8/17/2019 The Slave Laws
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Pu n i s h m e n t o f
slaves
The Control and
Treatment o f
Slaves
Slavery and the law
Between 1665 and 1833 the slave population of the
Caribbean
rose f r o m under 50 000 to well over
1 100 000. Around t h e middle o f this period in
1770, a year fo r which reasonably accurate f igures
are
available, some 950 000 slaves were distributed
a m o n g
t h e
possessions
o f f ive
European powers:
in
A s
be
a n d
Total
population
Slaves
Bri t i s h
French
Dutch
Spanish
Danish
500 000
430 000
90000
144 000
20000
428 000
379 000
75000
50000
18000
E verywhere, except i n t h e Spanish islands, slaves
f o r m e d
t h e bulk o f t h e population, a n d every-
where their lives were governed
by
stringent legal
codes.
The
relatively small white populations were only
too well aware that their societies depended entire-
ly o n f o rce d labour, a n d could only survive
through
the
operation
of
repressive laws. White
domination was based on power. This operated at
a n institutional level, over t h e legal a n d economic
aspects
o f
slavery,
as
well
as
over
t h e
slaves them-
selves.
A n y honour o r esteem attached to being a
31
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slave-owner arose only f r o m the po wer that he
cou ld exercise over th e bodies o f his slaves, an d t h is
h a d t o b e sanctioned by slave laws. Such laws
m e a n t t h a t w h it e m e n a n d wo m en co u ld ex erc ise
intimate
power
through punishment,
t o r t u r e
and
c o n t r o l
of all a
s lave s ph ysical n eeds.
In
d r a w i n g
u p a n d
en fo rc ing such laws
t h e
s lave-owners
i n t h e
Caribbean, l ike
those in t h e
rest
o f t h e New
World,
crea ted t hei r
o wn
version
o f
s lavery. They invented
f r o m
s c ra tch a l l t he ideo lo gica l an d legal u n derpin -
n in gs o f a to t a l ly new s lave system .
In t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y about 90 per c e n t o f
a ll s laves wo rk ed . Only t h e inv a l ids, very yo u n g
children and the i n f ir m , who made up the other
10
p er cen t were ex em pt . Th e vast m ajo r i ty wo rk ed
on plantations. There, when
they
were not h a v i n g
t o c a r r y o u t h a r d m a n u a l l a b o u r , t h e y w e r e s u b -
jected t o , o r t h r e a t en e d w i th ,
f l o gging
a n d mutila-
t i o n f o r a w id e a n d c o n s t a n t l y i n c r e a s in g v a r i e t y o f
offences . S la v e w o m e n w er e a b u s e d b y w h i t e m e n ,
a n d
all - m e n , w o m e n and children - w e r e m o r e or
less a b a n d o n e d
t o u n d e r- n o u r i sh m e n t a n d
disease.
The non-plantation slaves, the logwood cu t ters in
C e n t r a l A m e ri ca , a n d t h o s e in places like t h e
B a h a m a s, t h e Cayman Is lands, Anguilla, Barbuda
a n d t h e G r e n a d i n e s , h a d s l ight ly bet ter l ives b u t
were still subject to very sim ilar slave codes. Those
c o d es r a n v e r y m u c h t o a p a t t e r n , r e ga r d l e s s o f t h e
nationality o f those wh o operated them, b u t t h o s e
e n f o r c e d
i n t h e
Br i t i sh i sl a n d s w e re u n d o u b t e d l y
the most
severe.
Slave laws and codes in the British
Caribbean
A l t h o u g h s l a v e r y w a s n o t a c o n d i t i o n r e c o g n i s e d
u n d e r E n g l is h la w t h e r e w a s
l i t t le
o r n o
o p p o s i t i o n
in E n g l a n d b e f o r e t h e 1780s, t o e i t h e r t h e
slave
t r a d e o r t h e i n s t i t u t i o n o f sl a v e ry i n t h e Car ib b e an
colonies. A s a result, the l ife of a slave in suc h a
c o l o n y w a s d o m i n a t e d b y l a ws d r a w n u p b y t h e
local Assembly,
most
o f whose m e m b e r s were
slave-owners. Th ese were m en c o n c e r n e d p r i m a r i l y
with t h e p r o t e c t i o n o f p r o p e r t y a n d t h e c o n t r o l o f
a n u n w i l l i n g w o r k f o r c e , fu l ly a w a r e t h a t s u c h a
sys tem co u ld n o t su rvive wi tho u t a repressive legal
code.
To such m en , s laves were chat t els , priva te posses-
sions like animals o r f u r n i t u r e a c q u i r e d b y p u r -
chase o r i n h e r i t a n c e . A s a f u n d a m e n t a l p ri n c i pl e o f
English l aw was th e security o f property, allowing
an o wn er to do wh a t h e lik ed with h is po ssess io ns ,
Inspecting slaves
32
this
«
• ~ - w n e
l u s t i
I t
;i u
w a s
prop
debt.
i n h e i
u n d e
prott
giver
until
allow
regar
man;
exist
wore
men
t o t l
e i t h g
rian
state
rigic
wan
Si
t h e :
com
b o t h
righ
a im
1
thei
< b r u
Ead
mar
m a>
whi
cop
and
in t
clai.
and
ei th
T
eves
dor
ro
A m
the
8/17/2019 The Slave Laws
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this
t ook th e s lave ou t o f t h e law s ju r i sdic t ion . Th e
o w n e r
o f a c h a i r c o u l d d e s t r o y i t if he w a n t e d t o ,
j u s t a s he c o u l d s l a u g h t e r a cow he m igh t possess .
I t therefore
f o l lowed th a t
h o w h e
t rea ted
h is
slaves
w a s en t i re ly
h i s own
a f fa i r . Slaves were privat e
property
an d, like an im als , cou ld be so ld to m ee t
d e b t s o r disposed o f in accordan ce wi th th e laws o f
inheri tance o f real es ta te . Th is def i n i t i on o f slaves
und er B r i t i sh Wes t In dian la w d e n i e d t h e m a n y
protec tion u n der E n gl i sh law. S lave-own ers were
given
wide
discretion in
e n f o r c i n g
control, a n d
u n t i l
late
i n t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y t h e slave codes
allowed
t h e m t o d o v e r y m u c h a s t h e y li ke d w it h
regard to
every aspect
o f
their slaves
lives.
A m o n g
m a n y o t h e r t h i n g s,
t h e l a w
i g n o r e d c o m p le t el y
t h e
existence o f
f a m i ly
t i es, gave n o p ro t ec t io n to
women
again s t ov erwork, sexu a l abu se ,
or ill
t r e a t -
m e n t d u r i n g p r eg n a n c y , a n d l a id d o w n n o l im it s
t o t h e pu n i sh m e n t s t h a t c o u ld b e i n f l i c t e d o n
either
m a le s o r fem a les. I n t h e w o r d s o f o n e h i s t o -
r i a n o f slave
society,
The
slave laws legitim ized
a
s t a t e o f wa r b e t w e e n b l a c k s a n d wh i tes , san c t i f i ed
r i g i d s e g r e g a t i o n , a n d i n s t i t u t i o n a l i z e d a n early
warning
system again st slave
revolts.
