits, where they ambushed the red coats', who were in hot pursuit. With the help of the Maroons t he local militia burnt huts and provision grounds. By January 1, 1832 reinforcem ents came from Britain to join the fight that continued well into the month of F ebruary. Results / effects 1. The revolt helped to speed up the slow process of emancipation. In the summer of 1832 the Baptists missionaries Reverend William Knibb and Reverend Thomas B urchell gave evidence to the committee which the House of Commons (England) had set up to consider emancipation as soon as possible. 2. Knibb and Burchell gave the process a further boost. Their stories of the bru tality used against the slaves were bad enough. Their accounts of the persecutio n of the white missionaries in the infamous colony enraged English opinions even more. The public demanded immediate emancipation. 3. For the first time the missionary societies publicly joined with the abolitio nists in calling for an immediate end to slavery. 4. The Colonial Church Union was formed in Jamaica in 1832 supposedly to protect the Anglican Church - the Planters' Church. Its main objective, however, was th e defense of slavery, the persecution of the non-conformist missionaries and the destruction of their places of worship. There was the riotous destruction of Ba ptist and Wesleyan Chapels in St. Ann, Trelawney, Hanover and in other parishes. 5. In April 1832, a local newspaper: The Watchman published an article calling f or an end to slavery. It urged all Humanitarians to bind together to ensure thi s. The editor, a coloured man named Edward Jordan was subsequently arrested and charged with sedition and treason. He spent six months in prison. After this a n umber of free coloureds openly sided with the Abolition Movement. 6. Damage done to sugar works and homes were estimated at two hundred thousand p ounds (200, 000). One hundred and forty five estates were burnt. 1. Sam Sharpe was hung in Montego Bay Square. His immortal words served to inspire the slaves he left behind... "I'd rather die on yonder gallows than live in slavery".