4. effectiveness of slave resistance

LEARNING INTENTIONS

• Describe the successes of slave resistance

• Explain why slave resistance was not always successful

Slaves fought back against their owners and captors in different ways. However, was this

resistance always effective?

Slave resistance took many different forms.

Passive resistance included being late for

work, working slowly or pretending to not

understand owners.

Active resistance included attacking

owners, damaging crops or running away.

The success of slave resistance was generally based on two

issues:

• Reduced profits for the owner

• Better treatment for the slaves

Reduced profits

An owner’s main priority was to make as

much money as possible.

By working less, running away,

damaging crops or other actions, slave owners would lose

money.

Better treatment

Owners did not want to lose money or feel

unsafe.

Some owners did improve their treatment of slaves, based on their resistance.

Others felt it was easier to use workers, not

slaves.

However slave resistance was not always effective, for five main reasons:

• Punishments• Duration of slavery

• Likelihood of capture for escaped

slaves• Problems for slaves• Owner profits

Punishments

Slaves could actively resist their owners, but this often meant that they would be

punished.

In extreme cases this could even result in them being killed.

Duration of slavery

Slaves resisted their owners throughout their lives, however slavery still existed

for around 200 years.

This suggests these rebellions had limited effect.

Likelihood of capture

Some slaves tried to escape, however almost

all returned or were captured.

On the Caribbean islands, escape was even harder as there was nowhere to go.

Once they returned they faced harsh punishment.

Problems for slaves

Many slave rebellions resulted in

the slaves getting worst treatment than before they started.

Slaves also had to go as far as killing

themselves (as on the Middle Passage).

Owners’ profits

Although slave resistance could hurt an

owner’s profits, slave owners were still very wealthy and made a lot

of money.

The fact that slavery continued for so long

proves this.

Black divide

Part of the problem that the slaves faced in rebelling was the role of other slaves.

Many owners forced slaves to become

overseers, making them in charge of

slaves.