2. OBJECTIVES
1. Define and use terms and concepts
2. Identify the various forms of control used in the
Caribbean
3. Describe each form of control
4. Assess the overall success of these means of
control
3.
4. FEAR AND CONTROL
• Plantation society was based on fear.
• White owners feared an uprising by the mulattos and the enslaved as they out
numbered them.
• To prevent an uprising, the enslaved population had to be controlled.
5. FORMS OF SLAVE CONTROL
1)Psychological
2)Economical
3)Social
4)Ideological
5)Physical
6)Cultural
6. QUESTIONS
1) Why was it necessary to control slaves on a
plantation?
2) Who were the persons/ social class that created
the laws?
3) Were the laws the same for each colony?
4) Were the forms of control effective?
7. LEGISLATIONS
• Laws were passed based on the colonies needs.
• The British had not established a set standard of codes. Instead each colonial
assembly made is own laws/codes. Many patterned Barbados codes.
• The laws allowed for basic rights of the enslaved which extended over time
• Codes in other colonies were called:
• Spanish colonies – Siete Partidas
• French colonies – Code Noir
8. LEGISLATIONS
• The codes clearly outlines how slaves are to be treated.
• Women were not protected under these laws.
• The laws stated how much food, clothes, provision grounds and punishment was
to be given to the slave.
• Laws restricted the movement of the slave
9. CODE NOIR – THE FRENCH
• These were created in France and sent to the colonies
• It dictated social, political and economical life of all involved in plantation society.
• If a planter got a slave pregnant, he was to free the child and the mother. It also
stated that pregnant and sick women were not to work as hard as one who was
not.
• It also clearly outlined their punishment. Pregnant women were not exempt from
punishment.
• The law stated that women were to receive 10 lashes maximum but planters/
overseers often gave them as much as men.
10. CODE NOIR – THE FRENCH
• The code was divided into three sections religion, property and freedom.
• It regulated rations, conditions for housing and food. It also granted the right to
legal trial and civil rights.
11. SIETE PARTIDAS – THE SPANISH
• The slave code were sent from Europe.
• Male slaves were allowed to get married and have children. The laws prevented
race mixture but it was still carried.
• The slaves were to be converted to Christianity. Slavery was legal but not good. A
slave was the member of society.
• Slaves were legally protected and were to be treated well. They could be freed if
they were abused and it could be proven. They were freed if they were born from
a planter
• The laws legally protected the slave from mistreatment
12. SIETE PARTIDAS – THE SPANISH
• Slavery was accepted a part of society since Columbus ensured that laws on
slavery transmitted the status of a slave to the children of slaves. This way
slavery would be the core of the colonial system.
• Spanish plantations were not depended on black slaves. The whites
outnumbered the blacks.
• There was no distinction between a surf and a slave. They were persons and not
property.
• These laws were not practiced in the Spanish colonies however
13. SIETE PARTIDAS – THE SPANISH
• The slave code were sent from Europe.
• Male slaves were allowed to get married and have children. The laws prevented
race mixture but it was still carried.
• The slaves were to be converted to Christianity. Slavery was legal but not good. A
slave was the member of society.
• Slaves were legally protected and were to be treated well. They could be freed if
they were abused and it could be proven. They were freed if they were born from
a planter
• The laws legally protected the slave from mistreatment
14. PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTROL
• Planters convinced slaves that they were inferior.
• This was done by having detailed definitions of white, black and coloured.
• Teachings were supported by the church about submissiveness.
• There was also public forms of punishments used to ensure psychological
pressure on the enslaved.
• These include public whipping, hanging and torture.
15. ECONOMIC CONTROL
• Ideally, plantation society was paternalistic. The planter is responsible for his slaves
and other possessions.
• The planter provided housing, rations and controlled their slave’s time. The work day
was created to satisfy the needs of the plantation and the planter.
• The provision ground given to slaves could only be worked on restricted time and
meeting time was specific.
• The earnings of the jobbing slaves went to the planters.
• The aim was to limit and control and limit the opportunities open to enslaved persons
to obtain extra earnings.
16. SOCIAL CONTROL
• Planters implemented mechanisms of social control by creating classes and
affording status within the system of enslavement.
• They also give some groups privileges such as domestic slaves enjoying better
food and clothing. Others included drivers, doctors, skilled workers and midwives.
These ranks were valued and afforded a better status within the plantation.
• There was a system of reward for the enslaved that defended the master, gave
information on or defended the master’s property,
• This helped them to remain divided and prevent resistance activities.
17. IDEOLOGICAL CONTROL
• Africa is uncivilized and is the “dark continent”.
• Africans are inferior and European values are
norms.
• Schools taught children that Africans were below
them and that their culture was negative.
• European customs were forced on the enslaved as
positive behavior.
18. PHYSICAL CONTROL
• Punishment was an important control agent in plantation
society. Planters were brutal and each plantation had a
prison.
• Repeat offenders were put on a treadmill, flogging,
mutilation and torture was common.
• Public humiliation had an important psychological value
beyond discouraging disobedience and enforcing
acceptance of Planter’s dictation.
19. CULTURAL CONTROL
• Planters practiced deculturalization. Deculturalization is the action of changing the
culture of another race of people.
• They actively banned the slaves from singing traditional songs and performing
traditional dances or worshipping their gods.
• The planter also exploited divisions within the social divisions they created such
as creole vs African-born, light skin persons vs dark skin persons.
• Slaves and mulattoes continuously resisted this form of control became important
strategy.
