Name: Jason Dennis Form: 5A

Table of Contents

Preface1

Introduction2-3

The British Laws4

Punishments5-

!uties"""#

Conclusion""$

%&&endi'"""(-12

Biblio)ra&h*"13

+,-.TI/0: What evidence is there to prove that the Africans, who arrived in the British West Indies between the years 1655 and 1807, were ill-treated? T1-2-3 Caribbean Economy and Slavery

/B4-CTI5-.3 To examine the horrors of ritish !est "ndian Slavery To assess the conditions that slaves #or$ed %nder in ritish &lantation slavery To disc%ss the reason slavery #as fo%'ht a'ainst by h%manitarian 'ro%&s To investi'ate #hy slavery #as overly detested by slaves To see ho# ritish !est "ndian &lanters ab%sed slaves to the &oint #here they #ere treated li$e animals

6%TI/0%L-3 Slavery #as an interestin' &eriod in ritish !est "ndian (istory) "t #as com&rised of vario%s sectors aimed at one 'oal* #hich #as to ma$e a &rofit* no matter #hat) Slavery #as nothin' to be adored beca%se it only #ro%'ht bitterness for the enslaved individ%als) A sim&le &ro'nosis is fo%nd in the #ords of the 'reat &oetic &hiloso&her and +o%rnalist* Jos, -art.* in one of his #ritin's* /(atred* slavery0s inevitable aftermath1) The (interlands of !est Africa #as #here it started* and it follo#ed thro%'h #ith a lot of s%fferin' and &eril before finally endin' in catastro&he for the &lanters and initial ex%ltation for the slaves) This research #ill ed%cate the reader abo%t the conditions %nder #hich slaves &rod%ced the vario%s cash cro&s in the ritish !est "ndies)

I0T6/!,CTI/0 The horrible treatments of slaves #ill be forever en'raved in the history boo$s) The obvio%s effects have been &ast do#n to 'enerations and have been ex&ressed thro%'h racist evil behaviors) The hatred s&read do#n thro%'h 'enerations li$e #ildfires on a hot s%mmer day in a #ild b%sh) The evils of slavery #ere so ma+or that the half co%ld never have been told) %t ho# all this ill2treatment come to /a head1* #as o%t of the #ant for a ne# labo%r so%rce in the S%'ar 3evol%tion) 4lanters #anted to invest in free labo%r and did not care as m%ch abo%t the blac$ #or$ers as they did the #or$ they yielded) This lo# cost* hi'h efficiency &rod%ction* #hen finally achieved #o%ld have made them rich and co%ld even sec%re their &lace some#here in the E%ro&ean aristocracy) Ta$in' the slaves as &ersonal &ro&erty* &lanters %sed and ab%sed them in the most des&icable #ays &ossible) The slaves also fo%'ht bac$* b%t not ever in a ritish Colony* #ere slaves s%ccessf%l in a resistant action a'ainst &lanters) !hen slaves sli&&ed %& or fo%'ht bac$* the real #rath of the &lanters #as %nleashed) The &%nishments for certain sim&le mista$es #ere horrible and +%st f%rthered the already atrocio%s conditions %nder #hich these individ%als tried to s%rvive) S&ain r%led over most of the islands %ntil aro%nd 5655* #hen the ritish too$ over some) The chan'e in &o#er also res%lted in a chan'e in la#s* and th%s slave la#s) The evil had +%st started since the /7a Siete 4artidas1 8S&anish 7a#s9 #ere more com&assionate in their a&&roach to the dealin' #ith the slaves than the 4olice 7a#s of the ritish 8develo&ed bet#een 566: and 5;<59)

