The islands of the Caribbean operated as slave societies, generating huge profits for plantation owners and unimaginable misery for the enslaved people who worked there. But the Caribbean was also the site of constant resistance, as enslaved people sought to assert their dignity and humanity.
Hidden Stories of Resistance
These lessons are based around the key concept of evidence and use detailed and fascinating case studies to ask, ‘How do historians reconstruct hidden stories of resistance in the Caribbean. Lesson 1 looks at advertisements for ‘runaways’ to uncover the stories of female self-emancipators. Lesson 2 looks at the story of an unnamed Barbadian girl who set fire to the home of her enslaver. Lesson 3 again turns to advertisements for self-emancipators and reads enslaver sources ‘against the grain’.
Life on Plantations
These lessons look at detailed case studies of life on Jamaican Plantations for men and women. Lesson 1 looks at a case study of the Rozell Plantation and focuses on the male experience, while Lesson 2 looks at the female experience of the Rose Hall Plantation.
The importance of markets to enslaved women
It is often wrongly assumed that all enslaved people were confined to the plantation on which they worked. This lesson looks at the importance of markets to enslaved women as a place to meet, resist and self-emancipate.
Soldiers of the West Indian Regiment
Between 1795 and 1807, The British army was the single biggest purchaser of enslaved Africans. 7% of all enslaved Africans (13, 400 men) transported to the West Indies became soldiers. This lesson looks at resistance by enslaved soldiers in the West Indian Regiment.
Culture among enslaved people
This lesson looks at different aspects of the culture of enslaved people. It uses primary sources and historians’ accounts to show how culture drew on diverse heritages which hybridised in slave societies. It looks particularly at Obeah and foodways.
What can runaway advertisements tell us about how enslaved children resisted?
This lesson involves close reading and source analysis of several examples of advertisements for ‘runaway slaves’ (self-emanicipators).
Were there distinctive female patterns of resistance by enslaved people?
This lesson looks at why the gendered roles of women in the Caribbean presented different opportunities for resistance.
What role did music play in the lives of enslaved people?
This lesson uses the five Cs (control, creativity, celebration, communication and cultural continuity) to explore the role that music played in the lives of enslaved people. It uses examples of Barbadian and Grenadian music.
How similar were different rebellions and revolutions by enslaved people in the Caribbean?
These lessons introduce learners to three different rebellions and revolutions in the Caribbean during the era of slavery, in St John’s, in Haiti (Saint-Domingue) and in Jamaica, through an exercise using a board, dice and cards.
What did resistance to slavery look like?
These lessons encourage learners to consider enslaved people’s resistance to slavery, both overt and covert. Lesson 1 introduces the key terms and activities of resistance. Lesson 2 focuses particularly on maroons and self-emancipation. Lesson 3 focuses on everyday resistance. As well as three sets of slides there are multiple printable resources.
Childhood and Slavery
These lessons, aimed at upper primary, take childhood as their focus. Lesson 1 compares like for Igbo children in Africa and on plantations. Lesson 2 looks at enslaved children’s resistance on plantations, while Lesson 3 looks at the ‘Sugar Boycott’ protest that saw British children refusing to eat sweets!