Amelioration and Emancipation Oct. 20, 2009

Amelioration The anti-slavery movement developed in the early 1800s was a formidable force in the quest to end slavery. The West India Committee, in a bid to head off attacks, agreed to proposals to improve the condition of the slaves. These proposals were called amelioration proposals and came into effect in 1823. The proposals said that the British government should write to each of the colonial governors, suggesting that the assemblies pass local laws to improve the condition of slaves. The proposals were as follows: 1. Female slaves should not be whipped, and the overseers and drivers should not carry a whip in the fields. . Records should be kept of all lashes given to male slaves and all punishments should be put off for at least 24 hours. 3. Religious instruction and marriages were to be encouraged. 4. Slaves could testify in court against a free man, provided that a minister supplied him with a character reference. 5. Slaves should have time off on Saturdays to go to market, so they would be free to attend church on Sunday mornings. 6. Slaves should not be sold as payment for debts. 7. There should be the establishment of slave savings banks which would help slaves to save money to buy their freedom.The failure of amelioration These measures were met with fierce resistance from colonies such as Jamaica, Barbados, St Vincent and Dominica. Instead of improved conditions for the slaves, they faced increased brutality from the planters. In the end, most of the assemblies passed only a few of the less-important amelioration proposals. Amelioration failed, but it provided one of the major impetuses for the abolition of slavery. It became evident that the planters were unwilling to improve the lives of the slaves and, as such, the only other option was to put an end to slavery.Emancipation 1. All slaves in the British Empire were to be set free on August 1, 1834. 2. Slave children under six years old were to be freed immediately. 3. All other slaves were to se rve a period of apprenticeship. They were to work for their masters for 401/2 hours per week. They would be paid only for overtime. Praedial (field) slaves were to serve six years apprenticeship and non-praedial (domestic) slaves to serve four years. 4. Planters were to continue providing food, shelter, clothing, medical care and other allowances which they were accustomed to during slavery.Apprentices could not be sold and they could buy their freedom before apprenticeship came to an end. 5. A sum of ? 20 million was granted by the British Parliament to compensate slave owners for the loss of their slaves. 6. Stipendiary magistrates (SMs) were to be sent from England to ensure the proper working of the apprenticeship system and to settle all disputes between masters and apprentices. THE APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM Aims of Apprenticeship a) To provide a peaceful transition from slavery to freedom. b) To guarantee planters an adequate supply of labour during the period and prepare for full freedom. ) To train apprentices for freedom, especially working for wages. d) To enable the colonial governments to revise the system of justice and establish institutions suitable for a free society. The stipendiary magistrates were retired naval and army officers on half pay, appointed from Britain and were accustomed to rough conditions and enforcing discipline. They were chosen because they were not connected to the planter class and it was felt that they would not be biased. Duties of stipendiary magistrates a) To supervise the apprenticeship system. b) To settle disputes between masters and apprentices. ) To visit estates at regular intervals and hold court. d) To inspect jail and workhouses. e) To assist in fixing the value of slaves who wanted to buy their freedom. These duties were strenuous and led to the death of many SMs who were not accustomed to tropical conditions and could not afford the high cost of medical treatment. Conditions of employment Salary – ? 300 for the first year then increased to ? 450 for travel expenses and housing. There was no pension for dependants if the SM died in service. There was also no sick leave and he had to pay his own fare back home if he were dismissed or out of service.These bad working conditions prevented SMs from performing their duties satisfactorily and many were easily bribed by planters. They were also overburdened by work because they were so few in numbers. Those who tried to do their duties were sometimes persecuted. They were abused physically, verbally and in the press and they were often obstructed in the performance of their duties as planters sometimes refused to allow them on the estates. Success of stipendiary magistrates a) They listened to complaints from both sides and acted as a buffer between masters and apprentices. ) They informed apprentices of their rights; they did not have to listen to gossip or obtain information from newspapers. c) They helped apprentices to organise their l ives better by giving advice. However, they had very little to formulate schemes to improve the social conditions of the apprentices. They were unable to prevent apprentices from being punished harshly. Punishments Apprentices were usually sent to the workhouse. However, SMs had no control over what happened there. The most common form of punishment in the workhouse was the treadmill.There was also the whipping post and apprentices could be put in penal gangs. Females often had their heads shaved. Time lost in the workhouse had to be repaid by the apprentice by working for his master during his free time. Methods to control apprentices on the estates †¢ It was illegal for apprentices to leave the estate without written permission. †¢ Valuations on able-bodied slaves were often inflated. †¢ High fees were charged for the use of the markets and for licences to work off the estates as carpenters, blacksmiths and so on. These licences and tickets to sell in the markets co uld be withdrawn. Refusal of planters to give customary allowances. †¢ Finding fault with apprentices', work which had to be done over in the apprentices' free time. †¢ Locking up apprentices on false charges and dropping the charges