THESIS: THE RESISTANCE STRATEGIES OF THE ENSALVED IN JAMAICA PLAYED A

PIVOTAL ROLE IN ACHIEVING THEIR EMANCIPATION IN 1834

Few slave societies present a more impressive record of slave revolts than Jamaica. During these
more than one hundred and eighty years of its existence as a slave society, hardly a decade went
by without a serious, large-scale revolt threatening the entire system. Between these larger efforts
were numerous minor skirmishes, endless plots individual acts of violence against the master,
and other forms of resistance. all of which constantly pressed upon the white ruling class the fact
that the system was a very precarious one, held together entirely the exercise, or threat, of brute
force. The various resistance strategies of the enslaved played a pivotal role in their
emancipation.

The first eighty-five years of the English occupation of the island (1655-1740) were marked by
one long series of revolts, which reached a dramatic climax during the last fifteen years of this
period, at the end of which the whites, after coming close to disaster on several occasions, were
forced to sue for peace and grant the rebels their freedom. Almost all the revolts and rebellions
were closely related and cannot meaningfully be separated from each other.

In 1673 the first blow was struck. In the thinly peopled parish of St. Ann, 200 slaves
belonging to Major Selbys plantation, nearly all of whom were Coromantee, killed their master
and about 13 other whites, then went on to plunder several smaller estates in the neighbourhood,
procuring all the arms and ammunition they could lay their hands on. By the time the whites had
mustered a party the rebels had retreated to secure positions in the mountains around the borders
of Clarendon, St. Elizabeth, and St. Ann. The first party of whites that went after them was

nearly destroyed, and this not only discouraged other parties from going against them but also
encouraged many other negroes to rise. Five years after this uprising, in 1678, another serious
rebellion took place one Sunday afternoon on Captain Ducks plantation. The slaves noticed the
river, which ran between the plantation and the town had risen so high that it appeared
impassable, decided to seize the opportunity for freedom. The whites on the estates were
attacked and although some blacks were killed, Major Duck was seriously wounded, and his wife
killed. The white party was thoroughly rooted by the Africans and panic soon set in among the
white population A. official at that time commented:

There never was a point of time which more required your attention to the safety of this
island than at present; your slaves in rebellion, animated by their successand your militia very
insignificant the daily increase of the rebels and the decrease of your white people(Selby,1679
p265)

The enslaved in the island were always alert and constantly daunted the whites and managed
to kill many of them. The whites had to fight valiantly in order to protect themselves from the
attacks of the enslaved. Yet to assert that the slaves actually achieved their own emancipation by
resistance would be to overstate the case. The freeing of the slaves by Britain in 1838, in
common with the ending of the British trade in slaves thirty years earlier could only be achieved
by parliamentary decree. Parliament did not act until a majority of its members had been
convinced that slavery was, at the same time morally evil, economically inefficient and
politically unwise. But the outcome would certainly have been delayed and different had the
planters been able to convince Parliament that the slaves they owned were all humansely
managed, contented and efficient. Instead, through the evidence of day to day resistance and the

major risings especially in 1831-2, it became gradually apparent that British West Indian slaves
could never be ruled without intolerable repression and would never be contented or make
efficient workers while slavery lasted. The British anti-slavery forces certainly worked the
slaves purposes. Yet they were incapable of recognizing the ways in which their ideas and
actions were cleverly used by the slaves, not depended upon them.

Soon the debate centered on the questions of compensation for owners of property in slaves,
and in ways which the labour of the ex-slaves could be guaranteed in order to sustain the British
West Indian sugar plantation system. But emancipation itself had become inevitable. Samuel
Sharpes dying affirmation in May 1832,I would rather die on yonder gallows than live in
slavery, can therefore stand as the noble if poignant epitaph for all those thousands of mostly
anonymous slaves who fighting and dying with the little hope for the right.

Sam Sharpe came in April 1832, his execution on May 23, 1832 marked the end of the
rebellion and also, for all intents and purpose, the end of slavery. In the same May of Sharpes
death, the British House of Commons adopted a motion that a select Committee be appointed to
consider and report upon the means which it may be expedient to adopt for the purpose of
effecting the extinction.

Though slavery was a harsh system and the planters dominated the slaves, the slaves were never
fully subdued to the idea. As a result, slaves resisted the system in many forms. The two basic
forms of resistance were passive and active resistance.
Passive resistance is described as a prolonged period non-violent attempt to resist slavery.
Periods of child bearing was effective in that females got the maximum concessions from
masters and the minimum amount of work during this time. Another common form of passive