Such laws began to be passed i n t h e m iddle o f
th e
s e v e n t e e n t h c e n t u r y .
By
1661 Barbados
h a d a
com p rehensive s l ave code . Al th ou gh th i s accorded
b o th
m a s te rs a n d slaves
c a re fu l ly
d i f f e r e n t i a t e d
rights a n d
o b l i g a t i o n s ,
it
left
t h e
m a s t e r s w i t h
a l mos t t o t a l a u t h o r i t y o v e r
t h e
life
a n d
d e a t h
o f
their slaves. Th e code saw slaves as
heathenish
an d
bru t ish , a n d
u n f i t
t o be govern ed by En gl ish law.
E a c h s l a v e - o w n e r was r e q u i r e d to act as a police-
m a n
t o
su ppress
a n y
h u m a n i t a r i a n f ee lin g s
h e
m ay h ave h ad, an d to deal wi th h i s s laves wi th a
whip
c o n s t a n t l y t o h a n d . T h e B a r b a d o s c o d e w a s
copied by th e Ja m aican A ssem bly th ree years l a ter ,
an d
l a t er f o r m e d
t h e
basis
o f a l l t he
o t h e r s e n a c t e d
i n t h e B r i t i s h C a r i b b e a n . P u n i t i v e a n d coercive
clauses f o r m e d
a
m a j o r pa r t
o f all the
slave codes,
an d very
l i t t l e a t ten t ion was paid to t h e
welfare
o f
either m en o r w o m e n .
Th e effect o f t h e
laws
was to
deprive
t h e
slaves
o f
even th e
sm allest
an d most
i n con sequ en t i a l
o f free-
do ms, a n d a t t h e s a m e t im e t o r e st r ic t t h e ir o w n e r s
from g r a n t i n g e v en t h e s l i g h t e s t c o n c e s s i o n .
A m o n g t h e m o st i m p o r ta n t
common f e a t u r e s
o f
th e
slave
codes were laws designed
t o
p r o h i b i t
a n d
Ow ne r s
wi th
n ew
a c q u i si t io n s
s u p p re ss u n a u t h o r i se d m o v e m e n t
a n d t h e
con gre-
gation of
large
numbers.
Slaves were
also banned
f r o m
possess in g weapon s , h orses an d m u les, f rom
s o u n d i n g h o r n s
o r
b e a t in g d r u m s ,
a n d
f r o m
t h e
practice of secret ri tuals. Special slave-trial courts
c o u l d di sp en s e s u m m a r y jus t ice , b u t s la v e - o w n e r s
were given very wide discretion
in
p u n i s h i n g t h e i r
slaves. T h e c o u r t s u s u a l l y d e a l t w i t h s l a v e s w h o
were recap tu red a f te r r u n n i n g a wa y, o r w h o w e re
a c c u s ed o f c r im e s s u c h a s t h e f t . P u n i s h m e n t f o r
a c t u a l o r t h r e a t e n e d v i o l e n c e a g a i n s t a n y w h i t e
person
was
very severe.
A l t h o u g h t h e v a r i o u s s l a v e c o d e s r a n t o a
p a t t e r n ,
they
a ll c o n t a i n e d i n d i v i d u a l p r o v i si o n s
re f lec t ing
t h e c o n d i t i o n o f t h e so c i e t y i n w h i ch
t h e y w e r e d r a w n u p . I n t h e B a h a m a s sl av e s c o u l d
b e f logged fo r se l l i n g su ch th i n gs a s l i q u o r , eggs,
f r u i t o r vege tables , o r i f f o u n d g a m b li n g. In
B e r m u d a t h e y w er e
n o t
allowed
t o
w e a r b r i g h t
c l o t h e s o r o r n a m e n t s , n o r even t o c a r r y a stick
u n l e s s
.they
were decrepi t
o r
l a m e .
A
M o n t s e r r a t
A ct of 1693 permitted any white man to
kill
a slave
w h o w a s
cau gh t s teal i n g p rovis ion s ,
an d i f a
slave
s to le an y th in g o f valu e h e or sh e was l i able to be
flogged a n d
h a v e
both
ears
cu t
o f f . U n d e r
a n A c t
passed in the Virgin Islands in 1783, i f a slave
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struck
or
opposed
any
white person
the
punish-
m e n t
w a s n o t
only f logging
bu t
having
t h e
nose slit
a n d any member cu t off. Such provisions f o r
m u t i la t i o n were commonplace. T h e penal code
developed in Jamaica was the most savage of them
all, and attempts to modify it were constantly
t h w a r t e d
by the power of the planters in the
legisla ture.
cut into f o u r pieces. Or he could simply be b u r n t
to death, which in J a m a i c a in 1740 w as laid down
a s t h e
punishment that
a slave
would
i n c u r fo r
s t r i k i n g a white person. Al l o f these methods o f
capital punishment were
i n use in
Europe d u r i n g
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but not
as
a
punishment
fo r
such minor c r im e s
a s
r u n n i n g
away from
work,
o r f o r
hitt ing another person.
Punishments
T h e punishments dealt out both by the courts and
by individual slave-owners were
very
severe. Their
a im
was to
deter
a n d
humiliate,
n o t t o
make
t h e
punishment fit the
crime .
The way that
owners
ruled their slaves varied
f r o m
owner to owner, and
f r o m one society to the next, but there were
common
fea t u res .
The most important and most
common form o f punishment w a s
f logging,
a n d
personal coercion using the whip must be seen as
the denning characteristic of slavery. On any plan-
t a t i o n , f loggings were totally unchecked b y a n y
ou t s i d e authority. Brutality a n d sadism could b e
f o u n d anywhere. Severe f loggings were o f t e n
accompanied
by
some form
of
mutilation. Less
severe whippings and beatings were frequently
carried out in conjunction with making those
b e i n g punished commit humiliating o r disgusting
acts. For urban slaves not only the whip, but struc-
tures such as the stocks and the pillory which were
f o u n d
in every
town,
were ever-present reminders
o f
what awaited those who failed to work hard or
show proper respect.
The death penalty was awarded for what would
now be considered relatively minor
offences.
An
e x t re m e example
o f
this
was a
Barbados
l aw of
1688,
which made
the t h e f t of
items worth more
than 12 pence punishable b y death. T h e penalty
was carried out in a number of barbarous ways, all
designed
to
prolong
the
agony involved
as
long
as
possible, and to present other slaves with the
clearest demonstration
o f t h e
power their owners
h e l d
over their lives.
