SLAVE REBELLIONS

The Berbice Rebellion, 1763

Members: Rai, Hans, Marie-Claude, Carolyn

In this presentation we attempted to analyse:

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the causes of this rebellion,

the organisation which existed,
its initial success,
how it was suppressed,
the consequences of the rebellion
and the role of gender.

The Berbice rebellion was an uprising of enslaved Africans which occurred in

1763 on a plantation in Berbice in what is modern day Guyana. The rebellion
began on February 23rd 1763 at a plantation Magdelenenberg owned by
Madame Vernesombre on the Caje River. The slaves killed the manager and
carpenter, burned down the owners house, and moved to neighbouring
plantations along the Berbice River to urge support from the slaves there.
Some of them attacked their owners and either joined the others or escaped
into the forest.
The rebellion was led by Cuffy (also Coffy or Kofi) a domestic slave. Cuffy set
up his headquarters at Plantation Hollandia and Zeelandia. As plantation
after plantation fell to the slaves, the Dutch settlers fled northward and the
rebels began to take over control of the region. For almost a year, the rebels
held on to southern Berbice, while the whites were able to hold on to the
north. Eventually only about half of the white population that had lived in the
colony remained. This rebellion initially seemed very successful but still, like
many others failed miserably.

The Barbados revolt

(April 14-17 1816)
Members: Aria, LaToya, Swithin

A short introduction
It had become the norm for enslaved Africans to resist slavery the moment that
they were captured. Forms of resistance included:

speaking their native language in private

performing African rituals like drumming
appearing to accept Christianity, but secretly practicing their religion
running away
poisoning their masters
pretending to be sick in order not to work
damaging tools or machinery

Many Africans also showed their resistance through rebellion. The most successful
rebellion took place in Haiti in 1791. Here the enslaved population drove out the
French
and British and set up the first black republic. This rebellion became an inspiration
to blacks living in other West Indian plantations fight for their freedom.

Causes
In the small island of Barbados, ruled by British powers, the year 1816 saw the
outbreak of a slave revolt. Reasons or causes for this revolt included:
slaves wanted their freedom and were determined to achieve it
the Registration Bill in 1815, introduced by William Wilberforce, required the
names and description of all slaves residing on West Indian plantations,
including Barbados, in order to prevent smuggling of slaves following the
abolition of the slave trade. This bill was wildly misunderstood because the
slaves thought that they were to be granted their freedom. When freedom
was not granted, slaves revolted.
There were a few slaves who were able to read newsletters and newspapers,
from which they learnt what was happening in England, Haiti and elsewhere.
They were inspired by the positive outcome of the Haitian revolution to fight
for their rights
The harsh and inhumane treatment of slaves by whites was also a
contributing factor to the slave uprising.

Organization

 During the Easter vacation when the governor was off the island and planters
were away from the plantation, the slaves planned the rebellion and decided
that they would take over the island
They planned to disrupt crop time by burning cane fields, turning the mills to
the wind and leaving them to fly unattended
Plans were also made to have guerilla groups meet and harass the militia that
they expected to come after them. It was expected that the planters would
suffer great financial losses
Bells were rung to announce that slaves on successful plantations had joined
the revolt
The revolt started on April 14, 1816 in the parish of St. Philip on Bayleys plantation.

Suppression
The revolt was short-lived. As soon as news of the revolt reached Bridgetown on the
morning of Easter Monday, the following measures were taken by the militia:
Troops were mobilized and they marched to the parishes and began to round
up the rebels
Slaves caught off their estates were murdered on the spot. One hundred and
seventy -six slaves were killed by the troops.
Many other slaves were sentenced to death and returned to their owners
plantation where the execution were carried out
Two hundred and fourteen slaves were hanged and their heads were placed
on poles and left at the spot of execution to serve as a warning to other
slaves
Several slaves were deported to British Honduras and later sent to Sierra
Leone
Leaders of the revolt were executed

Consequences
There were many consequences of the 1816 Barbados revolt both for slaves
and plantation owners. Some of which are listed below:
The whites turned against the missionaries in the island, chapels were
damaged and missionaries were threatened. This was because whites
thought that the missionaries helped the slaves plan and carry out the
revolt
The slaves were defeated and many of them lost their lives
There was a reduction in the size of the labour force
There was widespread destruction of property including one fifth of the
sugar crop
Humanitarians were encouraged to increase their activity to bring
down the slavery in response to the planters harsh treatment towards
the missionaries
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Role of Gender
As with many revolts, males dominated. A male slave named Bussa was the leader
of the Barbados revolt. He held a high position on his masters plantation as a head
ranger and he held the respect of other slave rebels and was therefore eligible to
lead the revolt.

