Enslaved Africans in Jamaica

Two young women kneeled in front of their master, shaking, aware of what was to come, the painful stinging of lashings. “Lord, Lord, Lord”, they repeatedly cried in anguish, vainly seeking help amongst the slave; the groans and the trembles accompany the many wounds they were to receive. Twenty lashes later, blood spewing out, stripped, the uneasy sensation of exhaustion could not make it any more difficult to endure. Slaves had been subjected to these types of punishments, particularly in Jamaica. In accordance to Henry Whitley, a patronage of England, enslaved Africans were constantly subjected to extreme flogging, which resulted in severe scarring and lacerating of the skin. In his testimony, Whitley expressed his discontent in the presence of slave owners, who chastised the slaves under inexcusable rationales. Indeed, this is one of many accounts explicating the unjust treatment of the enslaved people of Jamaica. The institution of slavery in Jamaica employed a tyrannical system of slave labor focused on degrading the slave population through overtly gross physical abuse and deplorable living conditions.

From the country’s earliest days, Jamaica experienced colonial status, with paternal influences from the West. Spain initially maintained ascendancy over the colony; yet, as they embarked upon their sesquicentennial reign, the Empire’s grasp began to loosen. Primarily incessant interstate conflict, between the Empire and its bordering nations, wreaked havoc. Contrastingly, England continued to thrive and experience heightened success in their colonial endeavors. Indeed, as Spain began losing dominance over Jamaica, England looked to the Caribbean to increase their economic hegemony; in 1650, the British successfully cap...

... middle of paper ...

... it was to be done. With records showing the constant decline in slaves working in Jamaica, masters still continued to neglect these numbers until slaves eventually became worth more. Even when the option of running away presented itself, the horrible consequences that would follow if captured outweighed the decision to not leave; fear itself. It was not until the mid eighteenth century that the English abolished slavery in Jamaica and only doing so because sugar was unprofitable from that point forward. Plantation owners saw the African slaves not as women and men but beasts, beasts to be flogged, humiliated, tortured and emotionally and physically abused. The African slaves were chattel in the eyes of the British lords and the stigma of participating in these unjust and immoral acts will forever tarnish Britain’s name in the eyes of the international community.