Monday 14th June 2021

Caribbean History

Topic: The Plantation Society/ The Class Structure of a Slave Society.

1. The enslaved were part of a wider society known as the Plantation Society.
2. The Plantation Society typically placed everyone into Social classes.
3. Infact, even up to today every society places persons into social classes.
4. Social classes are groups of people within a society who are ranked according to
their race, colour, wealth, power, prestige and socioeconomic status.
5. It was no different during slavery. The whites occupied the top rank and formed
the upper classes in society and the enslaved occupied the lowest rank and lower
classes of society.
6. This was a way of having Social Control over the enslaved to limit how far they
could climb and to prevent socially mobility (a climb up the ranks to a higher class)

Social Classes of Slave Society-LEARN

This diagram shows the position and rank of all within a Slave/Plantation society

Whites: Planters, Overseers, Managers

Poor Whites: Plantation helpers, artisans

Free Africans or Free coloureds: mixed (slave

mother, planter father)

Enslaved skilled: Skilled Slaves, Artisans

Enslaved Africans-field slaves

Source: Baldeosingh and Mahase Caribbean History for CSEC, Oxford University Press
2011
The Whites
 They were born in Europe or in the colonies (Creoles)
 They were employed in the army, were governors, navy officers, plantation owners,
bookkeepers.
 They were the only group with political power and they had complete liberty to do
as they pleased. No restrictions were placed on them.
 They were usually outnumbered by the African population and as such were always
fearful of revolts by the enslaved Africans.
 They considered themselves superior in every manner to the other groups in the
society.
 They attempted to control and suppress the other groups in a variety of ways.
Their grievance was that the poor whites should never become as rich as they were
or hold important offices. They only shared colour.

Free Coloureds/Free Blacks

o They were not slaves. They were free but not afforded same complete freedom of
whites.
o They could not hold offices and was restricted from holding positions in
legislature/lawmaking/assemblies. This was their main grievance-no political power.
o Some were wealthy, educated and also slave owners, but they still DID NOT give
them a favourable position in society.
o They aspired to equality with whites but were still seen as inferior in the eyes of
the whites.
o They lacked political power even if they were free, educated or rich. Their skin
colour kept them from achieving social mobility.
o In FWI freedom of movement and a curfew kept them inside ( Chpt 17 p.124)
o In FWI they could not share in positions held by Europeans.(p.124)
o In FWI they could not serve in the island militia or carry arms (p.124)
o In FWI they were restricted in what they could wear. Women were allowed to wear
a scarf but not a hat, cotton petitcoats were permitted but not silk. Petticoat
inspectors. (p.124)
o They considered themselves superior sand was seen as superior to the enslaved
Africans.

The Enslaved African

 They were the lowest group/class in the plantation society
They were separated from the whites both by colour and by law ( Code Noir, British
slave codes and Siete Partidas).
Grievances were many as we learnt before. Main grievance: Their enslavement,
Other grievances: Punishment, Property (chattel), no equal rights, restrictions
practicing culture, separation from family, overworked.

Source: Baldeosingh and Mahase Caribbean History for CSEC, Oxford University Press 2011

Questions to consider for Exams:

a. Why is society a pyramid/shaped like a triangle and not a square?

b. Who filled the top class or rank? Why?
c. Who filled the lowest rank? Why?
d. What class of people was found between the whites and the enslaved? Why were
they placed there?
e. Who were these class of people? What do you think Free Coloured/African
grievances were?
f. What do you think would have been some main grievances of the enslaved people?
g. Do you think these groups mixed or interacted?
h. Do you think gender roles were allocated in slave society?