Types of Resistance and Enslavement in the Virgin Islands

What was the primary purpose of the Virgin Islands' enslaved code of 1783?

What form of resistance involved the deliberate damage of equipment?

What was a consequence of being in possession of guns or weapons for enslaved persons?

What term refers to the defiance of authority or any force used to control a person?

What is an example of active resistance?

What was a trusted position on a plantation?

What is an example of passive resistance?

What was a consequence of informing on conspirators?

What feature of the Virgin Islands made it difficult for maroon societies to develop?

What skill did individuals who joined maroon societies need to develop?

What was the primary purpose of having guards patrol at night in Road Town?

What was the consequence of an enslaved person being caught circulating the public streets after 9 p.m. without written permission?

Why did planters send regular petitions to London?

What was the purpose of the Act of 1787?

How did enslaved persons use the boats they manned for their masters?

What was a way enslaved persons secretly prepared for maritime marronage?

Types of Resistance

Active resistance: deliberate actions, sometimes violent, to bring about or force change
Passive resistance: non-violent methods to resist or disobey
Rebellion: defiance of authority or force used to control a person
Insurrection: rebellion against the government, often involving armed conflict
Resistance: actions demonstrating refusal to accept or comply with something

Enslavement in the Virgin Islands

Enslavement was maintained through the use or threat of violence as punishment
The 1783 enslaved code prohibited unauthorized movement, congregation, and possession of weapons
Harsh punishments were inflicted for violence against Europeans, while informants were rewarded
Despite harsh punishment, enslaved persons continued to resist

Forms of Resistance

Day-to-day resistance (passive resistance): poisoning, damaging equipment, slowing down work, and mutilation
Rebellions or active resistance: burning down plantations, revolts, and murdering Europeans
Marronage or running away: individual or group escape from enslavement

Maritime Marronage in the Virgin Islands

The dominant form of resistance in the Virgin Islands
Enslaved individuals used their knowledge of surrounding waters to escape to Puerto Rico
Creoles built canoes or forced sailors to take them to Puerto Rico
This form of resistance created problems for planters, leading to regular petitions to London
Planters attempted to limit the problem of runaway persons by patrolling streets at night and mandating European watchmen on fishing boats

Explore the different forms of resistance, including active, passive, rebellion, and insurrection, as well as the history of enslavement in the Virgin Islands.