Caribbean Studies Systems Of Production 2008 PDF

CARIBBEAN STUDIES HISTORICAL PROCESSES – SYSTEMS OF PRODUCTION OBJECTIVES Define terms: Slash and burn, encomienda, slavery, plantation system and indentureship. Describe the development of systems of production in the Caribbean. Evaluate the response of Caribbean peoples to oppression and g...

CARIBBEAN STUDIES HISTORICAL PROCESSES – SYSTEMS OF PRODUCTION OBJECTIVES Define terms: Slash and burn, encomienda, slavery, plantation system and indentureship. Describe the development of systems of production in the Caribbean. Evaluate the response of Caribbean peoples to oppression and genocide. CLASS ACTIVITY PAST PAPER QUESTION 2008 In a few sentences state TWO ways in which indigenous peoples have shaped our understanding of Caribbean Identity SLASH AND BURN This is the clearing of agricultural plots by burning trees and other types of vegetation, Slash and burn technique of agriculture was employed by the Tainos and Mayan cultures before the coming of the Europeans to grow maize, peppers and other provisions. The method not only clears the land in preparation for planting, but also gets rid of pests. The ashes left behind after the burning act as a fertilizer even pesticide. Poor peasant farmers adopted this technique especially in the period after slavery and it is still employed today by those farmers with limited technology and resources to clear, fertilize and fumigate agricultural land. SYSTEMS OF PRODUCTION This refers to the ways an economy is organized to produce commodities to sustain society ( Mohammed 2007). Systems of production were utilized by all racial and national groups in the Caribbean with each group having its own distinctive style of producing food and surplus goods for trade and use. Systems of production that existed in early societies were: slash and burn, encomienda, slavery, plantation system and indentureship. ENCOMIENDA SYSTEM This is a system under which natives of conquered land were given to an explorer or conquistador by the Spanish Crown. The objective was to guarantee economic and political order in areas conquered by the Spanish. The Spanish colonists established a new type of system based on large scale farming and animal production. They needed a ready supply of labour and the Indians as the conquered people became the labour force. The Spaniards idea was an economy based on wealth (gold) as a means of creating and maintaining an empire. ENCOMIENDA SYSTEM (CONT’D) The system was introduced by Columbus in 1498. By this system, a Spanish colonist would be given a number of natives to work for him. In return he was responsible for teaching them Christian principles, pay them wages and look after them generally. The system was legalized under Nicholas de Ovando and in 1509 King Ferdinand declared that the system should be adopted through the Spanish Empire. It lasted until the mid 15th century. Encomienda was seen as the “Get Rich Quick Scheme” by which gold and silver was obtained by forced labour and sent to Spain for its enrichment. RESISTANCE AND RESPONSE TO THE ENCOMIENDA SYSTEM The encomienda system came under pressure from colonizers such as Dominican Friar Antonio Montesinos and Bartolome de las Casas, who both recognized and reported the abuses of the Amerindians to the Spanish crown. Reports were made of how the Amerindians were hunted for sport, punished unreasonably by cruel means. The Spanish government attempted to regulate the encomienda system through the Laws of Burgos (1512-1513) and the New Laws of the Indies (1542) but these failed as they were met with resistance from colonists who did not want to be told what to do with their labourers. RESISTANCE AND RESPONSE TO THE ENCOMIENDA SYSTEM (CONT’D) The Indigenous Peoples tried to fend for themselves by forming band of rebel groups that hid in the mountains. The harsh interior proved difficult as some of them died from starvation, Many succumbed to battles fought with the Spanish and some died due to harsh treatment meted out to them. They committed infanticide to save their children from the abuses of the encomienda system. Some committed suicide. The system came to an end in 1720. BARTOLOME DE LAS CASAS SLAVERY Slavery is a legal institution in which individuals are owned by others who control every aspect of their lives, including what they do and where they live. Slaves were forced to work without pay because legally they are chattel or property. The collapse of the Encomienda system encouraged the Spanish to seek replacement labour. Their choice was Africans. Slavery as a system of production was linked to the cultivation of sugar and the social and economic organization of the plantations. Slavery was an institution of ownership of one group by another based on power. SLAVERY (CONT’D) It was justified on religious or