After the ta$eover of the islands by the ritish* the Slave Trade contin%ed %ntil 5=<;) eca%se of the trade* &lanters fo%nd it easy to re&lace slaves and th%s co%ld treat them any#ay they li$ed) After the trade* the ho&e of the abolitionists #as not made any better as the &lanters reali>ed that b%yin' #as not really im&ortant as lon' as the slaves re&rod%ced* beca%se the children #o%ld be &ro&erty of the &lanters) The different methods of &%nishments contin%ed and #ere %&'raded time after time in order to $ee& slaves in order) Some of these incl%ded #hi&&in'* bein' &%t in the stoc$s and bein' &%t in the &lantation?s /hos&ital1) Slave revolts and risin's #ere ever antici&ated beca%se man sim&ly #asn?t made to live #itho%t freedom and #o%ld 'enerally fi'ht anyone #ho tries to contravene s%ch a ri'ht) "n these slaves? cases* there #ere no ri'hts s%ch as freedom #hich belon'ed to them* beca%se the color of bond slavery #as blac$)

T1- B6ITI.1 L%7. The ritish colonies of the 5;<<s &assed la#s to control slaves) No slave #as free to marry* vote* move abo%t freely* or meet #ith friends) @n the other hand* slaves le'ally co%ld be #hi&&ed* starved* tort%red* m%tilated* or branded) The ritish too$ so many of the slaves? free#ill that the slaves co%ld be forced to have children or to #or$ ei'hteen ho%rs a day) Slaves co%ld be ab%sed or m%rdered or sold at any time since they #ere re'arded as a &iece of &ro&erty) "n s&ite of the strict la#s and &%nishments* slaves did rebel a'ainst this treatment) From the 55<<s to the 5=<<s* there #ere more than :5< $no#n slave revolts) The #ord /chattel1* %sed to describe the slaves* is derived from the 7atin #ord /capitale1 #hich means /&ro&erty1) The slaves #ere li$e ob+ects and #ere treated li$e ob+ects) A scenario that co%ld be related to the slave to master relationshi& is a man o#nin' a chair) That man can destroy his chair as m%ch as he #ants beca%se the chair is his) The Codes stated clearly that all slaves #ere %nder s%&reme r%le of A@D follo#ed by the Bin' and their masters and his ho%sehold)

P,0I.12-0T. !henever slaves #ere acc%sed of doin' #ron' they #ere &%nished either immediately or after their co%rt hearin') "n the co%rts* a slave acc%sed of any crime a'ainst a #hite &erson #as doomed) No testimony co%ld be made by a slave a'ainst a #hite &erson) Therefore* the slave0s side of the story co%ld never be told in a co%rt of la#) And of co%rse* slaves #ere never members of +%ries as #ell) The &%nishment varied on the ty&e of char'e and the >one #here they resided 8r%ral or %rban9) 4%nishments for disobeyin' colonialists* 8accordin' to data from records $e&t on n%mero%s &lantations9 differed bet#een men and #omen) !hen male slaves #ere &%nished* they received on avera'e 55 to :< /stri&es1 from the driver 8slave #ho #as 'iven #hi& to direct other #or$er slaves9* or by a /Jimmy J%m&er1 8a slave randomly a&&ointed by the driver to %se the #hi&9) Common &%nishment for #omen incl%ded a varied &eriod of time in the stoc$s* solitary confinement and even #hi&&in') !hi&&in' #as finally abandoned for females in the late 5;=<?s) The &%nishment for Caribbean slave #omen #as 'enerally less &hysically demandin' than that of Caribbean slave men) "f a &lanter had a slave #ho #as al#ays r%nnin' a#ay* he #as allo#ed to fit him #ith an iron yo$e that had three lon' hoo$s &ro+ectin' from it to hinder his f%t%re esca&es) Some slaves #ere forced to hide meat in their cabins) "f the &lanter discovered that the slave #as stealin' food rations* he is directed to c%t off the c%l&rit?s ear or brand the letter /S1 in hisCher forehead or chee$) Any enslaved &erson #as &%t to death if fo%nd '%ilty of committin' serio%s offences or even s%s&ected of doin' so: for exam&le &lottin' slave risin's)