A
slave could
be
hanged,
o r
beaten
to
death while lashed
to a
cart-wheel,
or he
could
be hung up in an iron cage until he died
f r o m
hunger a n d thirst. Alternatively h e could b e
h a n g e d until
h e w a s
near
t o
death,
a n d
then
revived
in order t o b e disembowelled
b e f o r e
being
Manumission
Whether
a
slave could
be given h is
f reedo m
o r n o t
w a s entirely dependent o n h i s owner. T h e m a n u -
m i ss io n laws were more stringent than i n t h e
French
or
Spanish possessions,
and
owners
were
reluctant to give freedom, a s a large su m h a d t o b e
deposited a t t h e local vestry t o ensure t h e newly
freed m a n o r woman d id n o t become a burden o n
t h e parish. A
f igure
similar t o that o f t h e £100
which
was
required
in St
Vincent
in
1767
wa s
common. In Jamaica, by a law passed in 1717,
manumitted slaves were required n o t only t o carry
w r i t t e n proof o f their f re e d o m , a precious d o c u -
m e n t
which
a l l t h e
newly
freed
needed,
b u t t o
wear
an identification badge. T h e manumission o f slaves
t oo o l d a n d
feeble
to work was illegal, bu t i t d id
t a k e place, a n d w a s o n e reason w h y t h e vestry
depos i ts
were required. By law, owners
were
required to maintain their slaves when too old to
work.
It was only in the manumission content of slave
la w that f e m a le slaves were in a more f av o urab le
position than males. This came about
b e c a u s e o f
t h e
unions formed with white men.
A
slave
w o m a n
who had had a long-standing relationship
with
such a m a n sometimes benefited under h is will
b y
b e i n g
given h er f r ee d o m , bu t more usually it was
t h e
children
o f
such
a
union
wh o
were freed.
Th e
number o f women wh o gained their
f reedom
in
this way was small, and very much restricted t o
those who had had particularly privileged
house-
hold positions, o r w h o were themselves light-
s k i n n e d
mulattoes.
A s t h e
eighteenth
c e n t u r y
progressed, more such women, regardless o f t h e
colour
o f their skin, received manumission o r
beques ts , as did their children. This so upset white
society in J a m a i ca that in 1762 a law was passed o
prevent sums o f more than £2000 being left t o
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m u l a t t o c h i ld re n .
All in
all, un t i l well in to
th e
nineteenth
centu ry, wom en were twice as likely to
b e m a n u m i t t ed a s m en
were.
a r r i a g e and divorce
A l t h o u g h t h e re was no legal form o f m a r r ia g e fo r
s l a v e s before 1789 this does
n o t
m e an t h a t m a r -
r i a g e s d id no t
take
place before t ha t da te . From th e
e a r l i e s t days
o f
s lavery, m ari ta l
a n d
f a m i ly l in ks
w e r e valued by the slaves. This wa s recognised by
t h e
planters,
wh o soon sa w t h a t i f the p l a n t a t ion s
w e r e
t o be run ef f ic ien t ly they needed t o b u y
w o m e n
in p rop or t ion t o m e n . Th e slave m arriages
w h i c h
t hen t oo k place, u sing t h e f o r m o f c e re m o n y
o r
agreem ent b rou g h t with
them
f r om A f r ic a ,
did
n o t
co r re sp on d t o a n y t h in g w i t h w h ich t h e
p l a n t e r s
were fam il ia r . Marr iage
in
E u r o p e
was
v e r y m u ch
concerned
with
t he t ransfer of weal th
a n d property,
and in
European society divorce
wa s
v e r y rare. A m o n g A f ri ca n s i t was no m o r e t h a n
c o m m o n sense to end an u nsa t is fac to ry re la t ion -
s h i p with
a
sim ple divorce ri te such
as
t ha t which
c a m e to be used by th e slaves in Jam aica. Th is
involved th e
c u t t i n g
in
h a l f
o f a
cotta
t he pad
u sed
f o r carrying head loads,
a s a
s ym b o l
o f t h e
sever-
a n c e of m u tu al affection . Such a ri te also reflected
o n
t h e i n d e pe n d en c e , a u t o n o m y an d rela t ive
equality
o f African w o m e n w it h men - all of which
w e r e
m issing f rom whi te soc ie ty. Un for tun a te ly,
b e c a u s e
slaves
d id no t
m a rr y
in
c h u r c h ,
a n d
divorce
was so u n co m m o n in Eu ropean soc iety , th e
whites
considered s lave un ions to be i m m o ra l a s
w e l l as shallow an d u n s t a b le .
e l i g i o n
U n l i k e t h e
Ca thol ic c lergy
i n t h e
Span ish
a n d
French C a r ibbe a n
wh o
were
officially
c o m m i t t e d
t o con vert i n g slaves to C h r i st i a n i t y f rom th e begin-
ning,
t h e
Anglican
C h u r c h
t o o k
n o
interest
i n t h e
s l a v e s
o f t h e B r i t i sh C a r ibbe a n u n t i l t he f ina l
decades
of slavery. In the early days som e slaves in
Jamaica, Barbados a n d o n e o r two o f t h e Leeward
Islands c a m e i n t o c on t a c t w it h C h r i st i a n i t y ei t h e r
t h rough
working a longside Ca thol ic servan ts ,
or as
.
a result o f t he
activities
o f
Quakers.
Th e
a t t e m p t s
b y Qu akers in these islands to convert slaves m et
with grea t hos t i l i ty f rom the s lave-owners, and
their
m e et in g - h o u s es
were
a ll
c losed do wn long
before t h e e n d o f t h e se v e n t e e n t h c e n t u ry .
Af ter
t h a t n o in terest was taken b y a n y o n e i n t h e sp ir i t u -
al
welfare
o f t h e
slaves u n t i l a r o u n d
th e
m iddle
o f
t h e next cen tu ry.
A ll n on - C h r i s t ia n beliefs and practices were out-
lawed under
t h e
slave codes,
b u t t h e
slaves were
able
t o
adapt
a n d
disguise
t h e
ways they wor-
sh ipped. Many
o f t h e
dances
a n d
c e r em o n i e s
which
t h e
whi tes t hough t t heir s laves took par t
in
m e re ly t o a m u se t h e m selv es o f ten h ad considerable
religious significance.
C h r i s t i a n i t y wa s b r o u g h t t o t h e slaves i n t h e
eighteenth century, f irst of all by lay people, both
black
a n d
wh ite. These ranged from
t he od d
p io u s
plan ter or whi te a r t isan to free b lacks who had a l l
in s om e way been inspired by a religious revival i n
Britain. The firs t f u l l - t im e m ission ar ies , belonging
t o t h e Moravian C h u r c h , a rrived in J a m a ica in
1 754
a n d t h e
Leeward Islands
two
years later. They
were soon followed b y t h e Methodists an d Baptists.
