history

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Subject: History
Topic: Resistance and Revolt-Homework

1. Explain why the whites in the Spanish and French Caribbean drew up laws to control the slaves 6mks.
In the Caribbean territories where slavery existed, there were laws to govern the lives of the slaves. The slave laws of the Spanish colonies were based on the thirteenth century code of laws known as the Siete Partidas. The French West Indies had as the basis of their slave laws, the Code Noir which was promulgated in France in 1865.
The Whites drew up these laws because they felt that laws were necessary to provide a legal basis for slavery. In this way if a slave complained about the treatment he/she receives, the planter could use the slave laws to justify his actions and dismiss the allegations of the slave. The planters would have a legal background to support them. In the Spanish colonies slavery was seen as a necessary evil and so with the introduction of the slave laws the Spanish planters could take away from the horrors of slavery and see slavery from a legal standpoint.
In addition, the whites in the French and Spanish colonies drew up the slave laws because they realized that they were a vulnerable minority within the slave society and they were always fearful of revolts and other acts of slave defiance. Due to this, they felt the need to codify the punishment that matched each offence. Under this slaw there was a punishment for each crime the slaves committed. If a slave stole sugar he was mutilated. This made the system of slavery more organized and it made the planters’ lives easier and the slaves’ lives harder.
Also, the whites in the French and Spanish colonies drew up slave laws because the slaves had constantly defied the whites who hoped that harsh laws would help to control the slaves and prevent offences such as running away, theft and rebellion. The slaves are always defiant and so the slave laws would help to reinforce their authority over the slaves as the defiant acts the slaves perform lead to the injury of the planters and a decline in their profit and so the laws would help to lessen that possibility.
Furthermore, the whites in the French and Spanish colonies drew up slave laws because they expected that the laws would help to preserve public order and help them to maintain their supremacy within the society. The whites considered themselves above the slaves and so wanted to further instill that idea in the slaves to make them more obedient. They hoped to achieve this by drawing up slave laws.

2. State two differences and two similarities between the Spanish and English slave laws 8mks.

The Spanish and English slave laws had many similarities and differences. They both placed emphasis on the penalties for slaves and the rights of owners. They both acknowledged the fact that slaves were to be punished according to the crimes he/she committed. The slaves had to endure the consequences of their actions. The owners of the slaves had the right to administer the punishment to the slave. The owner controlled the slave solely and had all rights to the slave. They possessed similarities in the few beneficent clauses and the police clauses which they provided. The similarities relate to the fact that both the British and Spanish law makers believed in the legality of the system of slavery. Both sets of lawmakers saw that slavery was a necessary thing and believed that it possessed some legal basis as they considered the slaves as property and saw the legal attribute associated with it. The British and the Spanish law makers both felt the need to instill fear in the minds of the slaves in order to control them. They both felt that fear was the best mechanism to use in order to control the slaves and they did that using the slave laws.
Some of the differences between the Spanish and British slave laws include the fact that the Spanish slave laws were based on the Siete Partidas that were drawn up by the crown. On the other hand the English laws were drawn up by the slave masters and their friends in their capacity as members of the colonial legislature. The Spanish slave laws were determined by the mother country and the British slave laws were determined by the planters in the individual colonies
Also, under the Spanish laws, the slaves were regarded as persons, a part of the family, but they were regarded solely as property, not a part of the family, but they were regarded solely as property, not a part of the family in the English laws. It can therefore be said that the slaves were treated more humanely in the Spanish colonies than in the British colonies

3. Describe the ways in which the British Caribbean planters attempted to control the economic and cultural activities of the slaves. 16mks.

British Caribbean planters sought to control the economic life of the slaves in order to keep the slaves dependent on them and therefore less likely to try to free themselves. The measures adopted for this purpose include the fact that the slaves could not own property legally without the master’s consent. The slaves were under their master’s rule and so could not do certain things without the master’s approval. The size of their provision ground was limited so that they would not be able to earn money from the sale of their crops or reap enough food for their sustenance to encourage attempts at independent existence away from the plantation
Laws prevented slaves from growing staple crops such as sugar and from trading in a great variety of articles such as horses and cattle because it was believed that these activities might encourage thefts and also prove to be dangerous economic competition for planters. The planters did not want the slaves to advance economically and increase their chances of buying their freedom and lessen the labor force and in turn decrease their profits. The planters wanted to keep their slaves in bondage for as long as possible
Laws were passed to regulate the movements and earnings of the slaves working for hire as porters, jobbers or boatmen and in other occupations available to them in the towns of the islands. Jobbing slaves were required to give part of their earnings to their masters. These restrictions obstructed a possible route of escape for potential runaways and helped to keep the more mobile hired slaves effectively tied to their masters in a relationship of dependency. Laws provided severe punishment, including heavy fines for thefts by slaves especially thefts of provisions; for fear that these might be sold for profit. In Barbados, slaves were forbidden to sell goods to poor whites
The British Caribbean planters also attempted to control the cultural life of the slaves. Slaves were forbidden to blow horns and beat drums to suppress their culture. Street carnivals were banned. Slaves were made to celebrate western holidays such as Christmas and Easter in order for them to embrace the Christian faith that the British offered. The African culture was degraded and laws made it difficult to practice African religions. Myal and obeah were prohibited and Muslim slaves were not allowed to practise their religion.
Slaves were subjected to curfews at nights to prevent them from assembling for cultural purposes or for planning rebellions. In some territories slaves were baptized into the European religion. Slaves could marry only with their owners’ consent and the role of slave parents was drastically reduced because of their limited contact with their children. Slaves’ African names were changed to Christian names