Paternalism And Paternalism In The Caribbean

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Building on the theme of brutality, this paragraph will discuss the idea that some owners tried to not inflict punishment on their slaves for everything. This was due to the ideology among the elite class of paternalism. ‘Paternalism was a fragile bridge linking master and servant with mixed benefits for both’. To clarify, the slaves were to carry out tasks submissively and economically, while the masters were to provide the basic needs of the slaves. However, as stated above, these needs were not fully fulfilled to the highest effect. The best paternalism, according to K.M. Stampp, originated from the small plantations, where contact between the two classes was frequent. This would allow for the slave driver to have the belief that the slaves were uncivilised, and he was the teacher in a school, or the …show more content…

The strength of the ideal of paternalism illustrates the answer to this essay, as it reinforced the ideology of white supremacy. To further understand the role of the owners’ inference and belief in civilising the slaves, this section will explore the role of religion in developing the slave community. The religion of Christianity was regarded by the whites as the religion of the civilised. For this reason, slaves had to be indoctrinated into Christianity. This conversion began in the second half of the eighteenth century and was a prominent element of the lives of Antebellum slaves. Yet, this created a problem for slaveholders. The problem was that the religion which they were trying to promote, stressed on equality of all, and to treat others how you would like to be treated. Therefore, a solution was that the slaves heard selective teachings of Christianity, the theology of which focused on obedience in life, and salvation in the afterlife. Obedience to masters while on Earth will result in the rewards in heavens. Christianity is an umbrella religion, with many variants under

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