All had to
establish
a
r igh t
to
preach
t o t h e
slaves
in
t h e face o f eno rm ou s hos t i li ty. Th is t hey even tu a l ly
did,
b u t
m a in ly t h rou g h p re a c h in g t h a t o be d ie n c e
a n d
docili ty were prim e virtu es,
a n d
t h a t
a ll
ea r th ly
efforts
needed to be directed towards achieving an
i m m o r t a l
afterlife.
By t h e b e g in n i n g o f t h e n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y
perh a ps
25 per
cen t
of all
slaves
h ad
been convert-
ed. Th is t hen s t i r red t h e A n g l i c a n C h u r c h i n t o
som e sor t o f ac t ion . Th is was no t very grea t , as t he
C h u rc h
considered t h e
slaves
h a d n o morals. In t h e
eyes
o f t he An glican c lergy the fact t h a t m a n y sla v e
couples lived together a n d p rod u c e d c h i ld re n ,
w i t h ou t h a v in g be e n m a r r ie d in a c h u r c h b y a
p r ie st , m a d e th e m f o rn ic a t o rs
w h o
w e re u n w or t h y
o f
m u c h c o n s i d er a t io n . T a k in g i n t o a c c o u n t
t h e
n u m b e r s
w h o h a d
a l ready joined
t h e
N o n c o n f o r m i st C h u r c h e s , t h i s left t h e A n g l ic a n
C h u rc h w i t h on ly a l im i te d n u m be r o f sla v es t h e y
cou ld m ake any rea l e ffort t o conver t .
Education
O t h e r
t n a n
b e i n g t a u g h t h o w t o c a r ry o u t t h e
labour- required o f
t h e m ,
slaves were denied
a n y e d u c a t ion w h a t soe v e r. T h e v a s t m a j o r i t y o f
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s lave-own ers were opposed t o a n y s u g g e s t i o n t h a t
th e i r s laves m igh t
be
t a u g h t
t o
read
a n d
wri te .
It
w a s n o t u n t i l t he f i r s t m iss ion ar ies ar r ived i n t h e
Caribbean in the middle of the e igh teen th century
t h a t s la v es r e ce iv e d i n s t r u c t i o n i n a n y t h i n g o t h e r
t h a n how to w o r k .
It t o o k a l o n g t i m e f o r t h e m i ss io n a r i es t o o v e r -
c o m e the o p p o s i t i o n of the s l ave-own ers to t h e i r
i n s t r u c t i n g
slaves
i n t h e d o c t r i n e s o f C h r i s t i a n i t y .
By t h e t im e th ey h ad been gen eral ly accep ted, Bible
readin g,
wh ich h a d b e c o m e a widespread h abi t in
Bri ta in
d u e t o a
r e l ig i o u s re v i v a l, f o r m e d
a n
important aspect
of
m ission ary ac tivi ty. Th is
led to
t h e
m i ss i o n a r i e s b e c o m i n g i n v o l v ed ,
t o t h e
d is m a y
o f s l ave-own ers , in t e a c h i n g s l a v e s h o w t o r e a d .
W h e r e l a w s
d i d n o t
a l ready exis t fo rb iddin g
t h e
t e a c h i n g
o f
slaves
t o
read
a nd wr i te ,
t h ey were soon
passed,
as h appen ed i n Barbados i n 1797. An Ac t
passed
t h a t y e a r m a d e i t t h e d u t y o f e v e ry A n g li ca n
priest to try to
convert
the
slaves,
but made it
illegal
t o t e a c h t h e m r e a d i n g a n d w r i t i n g . In
D e m e r a r a t w e n t y y e a rs la t e r the Reveren d Joh n
S m i t h o f th e L o n d o n M i s s io n a r y S o c ie t y w a s
w a r n e d b y t h e G o v e r n o r o f t h e c o l o n y t h a t h e
w o u l d b e b a n i s h e d i f h e a t t e m p t e d t o t e a c h a n y
slave t o read.
In spi te o f su ch l aws, som e s laves di d m a n a ge to
becom e li tera te ,
o r a t
least able
t o
read,
a n d
p r o -
b a b ly m o r e
women
than m en . This was because of
t h e
i n t i m a t e re la t io n s h i ps s o m e f e m a l e slaves
h a d
w it h w h i te m e n ,
a n d
b ec a u s e m o r e w o m e n t h a n
m e n w e r e e m p lo y e d a s d o m e s t ic s i n s i t u a t i o n s
w h e r e t h e o p p o r t u n i t ie s t o l e a r n w e r e g r ea t e r . O n e
s u c h w a s
N a n n y G r i g ,
a
slave
o n a n
e s t a t e
in
B a r b a d o s wh o, becau se sh e cou ld read, wa s par t ly
responsible
for
s t a r t i n g
an insurrection there in
1816 (see Ch ap te r 5) . However, r igh t u p u n t i l t h e
end of slavery, there was no official
attempt
a n y -
w h e r e to give t h e slaves even t h e m o s t e le m e n t a r y
e d u c a t i o n .
Forces of law and o rder
With s laves form in g
the
bu lk
of the population, the
slave-owners everywhere l ived in
fear
o f a n u p r i s -
ing or
revolt,
and
securi ty
was a prime
c o n c e r n .
T h i s w a s p r o v i d e d in a n u m b e r o f w a y s.
A ll
a b l e - b o d i e d w h i t e m a l e s w e r e re q u i r e d t o
e n r o l in t h e M i li t ia , a n d t u r n o u t r e g u l a r l y f o r t h e
dri l ls and
p a r a d e s w h i c h w e r e i n t e n d e d
t o
p rep a re
t h e m
fo r
m i li t a ry duties.
T h e
various Mili t ia
laws
a n d r e g u l a t i o n s w er e ra r e l y o b s e r v e d in f u l l . T h e
m o r e
prominent
c i t i zen s u su al ly re fu sed
to
serve
except a s o f f icers, a n d t h e p l a n t e r s re s en t e d
allow-
i n g th e i r wh i te em ployees t im e
o ff
t o t r a i n . In m o s t
i s l a n d s t h i s r e s u l t e d in a M i l i t i a w h i c h w a s t o p -
h e a v y w i t h c a p t a i n s a n d c o l o n e l s , g r o s s l y
u n d e r-
m a n n e d a n d p o o r l y t r a i n e d . A s t i m e w en t b y, i n
s o m e is la n d s c o l o u r e d s
an d
even
free
blacks
were
brought into the
Militia,
but
o n l y
to
m a k e
up
n u m b e r s and to do the m o s t h u m d r u m t ask s.
G a r r i s o n s o f r e g u l a r B r i t i sh t r o o p s b e g a n t o be
s t a t io n e d i n J a m a i c a , B a r b a d o s a n d t h e
Leeward
I sl a n d s f r o m l a t e i n t h e s e v e n t e e n t h c e n t u r y .
