How Important Was Slave Resistance as a Cause of Abolition of Slavery?

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Discussion

There have been varied arguments and debates about the causes that led to the abolition of slavery. A number of historians have attributed abolition of slavery to agitations by abolition movement, moral, political and economic reasons and others, completely or deliberately underestimating the spirited resistance from the slaves themselves (Marshal, 2001). Clearly, they might have underestimated slave resistance either deliberately due to bias or out of ignorance. The truth is that resistance against slavery by slaves themselves played a significant role that caused abolition of slavery throughout the world. In this paper I will discuss the need to understand slave resistance as a cause to abolition of slavery, slave resistance tactics in British colonial America, and Brazil.

Historically, slave resistance has always been used to relate specific reactions of slaves such as outright rebellions. It also included the most secretive of private thoughts of slaves. To understand how important slave resistances as a cause to slavery abolition, I will look at how the slave traders, owners, and masters looked at the potential threats and possibilities of slave resistance. In reality, the perpetrators of slavery tended to view their slaves either with fear or deep rooted suspicion. This was particularly evident throughout the history of slaves in the Americas, and across the historical geography of slavery, from the time the slaves were seized from Africa through to the life they were subjected to in transit, on to the remotest of American frontier settlements (Kloopenberg, 1998). When I look at the social history of the lives of most of the people in slavery, in itself, is a study of resistance. Slaves were at all times in constant struggle against violent challenges at work, public or private. The institution of slavery as practiced in that era was violent and cruel particularly in Americas. This institution was conceived in violence, in the African interior where they were seized, far from the view of Europeans on the coast. In the enforced migration, it was continued in violence, by land and then especially by water and it heaped more violence on the slaves at landfall, at the resale in the Americas and finally at the point of resettlement (Miers, 1999).

These acts of personal violence were institutionalized that the perpetrators of slavery assumed that without violence Atlantic slavery would not function. Majority of the slaves were abducted from African interior through act violence (Miers, 1999). The manner they were transported was managed by the realities and potential threats of violence. Certainly, while on plantations, planters subjected them to physical violence. No planter would have hoped to work with his slaves without the ultimate penalty of physical punishment. Similarly, looking at the legal and penal systems adopted by slave colonies, they made severe use of violence in the maintenance of the system. Moreover, the slaves themselves understood that they were living in a violent culture. The slave prepared most of their folklores and parental advice throughout slave societies for their enslaved off springs (Price, 1996). These were aimed at warning their young against the dangers of slave life, and how to avoid them. Slaves viewed life under slavery as brutal and dangerous, and thereby responded accordingly. However, it is wrong to think of slave resistance in physical terms only. Physical resistance such as rebellion and destructiveness’ though the most obvious, is only one element in a complex spectrum of slave resistance. Given the levels of endemic to American slavery, it seems remarkable that slaves rarely overthrew the system. Slave owners on their part thought of the worst of their slaves, fearing resistance, planning for it, and devising local and society wide regulations to prevent, curb, or punish it (Miers, 1999).

Resistance against slavery began in British North America in the 17^th century immediately the slaves arrived in Chesapeake (Mason, 2006). The reason for resistance was that slaves wanted to attain some degree of freedom from institutions which looked upon them as property. Slavery at that time was all about forced labor and the enslaved struggled to redefine the terms of their work. Therefore most resistance by slaves was seen in the work place. Customary rights of production emerged from the fields of production as years passed by. The work routines, distribution of rations, and other general rules were dictated by these customs. Most slaves expressed their resistance for instance, through, production sabotage, breaking tools of work, feigning illnesses, or slowing works (Morgan, 2000). This especially happened in instances when the slave masters increased workloads, offered inadequate food rations to slaves, or administered severe punishments. The slaves would hit backs to enable slave masters negotiate the terms of their daily routines. There was nothing the slave masters could do to stop the slaves without enhancing widespread production breaks. Therefore, they had to ensure that slaves were contented for them to work harder and increase efficiency. They also resisted against oppression through deliberate acts of theft from their masters (Heuman, 2003).

To demonstrate the significance of slave resistance as a possible cause to slavery abolition is the fear that gripped the slaveholders in August 30, 1800 in Virginia. The fear had spread to the majority of slaveholders within days in this State. Within weeks, the fear had spread to other slave owners as far as west and south of the Mississippi territory (Heuman, 2003). They were cautioning each other to be aware of the suspicious behavior on the part their slaves. This was occasioned by the fear had of Gabriel Prosser who had planned to lead slaves in Virginia in a revolt against slavery. Slaveholders were dreadful of the thoughts of what would have happened if Prosser would have succeeded in his plans. Gabriel Prosser and his family distasted slavery and hated slaveholders. They were born in slavery and they declared themselves fit for freedom. Prosser together with his family plotted to lead the slaves of Richmond area in a revolt against the city. Their plan was to seize the weapons, once armed with weapons take Richmond area and other cities within Virginia. Once successful, they planned to declare the city a free state, a homeland for those unfit for slavery (Kelley, 2005).