before the arrival of the SM. †¢ Cutting down apprentices' fruit trees and forbidding them to own livestock. †¢ Spreading the 40 1/2 hours per week over five days instead of four. †¢ Paying low wages, making unfair deductions from wages, paying wages late. The End of Apprenticeship Apprenticeship ended for ALL apprentices in 1838 because: a) The system was not achieving its aims. ) The anti-slavery society exposed the abuses in the system and began to campaign for full freedom. c) The planters feared violence if domestic apprentices were freed before field apprentices. d) Some planters felt that it was cheaper not to have to provide for apprentices and only to employ the number of labourers they needed. Note: Antigua granted ful l freedom to their slaves. The planters decided against apprenticeship. The apprenticeship system came to an end in 1838 when the colonial governments in each colony voted against its continuation. Nineteenth century immigration (Part 1)Reason for immigration 1. A decrease in the labour force. With the end of the apprenticeship system in 1838, the planters no longer had a labour force they could easily control. Apprentices had now gained their freedom and many were reluctant to work any at all on the plantation. In the smaller territories, where the ability to access land was limited and alternative occupations were limited, ex-slaves had no choice but to continue plantation work. For example, planters in Barbados and St Kitts had very little difficulty in accessing labour in the post-Emancipation period.It was in the large territories, such as Jamaica, British Guiana and Trinidad, that planters faced such difficulty and had to turn to immigration schemes as an alternative labour so urce. The hope was that immigration would provide a permanent source of labour for the plantations. 2. An attempt to suppress wages. There was the hope that immigration would generate competition for the ex-slaves and so help to keep wages down. Ex-slaves demanded adequate remuneration, but the planters found that they could suppress wages if they could introduce cheap foreign labour.This, in essence, would reduce the demand power of the ex-slaves because if they refused what was being offered, an immigrant was quite able to fill the position. Besides, if sugar production was to continue, a cheap, efficient and reliable source of labour had to be found. Immigration schemes THE EUROPEANS Due to a decline in the white population, planters sought European immigrants to increase the size of the white population. It was hoped that Europeans would set an example of industry to ex-slaves and as well eventually develop into a middle class.They would settle on available land in the interior, thus forcing ex-slaves off the land and back to the plantations. Jamaica imported the largest number. Europeans also went to Trinidad, British Guiana and St Kitts. These immigrants were mainly Scots, Irish, French and Germans. They were recruited under a bounty system. Problems with European Immigration Europeans were unsatisfactory as most died shortly after they arrived. They died from tropical diseases, heat stroke and many drank themselves to death. They also refused to work on the plantations with blacks.Many asked to be sent home or migrated to the United States. Planters also failed to supply proper food, shelter and medical facilities. THE PORTUGUESE In Madeira, workers were paid only one third of what they could earn in the islands per day, so they were attracted by the higher wages being offered in the Caribbean, especially British Guiana. Many went to Trinidad and a few to the Windward Islands. They were brought in by government bounty. Most came during periods of famine in Madeira (1846-1847). Their numbers decreased after 1847 until the scheme ended in 1882.Problems with Madeiran immigration The Madeirans died in large numbers. They suffered severely from yellow fever, malaria, overwork and inadequate food. The scheme was very irregular and most of them went into trading as soon as their contracts ended. In addition, the Madeiran Government objected to the scheme, since so many of its citizens were leaving, and implemented measures making it difficult for their recruitment. THE AFRICANS There were two distinct groups of Africans that were used as labourers in the post-emancipation period. These were the free Africans and the liberated Africans.The free Africans were persons who willingly opted to come and work on the plantations in the Caribbean. The liberated Africans were persons freed by British naval personnel from vessels illegally transporting them to the Caribbean as slaves. Free Africans Attempts were made to obtain Africans from the Kru Coast and Sierra Leone. The British Government was reluctant to grant approval of this scheme as it seemed to be a revival of the slave trade. However, in 1840, approval was granted. At first, they were recruited privately, but the British government assumed direct control two years later.Problems 1. Very few Africans were willing to come to the Caribbean. There were no catastrophes in Africa, which would make them leave. 2. Many who came to the Caribbean did not remain on the plantation; rather they followed the ex-slaves and settled on lands and became peasant farmers. Liberated Africans The largest number of Africans who came to the British Caribbean were ‘rescued' by the British Navy from slave ships bound for Cuba and Brazil. These Africans were forcibly indentured for up to five years in the Caribbean primarily in British Guiana, Trinidad and Jamaica. Problems 1.The number of liberated Africans was too small to make a difference to the labour situation. This scheme ended when Cuba and Brazil abolished slavery in 1866 and 1888, respectively. Like the ex-slaves, they abandoned the estates and settled on land. THE CHINESE The first Chinese immigrants arrived in Trinidad in 1806 from Malaya. They were to be indentured for five years, with a promise of small plots of land afterwards. They were extremely unsuitable for estate labourer and most were shipped back. Most Chinese immigrants came during the period 1859-1886 and went to British Guiana, Jamaica and Trinidad.They came mostly from the Portuguese colony of Macao and from