These
p r o v id e d t h e s la v e - o w n i n g c o m m u n i t ie s wi th
a d d ed r e a s s u r a n c e . T h a t t h e y m u s t a l so h a v e acted
as a deterrent to any s lave uprising was d em o n -
s t r a t e d in B a r b a d o s in 1692 a n d i n A n t i g u a in
1736,
where
conspiracies took p lace
as
s o o n
a s
t h e i r g a r r i s o n s w e r e w i t h d r a w n . B r i t i s h
t r o o p s
played a n a c t i v e p a r t i n p u t t i n g do w n t h e
i nsur re c-
t i o n
in
B a r b a d o s
in
1816.
In
a d d i t io n t o t h e r e g u l a r t r o o p s a n d m i li t ia m e n
providin g secu r i ty f r o m both i n t e r n a l a n d external
t h r e a t s ,
t h e
wh i tes a l so depen ded
o n
c o n s t a b l e s
to
help exercise control over the s laves, particularly
t h o s e w h o l i v e d i n t h e t o w n s . U r b a n s l a v e s were
em ployed in l ess res t r i c ted ways th an th ose o n t h e
p la n t a t i o n s , a n d h a d m o r e f r e ed o m o f m o v e m e n t.
T h e y w o r k e d
n o t
o n l y
a s
d o m e s t ic s ,
a r t i sans ,
b o a t m e n a n d f i sh e r m e n , b u t i n a w i d e r a n g e o f
o t h e r o c c u p a t i o n s c o n n e c t e d w i t h
t h e
re ta i l
an d
distributive trades.
A s s u ch t h e y m o v ed a r o u n d a
great
deal , a n d were general ly f a r l es s a m e n a b l e t o
discipline
f ro m t h e i r o w n e r s t h a n p l a n t a t io n
w o r k e r s . C o n s t a b l e s w e r e a p p o i n t e d
t o p rovide
grea ter con t ro l . Th ese pa t ro l led
t h e
s treets, check-
i n g o n t h e slaves activities, and a t n i g h t
e n fo rce d
a
c u r f e w s y s t e m . L a t e r i n t h e e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r y
places o f c o r r e c t i o n , c a l l e d w o r k h o u s e s , were
es tabl i sh ed
i n t h e
m a in t o w n s.
In
t h e s e , u r b a n
s laves cau gh t breakin g any o f t he n u m e r o u s laws ?
w h i c h b o u n d t h e i r lives c o u l d
b e
d e t a i n e d
a n d
punished. T h e
con s tables a l so ac ted
as
freelance
slave
w h i p pe r s ,
w h o
w o u l d
f log any
slave
for a
f e e .
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T h e y
were called J u m p e rs in Barbados. Their
s e r v i c e s were of ten
used by o w n e r s wh o did n o t
w a n t
th eir
erran t slaves sent
t o t he
w o r k h o u s e .
Other
f o rm s o f
slave control
Throughou t t h e co l o n i e s u n w r i t t e n
laws
b r o u g h t
a b o u t pat terns of
b e h a v i o u r
w h i ch m a d e the slave-
owners
control over their slaves even stronger.
Everywhere
c u s t o m was j u s t as i m p o r t a n t a s the
la w in
s haping
th e
lives
o f t h e
slaves.
Th e
deter-
m i n e d efforts
o f t h e whites to m ake blacks feel
racially
inferior served
to
st rengthen t he ir dom ina-
t i o n
It was ins t i l led into slaves that all whi te
people,
n o m a t t er h o w lowly o r u n co u t h , w e r e
a b o v e n on -whites everywhere,
and as
t im e went
by
t h e division o f society by co l o u r b eca m e m o r e an d
more p r o n o u n c e d.
Slaves were denied an y recognition o r symbol o f
achievement ,
a n d a black skin wa s a u t o m a t ic a ll y
equated
with slavery
an d
social inferiority.
African
c u l t u r e wa s
always described
as
being inferior,
w h i l e Afr ican c u s t o m s w e re r i di cu l e d an d s u p-
pressed. A t t h e sam e t im e European values,
systems
a n d
cu l tu re were presented
as
being super-
i o r . C o n s t a n t e f forts were
m a d e
t o
u n d e r m i n e
t h e
blacks self-worth a nd to foster dependence o n
whites.
Even C h r i s t i a n i t y
w as
used
t o
p r o m o t e b la c k
subm issiveness, and to t ry to persuade slaves that
their
con di tion
wa s
o rdained
as
par t
o f t h e
n a t u r a l
w a y
o f
life
fo r black people. Th e Scr iptures
were
censored
an d
in terpreted
to
this end,
a n d
religious
instruc tion
was
designed
to
encou rage meekness
a n d accep tance.
Slaves
w e r e t a u gh t t h a t
God was
opposed t o inso lence and bad behaviour , and t h a t
slavery was a d iv in e pu n i s h m e n t fo r pas t condu ct .
Pro-slavery
alliances
I n p laces wh ere t h ey were grea t ly ou tn u m bered,
th e w h i t es f o u n d
it
expedient
t o
enter into alliances
with free
n o n - w h i t e g r o u ps in o rder to increase
their
con t ro l over
t h e
slaves. These were
t h e
social
groups wh o
s tood
to
benef i t
f ro m t h e
co n t i n u e d
existence
o f a subservient an d well-controlled slave
c o m m u n i t y .
A s
well
as the free co loureds a n d t h e
free
blacks they also included Maroon bands and
A m e ri n d ia n s .
T h e
n a t u r e
o f t h e
re la t ionship be tween
t h e
whites an d these groups depended very m u ch o n
ho w heavily t he whi tes were ou tn u m bered by t he
slaves. I n t h e m iddle o f t h e e i gh t e e n t h ce n t u r y in
Jam aica , where the ra t io was ten to on e , t he
coloureds were granted significant civil rights in
re turn
fo r
their loyalty,
a n d
i n de pe n de n t M a r o o n
com m u ni t ies (see Ch apter
5)
were allowed
to
rem ain
in
existence
in
re t urn
fo r
their help
in
h u n t i n g do wn r u n a w a y slaves. W h e r e t h e ra t io o f
blacks
t o
whites
was no t so
u n e ve n ,
a s in
Barbados
where i t was abou t f o u r t o one , such l iberal
relat ions were
n o t
con sidered essent ial . This
did
n o t p r e v e n t t h e
free
coloured c o m m u n i t y f r o m
giving the Barbados whites their fu l l suppor t in
t i m e s
o f em ergency such as, for i ns t ance , in 1816
when coloured m i li t iam en were con spicuou s
in
he lping to pu t down t he s lave insur rec t ion o f t ha t
year.
Free
blacks, if no t so welcom e as m ilit iam en,
were used as slave-hunters and constables. Many
h a d t o
take th ese jobs beca u se th ey were un able
t o
f ind any o ther em ploym ent , an d such work offered
the on ly alternat ive to s tarvat ion . Early in th e eigh-
t e e n t h
c e n t u r y A m e r in d i a n t r a c ke r s
f ro m t h e
Moskito Coast o f Cen tral Am erica were used to
h u n t down runaway slaves
in
Jam aica. Towards
th e
e n d o f t h e
s a m e c e n t u r y S o u t h A m e ri ca n
Am erindian s were used in t he sam e way in t h e
G u i a n a s .
