TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE

RATIONALE 3

INTRODUCTION 4

BODY OF ESSAY 5

CONCLUSION 8

BIBLIOGRAPHY 9

APPENDIX 10
 RATIONALE

To those familiar with the chronology of West Indian History, it is well known that the

female element has been minimised in its documentation or has been completely omitted

from various sources of information compared to her male counterpart, especially in the

resistance movement. It is for these reasons coupled with my desire to obtain a

comprehensive understanding of West Indian History that I have undertaken this task to

complete my S.B.A.

It has not gone unnoticed that history tends to undervalue the significance of women,

however with further research this can be traced to how society was socialised, that is to

value the male over the female. History is no stranger to this, at least up until recent times

when some historians made a concerted effort to write women into our history books. This

will be continued here.

It is my sincere belief that undertaking this piece of work will expand and develop my

communication, research, and analytical skills to such an extent that I can move into more

advanced studies in the upcoming year and widen my interest in the subject area. I also hope

that this piece of work will inspire others to foster a genuine interest in the subject area.
 INTRODUCTION

As we look closely at the role of African women in the resistance movement, we must

account for how they came to occupy our islands, as they were not the original inhabitants of

the New World. The Amerindians, the first people of the New World settled on many of the

Caribbean islands of the archipelago, however, with the coming of the Europeans (the

Spanish) they were annihilated. Very unfortunate, who would then take up the mantle to toil

in the cane fields of the British West Indies?

The answer is clear as an abundance of manpower was needed to fill the labour void created

by the Sugar Revolution. White indentures were unable to do this, so Africa proved to be the

answer to the dreadful labour woes of the mid-17th century.

West Africans were ideal for labour in the British West Indies as many were accustom to the

climate and agricultural work. These people lived a very simple life in Africa and were

relatively defenceless when it was time to fight to prevent their capture. They had only simple

weapons like bows and arrows and spears so they could not defend themselves in the face of

the enemy.

It should come as no surprise that the main idea of enslaving blacks was that the whites

thought of them to be lazy, idol and evil, by just judging them on the colour of their skin.

It was no secret that the African continent was well populated and since the Europeans

already had a footing in Africa, seizing Africans, both male and female was very easy.

Adding an African woman of childbearing age to the workface was viewed as an advantage

to the planter’s workforce, and he would not have it any other way.
 BODY OF ESSAY

According to Greenwood and Hamber, in Emancipation to Emigration, (page 31) by 1770

there were approximately 428,000 slaves in the British West Indies. These slaves despised

their status in life and would use violent and non-violent measures to break free from the

chattels of enslavement. However, by the early 19th century there were specific acts of

resistance that were associated with women. These acts of resistance though more passive

and less extreme in nature were important to the resistance movement, as the saying goes

“still waters run deep.” It was the active or violent acts of disobedience which really touched

at the very nerve of the institution of slavery and those who upheld it. This was basically

undertaken by men.

In the British West Indies, a female slave was viewed as private property which could be

used, abused, and discarded on the whim and fancy of her owner. To cement the action of the

slave-master a series of harsh and oppressive laws were instituted to ensure law and order

were not compromised. By 1823, amelioration, did very little to make the lives of the

enslaved better and they began to take matters into their own hands to get satisfaction, for

they knew in their hearts and minds that one day they would be set free. This is what they

did.

Those female slaves attached to the master’s household were very active in spiteful measures

of resistance based on their position within the household. As nannies when no one was

looking they would use this opportunity to lash out at the planter’s child. For example, they

would handle the child in a rough manner. The maids would use the opportunity to waste

expensive cleaning products like tallow, thereby forcing the master to replenish supplies
more often than needed and the cooks would seek out the opportunity to poison the food of

the whites.

Additionally, they told “little white lies,” faked sickness and they were especially known to

use their menstrual cycle to get away from laboring in the blazing sun. It is documented that

these women, who made up the bulk of the field hands would also use breastfeeding as an

opportunity to get away from the drudgery of field work, as they nursed their babies several

times for the day over the required normal breaks. Healthy babies indeed!

