Control Over Enslaved Africans on Sugar Plantations

What was the status of family life for enslaved Africans prior to 1823?

Why were blowing horns or beating drums forbidden for enslaved Africans?

What was the fate of enslaved Muslims in terms of practicing their beliefs?

Why were enslaved Africans forced to accept European religious practices and beliefs?

What was the consequence for an enslaved person caught learning to read?

Why did planters take advantage of the lack of family protection laws before 1823?

What was one way in which the economic life of enslaved Africans was controlled on sugar plantations?

How did some planters enforce physical control over enslaved persons on sugar plantations?

What was one consequence of laws that prevented enslaved Africans from leaving the plantation without permission?

How did laws enacted by the planters affect the economic freedom of enslaved Africans?

What was a social control measure imposed on enslaved Africans on sugar plantations?

Why did planters impose curfews on enslaved individuals on sugar plantations?

Family life of enslaved Africans was not encouraged, and planters could legally separate families at any time until the 1823 amelioration measures prohibiting family separation were passed.
Enslaved Africans were forced to celebrate and practice Western holidays, and their own cultural practices, such as blowing horns or beating drums, were forbidden.
African Spiritualism and Islamic beliefs were prohibited, and enslaved Africans were forced to accept European religious practices and beliefs.

Education and Literacy

Enslaved Africans were prohibited from all forms of education, and reading or learning to read was a punishable crime.
Anyone caught teaching an enslaved person to read would be severely whipped, and the enslaved individual themselves might suffer severe punishment, including savage beatings or the amputation of fingers and toes, for the "crime" of literacy.

Economic Control

The economic life of enslaved Africans was controlled, making them dependent on the planter and less likely to try to free themselves.
It was illegal for an enslaved person to own property without their master's consent.
The size of their provision grounds was limited, preventing them from making a substantial profit or growing sufficient food to become independent and self-reliant.
Planters enacted laws that prevented Africans from planting staple crops like cotton or sugar cane.

Physical Control

Physical measures, such as placing enslaved persons in stocks, were used to control and punish them.
Severe beatings, cutting off a limb, or even killing the enslaved were other forms of physical control used by planters.
Laws restricted the movement of enslaved people on the islands, prohibiting them from leaving the plantation without permission.
Relationships between enslaved people from one plantation to another were forbidden, and curfews were enacted to manage the movement and assembling of persons, preventing planning of events or revolts.

Explore the economic, physical, and social control exerted over enslaved Africans on sugar plantations. Learn about how their economic lives were restricted, leading to dependence on the plantation owners and limitations on property ownership.

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