T h e u s e o f t h e free
blacks
a n d
A m e r in d i a n s i n t h is way was by n o m e a n s i n t en d -
ed to give ei ther group addit ional s tatus o r an
en t ry
i n t o
th e world o f the whites. Rath er it can b e
seen b o t h a s a m ea n s o f ge t t i n g u n p l ea s a n t jo b s
d o n e
o n t h e
cheap,
a n d o f
di sco u r a g in g n o n -
whites f rom seeking
a
co m m o n cau s e u n de r w h i ch
t h e y
cou ld un i te agains t
t h e
whites.
Amelioration
Th e
slave codes were
a ll
revised m an y t im es, with
ch an ges i n th e law on ly taking place i n response to
econom ic condi t ions
an d
outside pressures.
A ll
such changes only m ade
th e
life
o f the
slaves wo rse.
It was
n e a r l y
t h e e n d o f t h e
e i gh t e e n t h ce n t u r y
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befo re
t h e
distress caused
b y t h e
co n s t a n t m u t i la -
t io n a n d m u r d e r o f fel low h u m a n b ein g s c o m -
pelled the local legisla tures reluctantly t o pass Acts
r e s t r a i n i n g t he powers of s lave-owners , and to
m a k e t h e
m u r d e r
o f a
slave
a
capi ta l
o f fence . A t t h e
s a me
time
am eliorative laws,
designed to better the
g e n e r a l condi t ion of the s laves , were in t roduced.
A ll c a m e a b ou t b e c a u s e o f t h e g r ow i n g t h r e a t ,
as t h e p l a n te r s saw i t , of abol i t ion o f t h e slave
t r a d e , a c c o m p a n ie d b y u n c e r t a i n ec o n o m ic c o n -
ditions
and a price rise in slaves brought about
by war.
F r o m
t he 1780s on wards individu a l colon ies
am ended th ei r l aws to i m p ro v e the m aterial exist-
ence o f slaves, t o r ed u c e m or t a l ity , a n d t o p r om o te
a h e a lt h y n a t u r a l i n c re a se a m o n g t h e m . M a n y o f
t h e n e w la w s w e re i n t e n d e d t o p r o te c t p r e g n a n t
w o m e n , e n c o u r a g e m o t h e r h o o d a n d p r o m o t e
stable unions by o f f e ri n g
cash incentives
to slave
p a r e n t s .
Fines were also laid down f o r whi tes wh o
i n ter fered
w it h m a r r ie d f e m a l e slaves.
O th e r r e f o r m i n g la w s fo l low e d . In 1787 An t igua
passed
a n A c t which al lowed slaves t h e r igh t t o t r i a l
by
j u r y in serious cases. The 1792
Consolidated
Slave
Ac t o f
J a m a i ca im p o s ed
a f i n e o f
£100
fo r
a n y o n e
f o u n d gu i l ty o f m u t i la t i n g o r d i sm e m b e r-
in g a slave. Four years later the legislature of the
B a h a m a s passed laws which regula ted the
m i n i m u m a m o u n t
o f
f o o d
a n d
c l o t h i n g w h i ch
h a d
to b e
given
to t h e
slaves, laid down
t h e
m a x i m u m
a m o u n t o f p u n i sh m e n t w h i ch c o u l d b e i n f l ic t e d ,
and gave them the right to m a r ry . In 1798 a similar
Slave A m e li o r a t io n Ac t was passed i n t h e Leeward
Is l an ds . Th e
Barbados legis la tu re delayed even
lo nger i n pass ing such an A c t , and a law
which laid
d ow n
a f ine of £15 for the
m u r d e r
o f a
slave
wa s
not repea led un t i l
1805.
T h e A m e l io r a t i o n
La ws,
a l though widely wel-
com ed by th e s laves , i n the end m ade th ei r lives
o n l y m a r g in a l l y b e t t er . T h e s t r ic t e n f o r c e m e n t o f
t h e slave laws wa s cons idered essen t ia l t o t h e
efficient r u n n i n g
o f a
p l a n t a t i o n e co n o m y ,
a n d
o w n e r s con t inu ed to exerc ise absolu te con t rol o ver
t h e i r
h u m a n p r o p er t y u n t il t h e very las t years o f
slavery. Although owners no longer legally had the
p ow e r
o f life a n d
dea th over th ei r s laves, m an y
considered this
a n
u n f a i r i n t e r f er e n c e w i th p r op e r -
ty r igh ts . They cou ld no t accept that killing a slave
h a d
b e co m e
a
capi ta l o f fe nce ,
an d i t was
s till po ssi-
ble
t o ge t
a w ay w i t h m u r d e r .
In 1810 a p l a n t e r in N e v i s n a m e d E d w a r d
H u g g i n s m a r c h e d t w e n t y o f h i s s laves t o t h e
m a r k et - p la c e i n C h a r le s t o w n , a n d h a d t h e m
flogged
by two
f reelance whippers
in the
presence
o f h is two sons. O n e slave received 36 5 lashes, a n d
a n o t h e r 29 2 lashes. O n e f e m a l e died a n d several
o t h e r s la v es w e re b a d ly m u t i l a t e d . H u g g i n s wa s
b r o u g h t t o t r ial , b u t a s
fellow
p la n t e r s m a d e u p t h e
j u r y
he was acquitted.
F ive m agis t ra tes
who had
b e e n p r e s e n t d u r i n g t h e f loggin g were depr ived o f
t h e i r
offices. T h e
case caused such
a n
u p r oa r , b o t h
in
t he Wes t Indies and in Br i ta in ,
that
w h e n i n
1811 a p l a n te r i n To r to la was accused o f m u r d e ri n g
a slave,
t h e
G o v e r n o r - i n - C h i e f
o f t h e
Leeward
Islands s tepped i n to see j u s t i c e d on e . T h e
p la n te r ,
A r th u r H od g e , wa s n o t o r i o u s f o r t h e i l l t r ea t m e n t
o f his slaves, and had probably caused several
d e a t h s .
He was
t r i e d
i n t h e
p resence
o f t h e
G o v e r n o r ,
Hugh El l io t ,
f o r o n e
p a r t i c u l a r l y g rue -
s o m e m u r d er . T h e j u r y , m a d e u p o f h i s fellow
p l a n t e r s , r e l u c t a n t l y a n d a f t e r t w el v e h o u r s o f
deliberation
f o u n d him guilty, but r ec o m m e n de d
h i m t o Ell iot f o r m e rc y . T h e G o v e r n o r refused,
procla im ed m ar t ia l law,
a n d
o rdered Hodge
t o b e
executed.
He was
h a n g ed
a few
days la ter , becom -
in g
th e f i rst
W est Indian s lave-owner
to
lose
h is
l i f e
fo r
h a v i n g t a ke n t h a t o f a slave.
