The end of chattel slavery in the British Caribbean
HI, GUYS. This week’s lesson focuses on the factors that accounted for the end of the system of chattel slavery in the British Caribbean. Objectives: At the end of the lesson you should be able to: 1. Discuss four causes of emancipation.
AGITATION BY THE ENSLAVED POPULATION
The action of the slaves proved integral in the dismantling of chattel slavery in the British Caribbean. Insurrectionary methods of resistance, especially revolts, demonstrated the desire of the enslaved Africans to have liberty and regain their personhood. Several revolts in the British Caribbean included Tacky’s Rebellion, Bussa’s Revolt and the Berbice Rebellion. The last major slave revolt before emancipation was the Sam Sharpe Rebellion or Christmas Rebellion. Sam Sharpe, a slave and Baptist deacon, believed that the British Parliament would have emancipated the slaves soon, and that the planters would have tried to find ways of keeping their unpaid force labour. Sharpe was a literate slave and oftentimes read his master’s newspaper. He led a strike soon after the Christmas holidays, as slaves decided they would not work unless they were paid wages. The strikes that began relatively quiet would later erupt as cane fields and estates were burnt and other property destroyed. Over 400 slaves were killed and 100, including Sharpe, were executed. The Christmas Rebellion proved symbolic as it demonstrated the thrust by enslaved Africans to continue their fight for liberty. The rebellion was also the largest and most wide-scale of slave revolts in the British Caribbean.
ROLE OF THE HUMANITARIANS
Several groups of humanitarians worked hard to improve the conditions of slaves and, ultimately, to lobby for the end of slavery. They tried to convince the British Parliament and the citizenry of the immorality of slavery. They held mock slave auctions, displayed exhibits of items used to punish slaves, as well as distributed pamphlets describing the horrors of slavery. These actions were hoped to arouse the moral conscience of the British citizenry. Prominent humanitarians included Granville Sharp, William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson. These men were a part of a group called the ‘Saints’ or ‘Clapham Sect.’ Other groups involved in the abolitionist cause were the Baptists, Quakers and Methodists.
THE FAILURE OF THE AMELIORATION SYSTEM
This system was an attempt to improve the conditions faced by the enslaved Africans in the British Caribbean and should have been enacted by local assemblies. The system came into effect in 1823. The proposals included the following:
A record of all lashes should be kept and punishment should be delayed for 24 hours.
There should be the establishment of slave savings bank.
The prohibition of the separation of slave families. Slaves should not be sold in payment of debt. Female slaves should not be whipped, and the overseers and drivers should not carry whips in the fields.
The measures were strongly resisted by planters in Jamaica, Barbados, St Vincent and Dominica. Several assemblies only passed a few of the least important amelioration proposals. The amelioration proposals failed, but they provided one of the major impetuses for the abolition of chattel slavery. With the failure of the plantocracy to implement many of these amelioration proposals, it became evident that what was needed was freedom for the enslaved Africans.
MANSFIELD JUDGEMENT
This judgement provided a watershed moment for humanitarians as it brought into sharp focus the discussion on whether or not slavery was legal in England. In 1772, Granville Sharp, a leading abolitionist, took the case of James Somerset to the English courts. Somerset, an enslaved man from Jamaica, was taken to England by his owner. He was turned out by his master, but later the master made attempts to regain his ‘property’. Somerset’s case came before the chief justice, Lord Mansfield, on February 7, 1772. After careful deliberations, Mansfield provided a ruling in June of that year. Lord Mansfield ruled that his study of the laws of England found that the power of a master to use force on a slave was ‘unknown to the laws of England’. What was the implication of such a ruling in England?
ECONOMIC MOTIVE – THE EAST INDIA INTEREST
The growth of the British Empire in India led to the growth of a powerful ‘East India interest’ in British politics. These individuals were primarily merchants and industrialists who objected to the
GOAL:
FOR STUDENTS to evaluate the ways in which the arts and popular culture impact Caribbean society.
OBJECTIVE:
1. Assess the ways in which Caribbean art forms are retained in the diaspora.
Major cities in the North Atlantic (USA, Canada, England) are heavily populated with Caribbean nationals. Caribbean nationals and their offspring make up a considerable segment of the population of England, Canada and the United States of America, hence, forming what is known as the Caribbean diaspora. The diasporic Caribbean refers to a group of people who reside in another geographical location, for instance, people of Caribbean ancestry who share an emotional connection to their homeland.
Festivals in the Caribbean diaspora play an integral role in the lives of the migrants, since this is a time when they get to experience authentic Caribbean cuisines, music, fashion and the general culture. At these carnivals in England, Canada and the USA, the parade is made up of bands, revellers dressed in costumes depicting a common theme, along with participants jumping to the music while competing for ‘Band of the Year’ title. Along with the parade is the Calypso Monarch competition (best calypso performer). There is also a junior carnival competition – the inculcation of carnival traditions so it won’t die. Popular diasporic festivals include the Brooklyn Labour Day parade in USA, Notting Hill Carnival in England and Caribana in Canada.
NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL
The event originated in 1964 as a way for Afro-Caribbean communities in the United Kingdom to celebrate their cultures and traditions, similar to the Caribbean carnivals of the early 19th century. These types of carnivals were hugely popular in Trinidad and were generally a celebration of the abolition of slavery. During the period of slavery, festivals were forbidden, so the residents took full advantage of their new-found freedom.
The first-ever Notting Hill Carnival was arranged to showcase popular steel band musicians who played in Earl’s Court every weekend. The festival music drew residents out on to the streets, reminding many of the Caribbean homes they had left behind. The wellknown tradition of elaborate costumes began as an element of parody, mimicking the European fashions of their former masters. Today, this tradition has evolved into 15,000 handmade costumes every year, taking one million hours to create and decorate them all!
CARIBANA
The Toronto Caribana Festival began in 1967 as one of the first Caribbean festivals held outside of the region. Originally known as the Canadian Centennial Festivals, Caribana was meant to share West Indian and Black Canadian culture and traditions with the community, and to help fund the building of a West Indian cultural centre. Since then, every summer, Toronto, Canada, illuminates to the pulsating rhythm of calypso and steel pan music. The atmosphere is also enhanced by elaborate masquerade costumes. This two-week festival attracts over a million participants and tourists annually. The festival today includes the music, dance, food and costumes of Jamaica, The Bahamas, Brazil and other cultures present in Toronto.
BROOKLYN LABOUR DAY PARADE/ WEST INDIAN DAY PARADE
The West Indian Day Parade is held every Labour Day and runs down Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway. It is part of the West Indian-American Carnival celebrations which take place during and before Labor Day Weekend and include concerts, contests, children’s pageants and private parties, in addition to the main event, the parade. Brooklyn’s Carnival initially came out of Trinidad’s carnival tradition and, as such, steel bands are one of the most commonly heard sounds at the parade. Over time, other Caribbean traditions and music have been added, including reggae from Jamaica, spouge from Barbados, cadence from Dominica, and merengue from Haiti. Many food vendors set up stalls in the streets surrounding the parade, offering up curried chicken, oxtail, Jamaican meat patties, roti, fried plantains, ginger beer and coconut water, to name some of the wide assortment of food and drinks available. Other kinds of vendors also set up stalls at the parade, selling many different goods, including crafts from the Caribbean, African sculptures, and African bead work.