economic ground’s. These included: Black Africans were first brought to work in the Spanish colonies. They eventually became the sole labour force for the British, French and Dutch colonies. The Africans were an involuntary labour force. Slavery was a total institution in that it determined all aspects of the African people , how the plantation was organized and by extension the entire society, which formed the basis of the plantation society. RESISTANCE AND RESPONSE TO SLAVERY The Africans were oppressed by Europeans through chattel slavery: economic oppression, psychological and ideological, social, cultural and physical factors. The Africans resisted slavery using Active and Passive resistance. Passive resistance – actions of non-violent protest or resistance to authority. Example: malingering, satire, pretending to be sick, suicide and infanticide, Active Resistance – the use of violence to fight against perceived injustices. Example: destruction of property, damage to machines and burning of fields. The Africans also used riots and rebellions to resist and respond to slavery. RESISTANCE AND RESPONSE TO SLAVERY (CONT’D) The Haitian Revolution 1791-1804 Tacky Rebellion 1760 Berbice Revolt 1763 Bush Negro Uprising 1794-95 Bussa / Barbados Revolt 1816 Demerara Revolt 1823 Sam Sharpe/ The Christmas Rebellion 1831 Marronage- Established Maroon communities mainly in Jamaica, Cuba, Suriname, Haiti and Grenada. RESISTANCE AND RESPONSE TO SLAVERY (CONT’D) Manumission – Purchase contracts thus freeing themselves. The Africans accepted Christianity or practiced African religion( Voodoo, Obeah and Mayalism. African slavery was condemned in both the Americas and Europe for its unchristian nature on the enslaved. The system eventually ended in the British Caribbean with the passing of the Emancipation Act in 1833 with slaves in most colonies being set free by 1834. PLANTATION SOCIETY This was a system established by the Europeans where different ethnic groups were brought to live and work on the plantation far from their homelands. They were encouraged to distrust each other and to view the Europeans as superior. Labour was coloured and the whites were the owners, managers and supervisors. The plantation system became a sophisticated economic mechanism that dominated the culture and society of the Caribbean. George Beckford portrayed the Caribbean society as a plantation society where the labour force on the plantation was highly divided by race, colour and class. RESISTANCE AND RESPONSE TO THE PLANTATION SYSTEM Plantation workers feigned illness in order to escape labour. Plantation workers used language barriers to take advantage by pretending to misunderstand the instructions of the overseers. They maimed animals, destroyed plantations and equipment so as to stall work. After the abolition of slavery many ex-slaves tried to find ways to avoid having to continue work on the plantations. There was the establishment of peasantry and free villages. INDENTURESHIP This is a system where a labourer was contracted to work for a stipulated period of time, in exchange for passage and subsistence. At the end of the contract they were given land, cash and also the option to return to their homeland. The emancipation of slaves necessitated a replacement labour force, particularly the ex-slaves who refused to work on the plantations. The planters in the British West Indies turned to the importation of labour primarily from Asia. However, the Indian and Chinese labourers were not regarded as chattel as they continued to practise their religion, speak their languages and maintain their traditions. INDENTURESHIP (CONT’D) These new labourers were offered contracts of one to three years with return passage at the end of the period or a piece of land. The indentured labourers were treated as slaves. This replacement labour force continued to influence the social and economic affairs of the plantation system as in the time of slavery. RESISTANCE AND RESPONSE TO INDENTURESHIP SCHEMES Many of the labourers who were apart of the schemes became frustrated with their strained relationships with the planters and abandoned their contracts pre-maturely to work for their peers who had started their own business. Reports of abuse and comparisons to slavery did nothing to promote the system in the eyes of potential migrants of their governments. The Chinese government withdrew its endorsements of the scheme relatively early and the scheme ended in 1917 when the Indian government pulled out. ACTIVITY Past Paper Question “The history of the Caribbean is a history of the exploitation of labour”. Discuss with reference to TWO of the labour systems. (20 marks) Encomienda Slavery Indentureship NB: Essay must have an introduction, thesis statement, four points well developed and a conclusion proving the thesis statement.