For offenses s%ch as the destr%ction of 'oods* the slave* if convicted and fo%nd '%ilty* #as to Dbe &%blicly and feverishly #hi&&ed* not exceedin' forty lashes)D "f the slave re&eated the said offense they co%ld have the ti& of his or her nostrils c%t* and be branded in the forehead #ith a hot iron* that the mar$ thereof may remain) "f a slave #as fo%nd '%ilty a third time* then that slave shall be +%d'ed and be &%t to death) !o%nds #ere normally left o&en and bleedin' to bacteria and slaves #ho #ere too severely battered #ere +%st finished of #ith) These $inds of +%stified $illin's they did to s&end as less on labor as &ossible) @n certain &lantations* m%tilation #asn?t allo#ed b%t on others* the deeds done to &%t slaves in /order1 #ere endless) -ost of these m%tilations #ere instit%ted to ma$e exam&les of the slaves #ho had tried to esca&e* and normally in these cases* #hole body &arts #o%ld have been lost) "n the %rban areas es&ecially* slaves #o%ld be &%nished sometimes by &%blic h%miliation) Some of these &%nishments incl%ded: bein' &%t in stoc$s* bein' &%t in the &illory* han'in' hi'h in an iron 'ibbet %ntil dead and han'in' by body &arts 8hands* feet* ribs9) Slavery #as an establishment of terror* made to drive fear into slaves so that they #o%ld obey their s%&eriors) !hi&&in's #ere normally done #ith the c%l&rit tied to a &ost or a cart#heel) There #ere also incidents #here a slave #ho str%c$ a #hite &erson #as b%rnt to death)

!,TI-. The slaves all had to do some %n&leasant +obs for their masters at some time or another) Domestic slaves %sed to have to act as mimes for the entertainment of '%ests and children and #o%ld normally be sent bac$ to field d%ties if the masters didn?t a&&reciate the act) The field slaves 'ot the #orst of the &lanters? #rath* beca%se they did the hardest #or$ on the &lantations) Artisans #ere normally hired o%t and received some &ercenta'e of the money &aid for their services) "n the fields* #hi&&in' #as very common as slaves %sed to try to ta$e brea$s) They al#ays sho#ed their resistance to the masters and #ere &%nished dreadf%lly) "f a slave #or$ed too slo#ly* the only method %sed to s&eed them %&* #as #hi&&in') This sometimes res%lted in them dyin' of fati'%e) The only brea$s they 'ot #ere brea$fast and s%&&er) The food they received #as not m%ch either* so they 'ot tired after sometime in the field)

C/0CL,.I/0 "n concl%sion* slaves #ere badly treated by their %ndeservin'* iniE%ito%s* r%thless masters) The slaves had done nothin' to deserve s%ch treatments) As the ancient Aree$ fab%list and a%thor* Aeso& said once* / etter to starve free than to be a fat slave1) Slavery encom&assed both the mental and s&irit%al bo%ndaries) Slaves tried to %se /@beah1 and /Foodoo1 to try to release their minds from the cl%tches of slavery) "t is said that the slaves? resistance to their condition #as similar to* and infl%enced by* the res&onse of the Amerindians to bein' enslaved by the S&anish) This is said beca%se they not only ref%sed to #or$ b%t also tried to r%n a#ay to +oin other bands of &eo&le to hel& fi'ht the #hites) They #o%ld both &refer death to bonda'e)

%PP-0!I8
Three-1oo9ed :ol9 ;6e&resentation<

%nti)ua Cane Cutters ;b* 7illiam Clar9<

Cat /= 0ine Tails

!omestic .la>e Bo*

1an)in) b* 6ibs ;b* 7illiam Bla9e<

4amaican 6isin)

4imm* 4um&er 7hi&&in)

Punishment 2as9

7hi&&in) .cars in Bac9

Pillor* In .&anish Town

.toc9s

0ose Ti& Cut /ff

Biblio)ra&h*
-iami Ed%cation Fo%ndation (istory)com Encarta @nline !i$i&edia)com 3ecovered (istories)or' Fir'inia)ed%