Slavery in the Bahamas
In December 1831, a slave riot occurred on the estate of Joseph Hunter, who had the largest slave holdings on Golden Grove.[1] Although the Consolidated Slave Act of 1797 stated that all slaves were entitled to rest on Christmas and the next two working days, Christmas in 1831 was on a Sunday which had already been an official rest day for slaves since 1830. Therefore, it was up to their owners to determine when their one outstanding rest day would be repaid. However, Hunter's slaves were displeased with his designation of the Saturday before Christmas week as their rest day; they continued to work on Saturday, collecting their Christmas allowances on Sunday instead, and demanded that Wednesday be their holiday. At the direction of senior slave "Black Dick" Deveaux, the slaves defied Hunter's orders to harvest corn on Wednesday and some were even accused by Hunter of stealing fruit. On 30 December, Black Dick, his sons, Wally and Richard, and the other slaves surrounded the Hunter estate; Black Dick and his sons were armed with muskets, although slaves were not permitted by law to bear firearms. A shootout ensued with no fatalities and the rebellion lasted for three days, while Hunter made preparations to leave for Nassau in early January 1832.[2] The perpetrators were subsequently arrested by the Second West India Regiment led and trialed on 25 January 1832; Black Dick and six other slaves were sentenced to death by hanging.[3]
References
Citations
- ^ Meyers 2015, pp. 79.
- ^ Meyers 2015, pp. 79–81.
- ^ Meyers 2015, pp. 82.
Bibliography
- Meyers, Allan D. (2015). "Striking for freedom: The 1831 uprising at Golden Grove Plantation, Cat Island". The International Journal of Bahamian Studies. 21 (1): 74–90.
