Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Resistance to slavery in Jamaica was a daily occurrence among the slave population. Slaves pursued complex and diverse activities to express their anger and frustrations at their enslavers and the institution of slavery. The record on slave rebellion confirms that slaves were not passive beings; instead, they resisted the institution of slavery that sought to dehumanize them and make them powerless. Edward Long (1774: 51–2), a local historian and Jamaican planter, described West Indian-born slaves as “irascible, conceited, proud, indolent … and very artful” and as “always trying to overreach their overseers by thwarting their plans.” Similar views were expressed by Long's contemporaries, who described Coromante slaves as ferocious and the instigators of every rebellion in Jamaica. Slave rebellions often led to destruction of property and much loss of life among slave owners and slaves. Furthermore, suppressing slave revolts created a financial burden for the colonial regime. The slave rebellion of 1760, for instance, resulted in the death of 60 white settlers and 400 slaves. The expense of putting down this rebellion was estimated at £100,000. During the last slave rebellion of 1831–2 in Jamaica, the expenses accrued and the value of property destroyed exceeded five times the amount spent in 1760. In addition, parliament granted £300,000 as a loan to assist those planters whose ... log in or subscribe to read full text