Slave
codes in the n o n -B r it i sh C a r ibbe a n
Th e E u r op e a n p e r c e p t i on o f b lacks as an in fer ior
race can be
seen
in al l the
slave codes used
i n t h e
Caribbean, regardless o f h o w a n d w h e r e t h e y were
drawn
u p.
H ow e v er , t h e r e w e r e i m p or t a n t differ-
ences, both in t h e i r c on te n t a n d s t r u c t u r e , an d i n
t h e w a y t hey were conceived. T h e S p a n i s h a n d
F r e n c h
c od e s , u n l i ke t h os e
o f t h e
B r i t i s h ,
were
d r a w n u p a n d enacted i n Europe and were sim ilar
to each o ther . Both t r ied t o disguise racism a n d
th e
exploi ta t ion o f slaves b y c o n c e n t r a t i n g o n pa ter-
n a l is m ,
a n d b y
s u g g e st i n g t h a t
i f t h e
slaves were
ob e d i e n t
a n d
a c c e p te d t h e i r c on d i t i on t h i s
somehow legitimised the s lave-owners rights.
Each
a t t em p t e d
t o
b a l a n c e
t h e
n e e d
f o r
repression
w i th p r o te c t i on , an d m a d e it p l a i n t h a t th e
owners I
were en t i t led to exploi t their s laves in r e t u r n fo r
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g u a r d i n g i n s t r u c t i n g a n d g u id in g t h e m . T h e
D u t c h a n d D an ish s lave codes resem bled t h e
F r e n c h m o re t h a n e it h e r t h e British o r Spanish , bu t
b o t h
c o n c e n t r a t ed
o n
s u ppr e s s i o n r a t h e r t h a n p r o -
t e c t i o n of the
slaves.
The
Spanish
ode
T h e Spanish
h a d a
s lave code
fo r
t h e i r E u r o pe a n
territories
befo re
they acquired possessions i n t h e
N e w
World
an d
t h ey s im ply t rans fer red this code
t o t h e I ndies . I t was drawn u p i n t h e t h i r t e e n t h
c e n t u r y an d was called L as
Siete Partidas.
Th e
basic dif ference be tween t h e Spanish s lave
c o d e a n d o t he r s lave laws wa s t h a t t h e S pa n i s h
acknowledged
t ha t s lavery
w as
c o n t r a r y
to
n a t u r a l
j u s t i c e
an d t h a t i t was an evil, b u t a necessary evil
f o r t h e e c o n o m i c d ev e lo p m e n t o f t h e co lonies .
T h i s a dm i s si o n ca u s e d e n d l es s t r o u b l e i n t h e
Spanish co l o n i e s , as it im pl ied that f reedom was
t h e n a t u r a l s ta te o f m a n a n d gave t h e slaves their
justification
fo r
r e v o l t i n g .
Th e f i rst
slave revolt
was
recorded in Hispanio la as early as 1522, a n d t h e r e -
a f t e r t h e r e was a s teady stream o f revolts i n Span ish
terri tories. Th e a u t h o r i t i e s r eco gn i se d t h e r i gh t o f
s l a v e s t o s e ek t h e i r f r e edo m , so t h e y t r ied t o
remove
t h e
da n ge r
o f
revolt
by
o t h e r m e a n s t h a n
repressive
legislat ion .
Charles I a t t e m p t ed to e n f o r c e a r a t io o f t h r e e to
on e o r
f o u r
t o o n e o f slaves t o f r ee m e n . He also
tried
t o en fo rce a m in im u m p r o po r t i o n o f f e m a l e
slaves
a n d , by e n c o u r a g i n g m a r r ia g e , to c rea te a
settled
f ami ly
life
f o r t h e
slaves
an d
m a k e t h e m le ss
inclined to revolt . Th e Span ish slave laws prom ot -
e d m o re
h u m a n e tr ea t m e n t fo r slaves an d led to a
f a r larger p r o p o r t i o n o f free blacks an d m u l a t t o e s.
F o r
e x a m p l e, in P u e r t o R i c o b y t h e e n d o f t h e
eigh teen t h c e n t u r y f ree c o lo u r e ds o u t n u m b e r ed
slaves,
a nd in
C u b a t h e y w e r e n e a r l y e q u a l
in
n u m b e r s .
A slave co u l d a ppe a l t o t h e co u r t s a ga i n s t il l
t r e a t m e n t . H e
co u l d pu r ch a s e
h is
f re ed o m w it h o u t
th e c o n s e n t o f h i s o w n e r m e r el y by r e pa y i n g h is
p urcha se pr ice , if n e ce s s a r y b y pe r iodic repay-
m e n t s . Th e slave h a d a r i g h t t o h i s prov is ion
g r o u n d with
t h e
c o n s e n t
o f h i s
o w n e r .
H e h a d
th e r igh t t o m a r r ia g e w i t h o u t t h e c o n s e n t o f h i s
owner.
T h e m a s te r h a d t o i n s t r u c t t h e slave i n t h e
Chris t ian f a i t h and to se t as ide cer t a in days for
t h is pu rpose . S laves ha d to b e given Su ndays and
Holy Days
free
f r o m w o r k . Th e m a s t e r h a d t o
provide clo th ing
a n d
f o o d ,
a n d
care
f o r t h e
slave
i n h i s o r h e r o ld age. T h e o w n e r co u l d n o t kill
h is slave or i l l-t reat h im to th e p o i n t o f su f fe r ing.
Specifically, h e
co u l d
n o t
o v e r w o r k
o r
u n d e r f e e d
h is
slaves.
Finally t he Spanish code required a l l j u dges to
promote
l i b e r t y b e ca u s e l i b e r t y w a s n a t u r a l . I n
Spanish possessions, consequent ly, the slaves could
f i n d t h e
co u r t s
o n
their side. This could never
b e
the case in the Brit ish islands.
T he
F re n c h Code
T h e
c o n t r o l
a n d
t r ea t m e n t
o f
slaves
i n t h e
French
Car ibbean
was
laid d ow n
i n t h e
Code
Noir
(Black
C od e ) ,
which was drawn up in France in 1685. I t
rem ained in force unt i l 1804, when i t was replaced
by the
Code
Napoleon t h e
basis
f o r t h e
F rench legal
s y ste m .
T h e Code
Noir
w a s m e a n t t o b e s t r ic t l y
a ppl ie d , b u t i n p r a c t i ce t h e m i lde r m e a s u r e s
am on g i t s sixty ar t ic les were dis regarded, an d
m a n y m o d i f ic a t i o n s we re made d u r i n g t h e e i g h -
t e e n t h ce n t u r y . I t s p r o v is io n s ca n b e s u m m a r i se d
as follows:
1 All slaves to be bapt ised.
2 S laves no t t o be worked on Sun days or Holy
Days.
3 Slave m arr iage to be enc ou raged. Th e owner s
co n s en t m u s t b e gi ve n .
