On July 12, 1833, the British Parliament passed an act to abolish slavery in all British colonies with effect from Aug. 1, 1834. The act made provisions for a period of apprenticeship for all enslaved persons 6 years old and over, and compensation for the slave owners who were entitled to the services of the enslaved. Even though the act was stacked in favour of the slave owners, there were concerns in the colonies that any attempt to grant freedom to the enslaved would result in widespread destruction and civil unrest. After years of oppression and servitude, the enslaved were not considered ready for freedom. However, mounting and renewed opposition to slavery in Britain and growing discontent among the enslaved in the region tipped the scale. In the Virgin Islands, a conspiracy to revolt in 1831 was discovered and thwarted, but it was the brutal response of the colonial government in Jamaica to the 1831 Christmas Day revolt that brought condemnation from all sides. Slavery in the British Caribbean had reached the end of its tether, and the tides of change sweeping the region were gradually dislodging the moorings that held it in place. To quote Dr. Eric Williams, historian and former prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, “The alternative was clear: It was either emancipation from above or emancipation from below.”
Four bills
In April 1834, the House of Assembly in the VI debated and passed four bills to bring into force provisions of the 1833 British Abolition Act. As details of the bills became public, the enslaved population was dissatisfied. They were eagerly awaiting emancipation, but were convinced that there was a conspiracy by the planters to withhold their freedom. The enslaved could not understand how it was possible for the king to grant them freedom and still expect them to work for free for an additional four to six years. Under the apprenticeship system, the enslaved would continue to work on their estates just as they had done during slavery, with their masters responsible for their upkeep. By law, they would work for 45 hours weekly for free and be paid for any work done overtime. In fact, the only persons freed by the Abolition Act were children under the age of 6 and enslaved persons who were aged or infirm and of no economic value to the estates. Confused, one enslaved man stated, “Printice! The king say this? What we go printice for? People printice to learn something. Nobody can teach we our work. We can dig cane hole, boil sugar, make sugar cast as well now as we ever shall.”
‘Apprenticeships’
As the death bell tolled on slavery in the region, there was fear and a sense of urgency among the planters. Determined to extract as much as they could from what they thought would be their last crop, the planters worked the enslaved to the limit — cutting, grinding and processing every bit of sugarcane on Tortola. When the crop was over, the amount of sugar exported from the VI was about 50 percent more than the previous year’s shipment. On July 23, 1834, His Majesty’s warship Belvidera anchored in Road Harbour, bringing to the colony the 67th West India Regiment of nearly 400 soldiers and a company of 17 horses. Also on the ship was Governor McGregor, who travelled from St. Kitts. The following day, the governor addressed the House of Assembly and the Board of Council, assuring members that warships were in the vicinity ready to respond if needed. The local militia, which included liberated Africans from Kings Town, was called out and armed. At the end of his visit, the governor stated, “A degree of uncertainty, rather than positive alarm, seemed to prevail respecting the intentions of the negro population.” In short, in the VI there was an uneasy calm.
Public holiday
Friday, Aug. 1, 1834 was by common consent a public holiday. In what seemed to be an attempt at crowd control, all places of worship were opened and services of thanksgiving held. This decision was not surprising: The Methodist missionaries in particular had the greatest influence over the enslaved population. After the Abolition Act was passed, it was the missionaries who had taken it upon themselves to explain the provisions of the act to the enslaved population and answer their questions. Contrary to a popular view, there was no mass gathering of the enslaved at the Sunday Morning Well for the reading of an “Emancipation Proclamation.” No such proclamation existed. In fact, what often is referred to as the “Emancipation Proclamation” is in reality a proclamation declaring Aug. 1, 1834 “a day of solemn thanksgiving.” As the day progressed, the planters, including the president of the colony, William Rogers Isaac, held their collective breath. The Methodist missionaries reported that the chapels in Road Town, East End and West End were filled to overflowing with cheerful crowds. There was great rejoicing. As the day drew to a close, Mr. Isaac in a letter reported to the secretary of state that the day “had passed off very quietly. … No unusual excitement was manifested.”
To be continued.
Dr. Smith is the director of the Virgin Islands Studies Institute at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College.
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