1. Life On the Plantation Lesson starter:
Out of the following, which do you think would be the worst time for the Africans who were brought into slavery;
Slave factories on the African Coast?
The Middle Passage?
Being sold at auction?
Back up your answer with evidence.

2. I can… We are learning to… Describe life for slaves on the plantations
Explain why resistance was so difficult in a N5 question

3. Background
Once slaves were bought at auction, they became the property of their masters
They carried out backbreaking work
Slaves usually worked on large plots of land picking/ cultivating coffee, tobacco or sugar
The places where they worked were known as plantations

4. Task: Getting our Knowledge points Divide a double page into four sections with the following headings;
1. Working conditions on plantations 2. Active Resistance 3. Passive Resistance 4. Punishments

5. As we move through the information, decide where it fits best What you also could do is a quick picture or symbol that helps you remember a point of information
Eg.
The work was often done in blistering heat Or

6. Information 1
Slave owners used ‘overseers’ to watch over slaves and increase productivity – they were the most hated person (usually a fellow African) on a plantation as they whipped and beat slaves regularly
Slaves worked 18 hour days, and up to 48 hours during harvests as sugar spoiled quickly
There were strict laws or ‘codes’ dictating what slaves could and couldn’t do
Life expectancy on plantations was about 7-9 years; reaching 27 was considered lucky

7. Information 2 Being a ‘house slave’ was considered a privileged job
Slaves with skills eg. Carpenters had slightly better working conditions – shorter hours, more food etc
Many slaves deliberately worked slowly so their masters made less money
Slaves played up to stereotypes of Africans being stupid to do less work
Slaves were usually chained together while they were working to reduce possibility of revolt/ running away

8. Information 3
Slaves usually had Sundays off as most plantation owners were religious
Most slaves spent time with family or attended church; a few drank and gambled
Some slaves tried to poison their masters or physically fight back
Very few slaves ran away as Caribbean islands were small and covered in jungle so there was nowhere to go
Many slaves had no education and were brainwashed into accepting life on the plantation

9. Information 4
There were around 20 slaves for every master; BUT masters were well armed with guns as they were terrified of revolts
Any slaves who successfully revolted were always caught and put to death to teach others a lesson
There were few slaves who were willing to lead a rebellion so no one to lead resistance
If a slave stepped out of line or did not follow rules, they could be sold & separated from their families

10. Roots clip

11. Task two : Use your knowledge
Explain the reasons why resistance was difficult for slaves on plantations. 6 marks (from N5 specimen paper) Resistance was difficult on the plantations because… and this meant…

12. Answers Slaves were controlled by strict laws/ codes
Slave risings lacked effective leadership
Slave uprisings were quickly put down by better armed whites
Plantation owners used ‘overseers’ to supervise, control and beat slaves
Slaves were scared they might be sold off & separated from families
Punishments were so severe (death) they discouraged rebellion
Caribbean islands were small/ there was nowhere to run to
Slaves with no education were brainwashed into accepting slavery

13. On the Plantation: Improve your knowledge!
Thomas Thistlewood was an English man living in Jamaica during the 18th century He owned around 34 slaves You will read the stories of two of his slaves; take notes and be ready to share the story with the rest of your group

14. Roles Phibbah and Lincoln’s stories Sawno and Chub’s stories
Jimmy & Franke’s stories
Bess & Abba’s stories

15. Life as Thistlewood’s slaves – Key points
Disease very common – crab yaws
Branded
Punishments – whipping, flogging
Privileges – money, rum, ticket for a gun, livestock
Thistlewood had relationships
Different jobs
Paired up ‘matched’ – babies
Given new names
Music was punished
Given medical treatment
Pregnancies – miscarriage. Infant death was common
Women given money/ rum for sex

16. Thistlewood’s Punishments - Examples
Flogging (constant whipping)
Pickling (putting vinegar in wounds)
Putting slaves in iron bars that hold them up by the ankles (bilboes)
Covering a slave in sugar and leaving them outside to the mosquitoes (with hands tied together)
Chaining slaves to immovable weights

17. The Effect of the Slave Trade on the Caribbean
Starter; Would the Slave Trade have a positive or negative effect on Caribbean Islands?

19. How did the slave trade affect the Caribbean Islands?
The native people (the Arawaks) were wiped out and replaced with West Africans who worked on the plantations
Population change: Africans eventually outnumbered the white population by 20 to 1
The fear surrounding this created a racist legal system which severely punished slaves if they committed ‘offences’ such as playing a drum or going out after dark
The focus on sugar production for Europe damaged the Jamaican economy – it relied on sugar 100% and when the price fell it was a disaster for the Island
The impact of the British slave trade has left Islands like Jamaica feeling a strong sense of anger and injustice for the harm and poverty caused by Britain
The slave trade created deep race divisions in the Caribbean – divisions between white and black communities, taboo of inter-race marriage etc.

20. Bob Marley - Redemption song
Arawak People

21. Specimen Paper Q

22. 2015 Paper

23. Case Study: Haiti
Initially a Spanish then French colony (Saint Dominique)
100+ sugar plantations established between
Haiti was the main destination for French slave ships
Average life span of a slave in Haiti was 7 years
Easy access to slaves coupled with soaring profits from cash crops created a situation in which the slave population of Haiti vastly outnumbered free colonists.
even with inferior numbers, the French were able to establish a system in which the lopsided population didn’t work against them: for a century, they didn’t face a massive slave revolt.
However, as time wore on, and as the rich plantation owners and working class colonists fought amongst themselves over their relationship (and privileges) with France,
The slaves, who outnumbered the free population more than 10 to 1, began to organize.
Eventually, their organization led to the Haitian Revolution

24. Starter – N5 Question
Explain the effects of the Atlantic Slave Trade on the Caribbean. 6 marks The Atlantic slave trade affected the Caribbean by… x6