resistance is running away. This seriously disrupted plantation operations when runaways were
specialist slaves. Creating confusion was another method frequently used as it delayed work for
long periods. Refusal to work and thievery were frequently used methods as they slowed
production and reduced profits. Practicing obeah was a means of confusion that had whites in
constant fear for their lives. Mrs. Lynch stated:
In the hut of one of the slaves was found a collection of feathers, bottles, ragsand whilst
her husband passed them by with a laugh, she felt convinced that some deep and terrible
mischief laid hidden under these fantastic emblems.(Taylor, Yvette Dr., p172)
Obeah was one way in which the enslaved resisted the system of slavery. Slaves kept items in
their huts and this caused the whites to think that they were performing obeah on them to kill
them. Active resistance is described as a violent means of protesting slavery. Active resistance
took many forms which included maroonage. This method was very advantageous in concealing
maroon settlements as was evident in the ambush near Dromily Estate Trelawney. Sutherland
1824 stated:
An hour over mountainous and rock way, when in a narrow pass, through which they could
only advance in single file, they fired on from an ambush by the runaways.(Montego Bay
Gazette, 1824, p5 vol. 10)
Revolts were warlike means of resistance and though they usually failed because a slave
remained loyal to the master, as was the case in Tackys revolt in Jamaica 1760, they did do some
good. Even though slaves were not as equipped as the whites, their fighting spirit and
determination often made the whites weary and the only way they were stopped was through
enforcement of martial law. Sir Basil Keith, Governor of Jamaica 1776 said:

Whereas a great number of negroes in the parish of Hanover have been and now are in a
state of actual rebellion, we have thought it fit for this the service of our island, and to prevent
any further attempts by the slaves of other parishes to join with those already concerned, that
for the defense and security of this our very said island and for the suppression of the very
said rebellion, martial law shall now be in force.(Kingston Journal, 1776, p9 vol.9)
The whites had to resort to various measures including martial law in order to protect
themselves from the revolts and rebellions of the negroes. Revolts made it clear just what
measures slaves would do to gain their freedom. Destruction was a very much used form of
resistance as over an extended period of time, it proved costly to plantations in terms of
repairs. It also stopped work for a time, adding additional financial costs to plantations.
Lastly, a most violent form of resistance practiced was rebellion. The Christmas Rebellion
led by Samuel Sharpe is a perfect example to show that though the rebellion may have failed
in its cause, mainly because the slaves were not as equipped with guns and such; it still
shaped future actions to be taken. The rebels failed in driving out whites and free coloureds
from Jamaica, it was an indication of events that would ultimately destroy Jamaican slavery.
On August 20, 1833, less than a year after the Sam Sharpe Rebellion, the British abolished
slavery in British West Indian colonies. The slaves were also resisting the system of slavery
in other Caribbean countries. On Sunday 14 April 1816, major rebellion broke out in
Barbados. This rebellion was carefully planned and organized by the senior enslaved men
and women who worked on several estates and plantations. The rebellion started in the
evening in the southeast parish of St. Philip, spreading to most of the southern and central
parishes of Christ Church, St. John, St. Thomas, St. George and parts of St. Michael. Three
days later it was put down by the local militia (soldiers) and the imperial troops (the Kings

troops) stationed on the island. Martial law (army rule) was declared on Monday 15 April,
and was lifted on July 12. Although this slave revolt failed, the constant attacks by the slaves
in this island on the whites gradually helped to weaken the system of slavery and made
emancipation more eminent and realistic for the slaves. There was also a slave revolt earlier
in 1763 in Berbice, Guyana. This revolt was due in part to the injustice brought on by the
managers and overseers against the enslaved population. The enslaved resented this illtreatment and as a result retaliated against such treatment. This was also due to the lack of
provisions for the slaves. There was great deficiency in areas such as food, clothing, and
facilities such as huts, rest rooms, hospitals, doctors and other health facilities. Although this
revolt was quickly suppressed, it still paved the way for emancipation as these constant
attacks gradually helped to weaken the system of slavery and the dominance of the white
planters.
African resistance to enslavement had a huge impact on the abolition movement. From the
moment of capture to arrival in the Caribbean, Africans sought ways to escape and fight back. In
concluding, it can be said that though some of the forms of resistance may have seemed like a
failure in their cause, they eventually helped in the abolition of Jamaican slavery.

Bibliography
Holt, C. (1992). The Problem of Freedom. Kingston: Ian Randle Publishers.

Rogozinski, Jan. (1999). A Brief History of the Caribbean from the Arawak and Carib to the
Present. England: Penguin Group.

Willie-Hamilton, Doris. Lest You Forget, Resistance and Revolt. Kingston: Jamaica Publishing
House Ltd.

Taylor, Yvette Dr. (1998) Kanarick Caribbean History Core Course. London: Chayils Yowels Inc.

Navarro, M. (1824 October 29). Account of Shooting Excursion near Dromily Estate in the
parish of Trelawney Jamaica. Montego Bay Gazette, pp A1, A16-17.

Weatherall, D. (1776). Hanover Slave Uprising. Kingston Journal, 36 (2), 9

Goldstein, B. (2008). Recovered Histories, Reawakening the narratives of enslavement,

resistance and fight for freedom. Dorsets Development Education Center. Retrieved March 9
2010, from <http://recoveredhistories.org/storiesresist.php>

CAPE HISTORY 2010

TOPIC: SLAVE SYSTEMS, Character AND

DISMANTLEMENT
THESIS: THE RESISTANCE STRATEGIES OF
THE ENSALVED IN JAMAICA PLAYED A
PIVOTAL ROLE IN ACHIEVING their
EMANCIPATION IN 1834

Name: Mellisa Hall

Grade: 12 2
Date: April 15, 2010
School: St Hughs High
Centre No.: 100110
Territory: Jamaica
Registration No.: