Slavery in the Caribbean

Starting from a slave’s birth, this cruel process leads to a continuous cycle of abuse, neglect, and inhumane treatment. To some extent, slave holders succeed because they keep most slaves so concerned with survival that they have no time or energy to consider freedom. This is particularly true for plantation slaves where the conditions of slave life are the most difficult and challenging. However, slave holders fail to realize the damage they inadvertently inflict on themselves by upholding slavery and enforcing these austere laws and attitudes.

Over time Europeans begin to move more inward to capture more Africans who were much different than the Africans on the west coast. The inland Africans were considered hetmans, they had never seen a European or a white person ever, they wore little to no clothes, spoke no English and did not have a religious belief. The slaves captured during this time were a part of the Plantation Generation and the way their treated was a lot different than the Charter Generation. This generation took place during the 1680’s – 1760’s which the slaves were punished harsher then before, they ran away and slaves started the slave resistance. Also more rebellions came into play and they did not just plant tobacco they also grew indigo and

“American Slavery, 1619-1877” by Peter Kolchin gives an overview of the practice of slavery in America between 1619 and 1877. From the origins of slavery in the colonial period to the road to its abolition, the book explores the characteristics of slave culture as well as the racial mind-sets and development of the old South’s social structures.

” For many, the economic structure of slavery still held strong and it established status in British America. Slavery had begun in the later half of the 17th century and in many ways, it had made Atlantic commerce and overseas settlement possible. Thousands of Africans had been shipped overseas to work in the fields of staple crops. In the years leading up to the American Revolution, high concentrations of slaves remained in the southern colonies where they continued to labour on cotton and tobacco plantations. Of the thirteen colonies, Georgia, Virginia and the Carolinas held the highest concentrations of slaves. In 1775, it is estimated that of the 2.5 million people living in the thirteen colonies, 500,000 were blacks. The vast majority of these blacks were slaves, with many labouring for their masters under harsh conditions. Although their experiences were difficult, blacks rarely revolted or staged rebellions against their masters. This has often been associated with the plantation system, and the role it played in severing blacks’ ties to one another. As highlighted by historian Silvia Frey, “The North American plantation organization, with the dominating presence of the master, inhibited the development of the tribal cohesiveness that characterized the islands’ plantation organization and produced widespread violence against whites by black guerrilla bands.” However, despite the absence of any significant

From the earliest days of slavery, resistance was a constant feature of American slavery. It took many forms, from individual acts of sabotage, poor work, feigning illness, or committing crimes like our arson and poisoning to escape the system altogether by running away to the north. The bloodiest slave revolt in American history was organize by Nat Turner. Over the year’s other rebellions such as Fredrick Douglas and Lou Smith took place. They all had a common goal in some aspect, which was to reclaim their freedom or the freedom of the enslaved. Despite the common goal, they all had a method to their rebellions.

During the course of the slave trade millions of Africans became involuntary immigrants to the New World. Some African captives resisted enslavement by fleeing from slave forts on the coast of West African. Others mutinied on board slave trading vessels, or cast themselves into the ocean, rather facing death than enslavement. In the New World there were those who ran away from their owners, ran away among the Indians, formed maroon societies, revolted, feigned sickness, or participated in work slow downs. Some sought and succeeded in gaining liberty through various legal means such as "good service" to their masters, self-purchase, or military service. Still others seemingly acquiesced and learned to survive in

Slavery was a dark time in America’s past. Not only did slavery separate millions of families, it destroyed the white man’s reputation to African people. Many slave owners treated their slaves well, many did not. They forced their slaves to live in deplorable conditions. Malnutrition and overworking often led to death. If you were a slave, would you risk it all and try to run away? You might not have a choice if you wanted to stay alive.

* 50. Slaves frequently ran away and occasionally staged violent rebellions such as that led by a slave named Tacky in Jamaica in 1760. European planters sought to prevent rebellions by curtailing African cultural traditions, religions, and languages.

The topic of slave resistance is often not covered in order to paint slaves as docile and inferior. Page 290 of the Norton readings explains that “the resource that enabled slaves to maintain such defiance was their culture: a body of beliefs, values, and practices born of their past and maintained in the present.” Page 295 of the Norton readings discusses instances of resistance in slaves. The first example occurred in

Because these people were being treated like property, they were accommodated with the barest necessities and were given little to no food. These slaves looked for a way to vent their frustrations. Through the Christian Religion, these slaves were able to unify under one belief. They grew confident and more unified knowing they outnumbered the whites of the island ten to one. Some slaves escaped their owners, and became what were known as Maroons. These escaped slaves lived in the mountains of Jamaica. These “rebels” laid down the foundations of a black resistance towards the slave owners and whites. They carried out plantation raids, the killing of white militiamen, and the freeing of slaves. These Maroons alone threatened the British prospect of the sugar and slave industry. Slavery is one of the most frowned upon act humans have ever done. Condemning humans to back breaking labor with no pay at all with constant abuse is surely going to meet some kind of resistance

After centuries of being enslaved in the Americas, negroes, otherwise referred to as African Americans, progressively began to fight back in hopes of ascertaining freedom and liberty. Specifically, during the time period of 1550- 1800s, African Americans employed different tactics, that would aid them in gaining their independence. They did so in numerous ways, one of the many examples would include joining in the Revolutionary War. With the mindset, that by doing so, they were fighting for their freedom, this fueled them with enough ambition to fight. Likewise, another way in which African- Americans payed for their freedom was by actually paying for it. Black people could be “liberated” by their masters by paying with labor, or crops.

How did American slavery compare and contrast with slavery in Latin America? Was slavery in these two places mainly similar? Were there differences worth noting? Were demographics a large part of the differences? Which place was the most oppressive? Which was more benign in slave conditions? Although, I feel slavery, in any form, is reprehensible, I would like to discuss major differences between these two places pertaining to the work performed, the treatment of slaves, and the rights afforded to each.

Slaves suffered within a system characterized by undernourishment, overwork, harsh punishment, ill health, and despair. The purpose of this paper is to address the significant problems slavery caused the world in which talk of rights and liberties were increasingly popularized. Slavery divested lives of many African Americans who were sold into enslavement for many years.

The beginning of slavery in the Caribbean can be traced back to the emergence of piracy in the 16th and 17th centuries. This eventually led to the promotion of slave trading and sugar plantations. While enslaved on the sugar plantations, slaves were treated very poorly. Plantation owners treated their slaves so poorly that most were undernourished and diseased. Slaves were even forced to work on their "spare" time to provide for their own needs. Needless to say, slaves encountered cruel punishment that we can’t even comprehend. The slaves however, continually resisted white supremacy causing much tension between the two social classes. Despite this, a new social class was emerging, the free coloureds. This

Discuss the forms of resistance used by slaves and assess the effectiveness of the different forms of resistance.