Other Forms of Enslavement in the Caribbean Islands (SQA National 5 History): Revision Note

Summary

The majority of enslaved Africans worked on sugar plantations. However, other forms of enslaved labour existed in the Caribbean. In the towns that grew up around important ports and administrative capitals, the free white population made use of enslaved labour.

Many white European families living in the Caribbean were not plantation owners, but still made use of enslaved domestic servants in their homes. Enslaved people were also forced to work in other industries and businesses in the Caribbean.

Plantation owners also had the opportunity to earn extra money by hiring out enslaved people to companies constructing roads and buildings.

Slave Labour in Towns

• Kingston in Jamaica and Bridgetown in Barbados were two of the largest towns in the Caribbean during this time period

  • In 1790, Bridgetown had a population of 16,000

  • Kingston had a population of 27,000

• Kingston and Bridgetown had large white European populations

  • Many people had enslaved domestic servants in their homes

  • Approximately 70% of the enslaved domestic servants were women

• Enslaved people were used for many other roles in towns

  • Dock workers, repairing ships and making the ships’ equipment

  • Other roles included:

    • Gunsmiths,

    • Watchmakers

    • Goldsmiths

    • Painters

    • Tailors

    • Carpenters

    • Butchers

    • Bakers

  • Enslaved women were used as washerwomen, washing laundry by hand

  • Enslaved people were made to work in taverns and inns

  • Some enslaved women worked as seamstresses - sewing and making clothes

• Many enslaved people working in towns had more opportunities to resist or to escape and generally were not so closely watched as those on plantations

The hiring out of enslaved people

• Enslaved people were sometimes hired out to building or construction projects on the islands

  • In Barbados, enslaved people were used on construction projects, including building public roads and repairing public buildings

    • Enslavers would be given £25 compensation if an enslaved person they had ‘hired out’ was killed during the projects

• Enslaved women were sexually exploited by being hired out as forced sexual labour in brothels, which were mostly used by British soldiers and sailors

  • In Bridgetown, Barbados, the Royal Naval Hotel became notorious as a place where enslaved women were forced to provide sexual services to the sailors and military officers who were based in the port