4
S e xu a l i n t e r co u r s e b e t w ee n m a s t e r a n d h i s
slave
t o b e p u n i s h e d b y t h e c o n f i s c a t i o n o f t h e
slave.
If
b e tw ee n a n o t h e r
m a n a n d t h e
slave,
a f i ne
to b e
im posed. Chi ldren
o f
s u c h u n i o n s w o u l d t a ke
t h e s t a t us o f t h e mother.
5
R a t i o n s a n d c lo t h e s t o b e pr o v i de d . O l d a n d
sick slaves
to be fed and
m a i n t a in e d .
6 S la v es t o b e f o r b i dde n t o o w n pr o pe r t y a n d
any thing t hey acquired to be long to t he i r owners .
7 P r o m i se s, co n t r a c t s a n d gifts m a de by
slaves
to
be
n u l l
a n d
void.
8 Slaves
t o be forbidden to se l l sugar , o r any
o th e r - p r od u c e ,
w i t h o u t t h e i r o w n e r s per m i ss io n .
9 D ea th pen al ty to be in f l ic ted for s t r ik ing m as ter
or m istress, and in som e cases an y
free
pe rson.
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An an t i - s lavery pr in t o f t h e ea r l y n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y
10
A b s en t e e is m o f o n e m o n t h t o be p u n i sh e d by
c u t t i n g
o f f e a rs a n d b r a n d i n g o n t h e s h o u l de r .
A b s e n t t wo t im e s i n o n e m o n t h t o b e p u n i sh e d b y
c u t t i n g o f f t h e
b u t t o c k
a n d
b r a n d i n g
t h e
o t h e r
s h o u l d er . A b s e n t t h r e e t i m e s
i n o n e
m o n th
t o b e
p u n i s h e d b y d e a t h .
11
Own er to be com pen sa ted i f s lave execu ted on
own er s
o wn
d e n u n c i a t i o n .
12
T o r t u r e
and mutilation to be prohibited
u n d e r p e n a l ty
o f c o n f i sc a t i o n o f t h e
slave.
13
Slaves
to be
regarded
as movable property,
an d l iable to be so ld apar t f ro m th e res t o f t h e i r
fam ily.
14 Th e p lan t a t ion an d th e slaves to be regarded
as
o n e .
15
Own ers
an d
drivers
t o
t rea t slaves h u m an ely.
16
O w n e r s
to
h a v e
th e
r i g h t
to
free
a
slave
a f ter
twenty years service.
17
M a n u m i t t e d sla v es t o h a v e t h e s a m e r ig h t s a s
free
pe rson s .
T h u s ,
in t h e o r y, t h e Code
N o i r wa s
m o re
h u m a n e
t h a n B r i t is h la w . F o r e x a m p le , C h r i s t i a n i ty ,
m a r r ia g e , m a n u m i s s i o n a n d h u m a n e t r e a t m e n t
were expressly order ed. R a t i o n s
a n d
c l o t h i n g w e r e
precisely f ixed. M u t i l a t i o n wa s expressly fo rbid-
den .
H o w ev e r, p u n i s h m e n t s w e r e e q u a l ly h a r s h ,
a n d
in
m a n y o t h e r w a ys F r e n c h l a ws w e r e s i m i la r
o
those i n t h e
British colonies, a l t h o u g h
t h e
slaves
w er e n o t s o m u c h a t t h e m e r cy o f t h e i r owner
becau se
th e
ru les
o f
t re a t m e n t w er e m o r e clearly
presc r ibed.
The
Dutch
and
Danish Codes
Th e
legal provisions designed
t o
c o n t r o l
t h e s l a v e s
in the D u tch C aribbean possess ion s were drawn u p
-
by t he
D u t c h W e st I n d i a C o m p a n y ( se e B ook
1,
c h a p t e r 6). T h e s e w e r e i n t e n d e d t o s u p p r e s s t h e
s laves , bu t a t t he s a m e t i m e t o s h o w t h a t th e
owners
ations
1
howeve
were
so
laws we
result tl
the
c r u e
I n t h <
slave
co
t h e
slave
vidual o
passed a
this was
c o n f l i c t
slaves
fo
protect 1
resolved
local law
blacks to
Conclu
Slavery t
greater o
p a r t i c u l a
laws devi
the time
a n d n o t t
8/17/2019 The Slave Laws
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an e
i t y
ent
ere
id-
nd
to
/es
ler
rly
o w n e r s had social, religious and educational oblig-
ations towards them.
As in the
French colonies,
however,
the laws concerning these obligations
were soon largely unobserved, while the policing
laws were expanded and rigidly enforced. As a
resul t the Dutch acquired the reputation of being
the cruellest of all the European slave-owners.
In the Danish islands the sole purpose of the
slave code
was to
maintain order.
The
welfare
of
th e
slaves
was left
entirely
to t h e
discretion
o f
indi-
vidual owners until 1755, when
the
Danish Crown
passed an Act laying down their responsibilities. As
this was intended to
f o r m
the basis for local laws, a
confl ic t then arose between
the
need
to
repress
the
slaves
for security reasons, and the requirement to
protect them
as
human beings.
The
conflict
was
resolved
by concentrating on repression, and the
local laws became ever more severe
as the
ratio
of
blacks
to
whites increased.
onclusion
Slavery
throughout
the
Caribbean
was
brutal
to a
greater or lesser degree, but the British form was
par t icu la r ly
f e ro c io us .
Th e essential f u n c t io n o f t h e
laws devised in the British possessions, throughout
th e time slavery existed, was to control the
slaves
and not to
promote their welfare.
The
treatment
of
the slaves that resulted was characterised
f r om
the
beginning
by
explicit race prejudice.
The slave-owners control depended on an
ability
to
combine
the
rest
of the
whites with
the
coloured
and
free black sections
of
society
in
defence
o f t h e slave regime. A s long a s these groups
believed that universal freedom for blacks would
be harmful to their interests they were willing to
support each other.
In
this
way
anti-black racism
w a s institutionalised, barriers were erected
between
blacks,
coloureds and whites, and slaves
were reduced to the lowest levels of social status
and material wellbeing. Not all the owners were
inherently inhumane like Arthur Hodge
and
Edward
Huggins,
but all
considered
it was
neces-
sary to suppress their slaves to protect their inter-
ests. All slave-owners worked to make their
slaves
submissive
and
deferential.
Had Britain followed Spain and France in allow-
ing the law and religion to provide some
ameliora-
tion
of the
condition
of
slavery,
the
British slave
codes might well have been less severe. But
both
the state and the Anglican Church remained indif-
feren t ,
and
preferred
to
stand aloof until
the
very
last years of slavery. Unchecked in this way, the
British
approach to slave control, and its accompa-
nying race prejudice, eventually spread to the
French, Dutch and Danish possessions throughout
the
Caribbean.
r
es
JP
1,
ic
ic
41
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