Added to this, they would seek permission to have bathroom breaks when they really did not

need to, leaving their tasks incomplete and having to roll over to another day. This obviously

had consequences for the planter for whom “time is money.”

Some females would sing satirical songs, mocking and ridiculing the whites as they worked

in the fields, others would play on the emotions of the master and his team by flattering them

with “sweet mouth” to put themselves in a high position of favoritism in front of other slaves.

Important to note is that some slave women would form sexual relationships with whites in

positions of power in order to receive preferential treatment for themselves and their

offspring.

But, at times there were cases of enslaved women who could no longer face the brutality and

aggression associated with plantation life. These women could not bear to have their children

go through the pain and anguish they experienced at the hands of their merciless enslavers,

these women would abort their babies and even end the life of a newborn baby. By doing this

the female slave deprived the master of having new slaves join the labour force. By 1807, the

Slave Trade had ended and in order to replenish their supply of slaves, one option the planter

had was to depend on his existing labour forced to top up his supply.
The slaves’ practice of using “gynecological resistance” (V Shepherd) put the planter in a

worrying position as he would have to seek out slaves by the same or other means. This was

by no means easy on his pocket.

The female slaves knew this, but it was the least they could do to safeguard their people from

the horrors of enslavement, even if it meant hurting the planter where it would hurt him the

most, that is in his pocket.

All their actions, though minute would one day add up and boil over to create turmoil in

society, but in the eyes of the master his most obvious threat lay in those acts of active or

insurrectionary resistance. These included but were not limited to killing of his livestock,

destroying tools and equipment, revolts and burning the cane fields prematurely all, of which

hurt the master and crippled the smooth running of the plantation. All these were undertaken

by men. They were at the frontline of the challenge to slavery.

The women on the other hand, were very instrumental in aiding the efforts of their menfolk.

They would help in the planning and the communication of the plots to overthrow the estate

and free themselves. They were well known to rally support in their villages and to feed and

nurse those rebels in the firing line. Of noteworthy mention was Nanny of the Jamaican

Maroons who established an entire run-away village and Nanny Grigg of Barbados 1816 who

was a leader among the rebels. They did not shy away from planning the revolts, offering

obeah prayers and charms of protection for their soldiers and did not hesitate to pick up arms.

Without their motivation to inspire others and to defend their womanhood and rights freedom

may have never been on the horizon.

 CONCLUSION

Enslaved women did not shy away from acting out either in a passive or active manner. They

believed whatever little they could do even if it meant using their bodies to make the bells of

freedom toll in their favor. They worked together with their menfolk to ensure that the planter

class were aware that they were not happy in their existing conditions.

So desperate were they to be heard that a few women emerged as leaders, etching their

rightful position as shining examples for the rebels. Therefore, it is safe to say, their role in

the resistance movement was important during the early 19th century in the British West

Indies.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Baldeosingh, K., & Mahase, R. (2011). Caribbean History for CSEC (1st ed.).

Oxford. Oxford University Press.

 Beckles, H., & Shepherd, V. (2006). Liberties Lost: The indigenous Caribbean and

Slaves Systems (1st ed.). U.K. Cambridge University Press.

 Claypole, W., & Robottom, R. (2001). Caribbean Story Book 1 (4th ed.). U.K.

Longman Publishing.

 Dookhan, I. (1980). A Pre-Emancipation of the West Indies. U.K. Macmillan

Education Ltd.

 Greenwood, R., & Hamber, S. (1980). Arawaks to Africans Book 1. U.K. Macmillan

Education Ltd.

 Greenwood, R. (1991). A Sketchmap History of the Caribbean. Oxford. Macmillan

Caribbean.

 Greenwood, R., & Hamber, S. (2003). Emancipation to Emigration. Oxford.

Macmillan Education.

 Shepherd, V. (1999). Women in Caribbean History. Jamaica. Ian Randle Publishers.

Websites

Free Essay: Women in Slave Resistance (studymode.com)

Slavery in the Caribbean | National Museums Liverpool (liverpoolmuseums.org.uk)

 APPENDIX

Figure 1 showing the map of the British West Indies.