Canton. Others came as well because of the Teiping Rebellion (1851-1864). Problems with Chinese Immigration Planters complained that the Chinese did not make good estate workers and few re-indentured themselves. They preferred to return to China or open retail shops. In addition, they were more expensive than the Indians. The Chinese Government also insisted that a full return passage be granted after a five-year indenture contract . The planters were willing to pay this only after two five-year contract.The Chinese Government also opposed immigration because they were ill-treated in Cuba. Most Chinese avoided the West Indies preferring to go to the United States or to find work nearer home in Java or the Philippines. Lastly, race relations between blacks and Chinese were quite poor. THE INDIANS The first Indians arrived in 1838 on Gladstone's Estate in British Guiana. However, the British Government stopped the scheme because of evidence of ill-treatment and the high death rate among the immigrant in Mauritius. However, due to pressure from the planters the British re-opened Indians immigration scheme in 1844.It was not difficult to find willing immigrants. Many craftsmen had lost their jobs due to competition from mechanised factories and mills of England. India was becoming overpopulated and there was not enough land to divide among the younger generation. Wages in India had fallen to 1/2d per day and there was a series of famine during the period 1857-1877 that led to an increase in food prices. Those escaping the police and the caste system were also willing to migrate. The Caribbean seemed attractive with high wages, shelter, medical care and a chance to find new occupations beside agriculture.Indians were easily recruited as India was a British colony. British ships and trading costs were already there and the British Government could easily provide British officials to supervise the scheme. Planters were satisfied with the Indians because they were hardworking, accustomed to tropical agriculture and re-indentured themselves. Economic effect on the sugar industry British West Indian planters had turned to immigration as a means of reviving the sugar industry. The hope was that with the steady supply of labour, planters could focus on increasing their output.Immigration, however, did not have its desired impact, especially in a colony like Jamaica. In territories such as Trinidad a nd British Guiana, we cannot assume that it was immigration that saved their sugar industry. For instance, they introduced mechanisation and placed more lands under sugar cane cultivation. These could be seen as measures that helped to save their sugar industries. Barbados could be used as another example. Up to 1848, there had seen an increase in their output by 250 per cent. However, by the end of the 19th century this had declined.We cannot assume that this was because Barbados was not using immigrant labour that its output declined. During the period, the territory was plagued by problems, including soil exhaustion and inadequate mechanisation. The overall conclusion must be that immigration did not cause increased sugar production in the British West Indies, as many other factors could have been responsible. Other economic effects 1. As a result of Indian immigration, the rice industry was developed in British Guiana and the cocoa industry in Trinidad. 2.They also helped to mak e central factories profitable by cultivating cane on small farms then selling it to the central factory. Social effects 1. Indians were considered inferior and they could only acquire poorly paid jobs. They could not settle in the towns, but had to live in the countryside where they formed an active peasant class. The employment of Indians mainly as field workers led to the employment of blacks in better jobs, for example, the police force. 2. The ex-slaves despised the Indians and refused to work alongside them in the fields. They were described as ‘heathens' because of their speech and clothing.Indians also despised the blacks because of their alleged low moral standards. 3. Immigration led to the expansion of social services, for example, medical facilities and a large police force. Cultural effects 1. Family – Indians brought their firm family structure, in which all relations supported each other. The idea of extended family, which included several generations, wa s very strong. All males over age 16 were members of the family council and made all decisions of the family, for example, marriage, religious ceremonies and expenditure. 2. Religion – Hinduism –Hindus worshipped several gods, of which Brahma was the most important. He was the supreme god or creator. They believed that when people die, their souls are reborn in a new body. The Hindus had very strict divisions in the society; this was known as the caste system. Each person belonged to a special group or caste. The Brahmins or the religious leaders were at the top of the society and the Hindus in the Caribbean continued to follow them as their leaders. Islam – A number of Indians who came were also Muslims. They believed in one God, Allah. They followed the teachings of the Quran. . Festivals – Divali or festival of lights was celebrated by the Hindus. They told stories, shared gifts, decorated their windows and doors with lights and candles. Hosein  œ A Muslim festival for small temples made from paper and bamboo were decorated and carried in a procession through the streets, accompanied by dancing to the beats of drums. 4. Food – roti, rice, curry 5. Dress – turban sari 6. Buildings – Hindu temples Muslim mosques houses built in Indian styles Other cultural effects The Indians normally segregated themselves deliberately in the educational institution.Oftentimes, they were unwilling to send their children to school since they feared they could be converted to Christianity. It was not until the late 1870s when separate schools for Indian children were established, mainly by the Canadian Presbyterian Mission to the Indians, that Indian children went to school and language barriers began to crumble. Indian integration in the Caribbean was not very easy since many of them spoke the Hindi language which served as a language barrier. | |