Prosser’s plans did not come to fruition as a terrible storm swept out the bridges and roads thus scuttling the execution of his plans. This occurred on the night of the planned attack on Richmond. Therefore, he had to postpone his rebellion. The delay gave someone time to betray him and expose his plans. All those who had conspired in the plan were arrested, tried and executed. Gabriel Prosser became one of the first people to struggle in the name of freedom in the nineteenth century. He brought about the theme of the fight against slavery for African Americans. He also entrenched in African Americans the struggle to be free citizens and resistance despite incredible odds to maintain human dignity in the face of overwhelming inhumanity. Those odds increased when cotton became the principal export crop in America. Short staple cotton was in demand throughout the world, especially in England where textile manufacturers never seemed to be getting enough. Within a short period the crop became the principle cash crop in the south of the country. This conspired against the slaves, together with the coming of the cotton gin, advent of fertile soil, and world demand for cotton. Once this happened, all slaves who might have been set free by debt and conscious ridden Chesapeake planters were instead sold to the planters in cotton growing states in the south. These seemed to seal the fate of slaves and slavery. It seems Gabriel Prosser had prophesized about this. The slaves had no other option other than choking in slavery. But Prosser’s spirit of struggle enabled slaves to practice resistance in various forms for freedom. As I discussed earlier, some of the forms they applied were direct and overt claims of freedom through flights. They also put up their spirited resistance through armed rebellions. In between 1691 and 1865 for instance, slave revolts had been reported in the cities of New York in 1712, South Carolina 1739, New Orleans in1811, and Virginia in 1865. The slaves had commandeered arsenals, burned and looted property. They even killed their masters and other whites. However, none of these rebellions was successful to bring about their freedom. This enhanced the quest for abolition of slavery (Kelley, 2005).

In the history of slavery, Brazil is known to have had the largest population of freed slaves prior to abolition. This population of freed slaves in collaboration with the enslaved population played a significant role in ending slavery in Brazil. In the second half of the nineteenth century there emerged a strong abolitionist movement in Brazil. Although it was belated, the abolitionist movement throughout the 1880s established a slavery press, anti slavery societies, championed provincial liberation of slaves, passed deterrence’s on internal slave trade, created underground railroads and save havens for slaves running away from slavery (Garden, 2006). These activities by abolitionist movements had a significant impact in the eventual abolition of slavery in Brazil. Most important was the participation of slaves themselves in the resistance. Their active resistance had a compelling effect upon the organization of slavery in Brazil. It also had a compelling effect upon the manner in which slaves were freed, and the way new forms of labor coercion, following slavery were designed. From 1880s before the final decree of abolishing slavery in Brazil was made, thousands of slaves had already abandoned plantations. The exodus for these run away slaves completely overwhelmed the Brazilian army. They Brazilian army had to request relief from the task to capture and return the run away slaves. The exodus forced slaveholders in most plantations to free their remaining slaves by 1886 (Baronov, 2003).

The efforts of slaves to free themselves were greatly assisted by direct actions of the freed slave population. In 1886 slaves staged a wave of revolts that shut down the city of Santos that forced the municipality to declare the city a free city. Many of the free slaves in the last half of 1880s refused to transport slaves and instead colluded to assist in the transportation of run away slaves. Judging from the way slaveholders particularly the planters’ class responded to slave rebellions, it is right to conclude that slave resistance was an important cause to abolition of slavery. Without slave resistance, their would have been little need for slaveholders to bother with a drawn out, long term strategy to devise punitive, post slavery working conditions, and such for violent mass of slaves who stood in opposition of these plans (Andrew, 1991). Thus, while contending forces within the planters’ class developed a gradualist abolition strategy, a parallel struggle from below was being waged by the slaves in the form of disruption and open rebellion (Blackburn, 1988). The development of these forms of slave protests and rebellion led to the final process of transition that was marked by turbulence and fear. This happened especially due to the state of desperation the slaves had against the brutal oppression they were subjected to. They were willing to risk everything including their lives to achieve their freedom (Garden, 2006). The slaves adopted frequent strategies of sabotage. This forced planters to shift the preference of immigrant labor to slave labor because the propensity of slaves to destroy machinery. In view of these therefore, it is clear that slave resistance to the conditions of slavery led to the abolition of slavery. Principally, abolition resulted from the pressure assisted closely by abolitionists (Grint, 2001). They abandoned plantations, caused a lot of disorder within labor, and created an unsustainable environment in the Brazilian countryside. Thus by the time Brazil enacted the golden the law of abolition of slavery, the resistance and exodus of slaves had made slavery in that country an institution crumbling from within and the law of emancipation itself a virtual after thought (Baronov, 2003).

In conclusion, the importance of slave resistance as a cause of abolition of slavery can never be underestimated. As discussed in this essay, the slaveholders were always not comfortably with their own slaves. They were always fearful of possible rebellions because as human beings they needed to be treated humanly.

References

Andrew, G, 1991, Blacks and Whites in Sao Paolo Brazil, 1888-1988, Wiscosin, Wiscosin Press.

Baronov, D, 2003, Abolition of Slavery in Brazil, The Liberation of Africans Through the Emancipation of Capital, West Port, Connecticut, Greenwood Publishing.

Blackburn, R, 1988, The overthrow of Colonial Slavery, Verso Publishers.

Heuman, G, Walvin, J, 2003, The Slavery Reader, New York, Routledge Publishers.

Garden, D, 2006, From Slavery to Freedom in Brazil, New Mexico, University of New Mexico Press.

Gellman, D, 2006, Emancipating New York, New York, LSU Press.

Grint, K, 2001, The Art of Leadership, New York, Oxford University Press.

Kelley,R, Lewis,E, 2005, To Make Our World Anew, A History of African Americans, New York, Oxford University Press.

Kloopenberg, J, Wightman, 1998, A Companion to American Thought, Blackwell publishing.

Marshal, P, 2001, The Cambridge Illustrated, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Mason, M, 2006, Slavery and Politics in Early American Republic, North Carolina, UNC Press.

Miers, S, Klein, M, 1999, Slavery and Colonial Rule in Africa, New York, Routledge.

Morgan, K, 2000, Slavery and Servitude in North America, 1606-1800.

Price, R, 1996, Maroon Societies, Rebel Slave Communities, Baltimore, JHU Press.

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How Important Was Slave Resistance as a Cause of Abolition of Slavery?

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