Virginia, 1831
Members: Claudius, Jessica, Brandi, Onnika
Virginia Insurrection (1831)
This took place in the county of Southampton Virginia, during August 1831.
This slave rebellion was lead and instructed by an enslaved named Nat Turner
(1800-1831).
In his early years Nat Turner was referred to as a prophet because of his
knowledge. He once explained that, the Lord had shown me things that have
happened before my birth. Turner was highly intelligent and was able to read and
write at a very young age. Turner saw himself as something special.
In an interview conducted while imprisoned Turner explained to Thomas R.
Gray, that he had experienced a number of visions, one of which had occurred on
May 12th, 1831. Turner said, I heard a loud noise in the heavens, and the spirit
instantly appeared to me and said the serpent was loosened and Christ had laid
down the yolk he had borne for the sins of men and that I should take it on and
fight against the serpent, for the time was fast approaching when the first should
be last and the last should be first.
Turner witnessed a solar eclipse which convinced him that it was time to put his
vision into action. Turner then, for the first time since the vision, repeated it to his
four most trusted companions, Henry, Hark, Nelson and Sam. Turners final sign was
an atmospheric disturbance which made the sun appear bluish-green and
commenced his plans one week later.
A crowd of more than seventy enslaved and free blacks were gathered to participate
in the rebellion. Collection of weapons such as knives, hatchets, axes and blunt
instruments were used. Turner instructed his followers to kill all white people. A
recorded number of sixty white men, women and children were reported murdered.
Quickly, a white militia with twice the manpower eventually defeated Nat Turners
army. The rebellion was suppressed at Belmont Plantation on the morning of August
23, 1831. An estimated two hundred blacks were executed. Any black suspected by
the militias of being part of the insurrection was beheaded.
Turner was captured two months later on October 30th 1831, by a white
farmer named Benjamin Phipps. He was imprisoned and the tied on November 5th
1831 for conspiring to rebel and making insurrection and was then sentenced to
death.

About a week later on November 11th, 1831, he was hanged; his corpse was
then flayed, beheaded and then quartered.
The legislative passed new laws making it unlawful to educate slaves, free
blacks and mulatoes. The assembly also passed laws restricting blacks from hosting
religious ceremonies without the presence of a white minister. These new laws
which were passed due to Turners rebellion enforced widespread illiteracy among
blacks and mulatoes.
Sources;
Books;
1. The Confessions of Nat Turner- William Styrom
2. The Confessions of Nat Turner; The leader of the late insurrection in
Southampton, Virginia. Thomas Ruffin Gray
Website;
1. https://saylor.longsight.com/handle/1/4199
2. Wikipedia.ord/wiki/nat_turners_slave_rebellion

Jamaica, 1831
Members: Caltonia, Geoffrey, Amiah, Beverley-Ann
In the biggest British colony of Jamaica, a number of slave revolts occurred
during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
One such rebellion was the Baptist War also known as the Christmas
Rebellion which took place in 1831 and was led by Baptist preacher Samuel
Sharpe. This rebellion was very widespread and affected much of western
Jamaica. The Baptist War was seen as the most violent rebellions in Jamaican
History according to Veronica Satchell.
Historians have noted a number of factors which influenced the uprisings and
rebellions which led to the rebelling of slaves in Jamaica. The slaves being
subjected to cruel conditions by the hands of the White planters decided that
they would no longer conform to their rules and instructions.
Samuel Sharpe a literate slave, had access to newspapers which supplied
him with information which gave the details on the progress of the antislavery movement in Britain as well as in Jamaica. He believed that freedom
was being withheld from the slaves and so organized a peaceful strike in
Jamaica in the mistaken belief that freedom had already been granted by the
British parliament. He spread the word out to his fellow slaves.
The Christmas holiday was approaching and he told the slaves not to return
to work after Christmas unless they got paid. According to Robert Greenwood
and Shirley Hamber the strike began on 27th December, as slaves were not
required to work on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Hence the rebellion was
called the Baptist War or the Christmas rebellion. The signal to start the
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strike was a fire on the Kensington Estate In St. James Parish. The peaceful
rebellion turned chaotic .

It was evident that men played a very important role in the leading this
revolt in Jamaica.
Consequences of these revolts were very brutal, from the floggings of both
men and women, long prison sentences to the burning down of their homes.
One hundred and sixty estates of various kinds were destroyed by fire. The
slaves were defeated (400 slaves died) and another 100 were executed
following the court martial.

The brutality of the plantocracy during the revolt is thought to have

accelerated the process of emancipation, with initial measures beginning in
1833, followed by partial emancipation (outright for children six or under, six
years apprenticeship for the rest) in 1834, and then unconditional
emancipation of chattel slavery in 1838.
Despite its failure, the Jamaican uprising played a significant role in the
advent of abolition in the British Caribbean. A week after Sharpe's execution,
Parliament appointed a committee to consider measures for abolition.
Dozens of witnesses were called to testify in London, and after months of
debate, the Act for the Abolition of Slavery was passed in 1833. Samuel
Sharpe's war brought about an earlier emancipation for the enslaved, and
built up their confidence that they were agents of their own liberation.