brazilian hatiian slavery

The European colonies in the Americas were built upon the backs of the African slaves whose unpaid labor produced immense capital for Atlantic economies. Taken from their African homelands and thrust into the Americas, Black slaves labored under the hot Western sun to produce cash crops to add to the coffers of others. The slaves had no economic incentive to produce for their masters. To provide the necessary motivation, the slave masters relied above all on violence to coerce their slaves into labor. The slave trade and the production of cash crops created great wealth and was of great benefit to men on either side of the Atlantic, with the notable exception of the individuals who actually performed the labor.

The history of Africans in the Americas is as much a history of slavery as it is a history of resistance to enslavement. From the moment they set foot on American soil, Africans plotted against their masters. Haiti and Brazil were two regions where slavery was as especially important as it was harsh. An African, upon touching Brazilian soil, had a life expectancy of sixteen years—eight years if he was sentenced carrying coffee. (Conrad 125) One third of all Haitian slaves died within several years. (Klubock) Both nation

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By the early 1800’s, blacks in that region outnumbered both whites and mulattos by more than twenty to one. A document written in 1814, following a slave uprising states that "almost all of them can read and write in unknown characters which are similar to the Arabic used among the Ussás, who now evidently have made an alliance with the Nagós. But, before he could bring his plan to fruition, he became drunk and was discovered. (Conrad 390)

Despite the industriousness of many quilombos others relied on less productive means of procuring wealth. Other slaves attempted permanent escape. (Conrad 410)

The same document also claims that the slaves of Bahia had knowledge of the slave rebellion of Haiti, which had come to a close ten years earlier. These quilombos became centers of African culture where African languages and customs predominated. This scheme was the brainchild of the Mackandal, a maroon leader from Guinea. As Conrad wrote, "The problem of runaway slaves placed a permanent claim on the energies and assets of the slaveholding class" (362). "They know about and discuss the disastrous occurrences that took place on the island of Saint Domingue, and one hears mutinous claims that by St. Toussaint L’Overture, who had been a cattle manager for his master, joined the revolution at this point and later became its leader. The high ranking slaves were the recipients of better food, clothing, treatment were more frequently manumitted. However, it is interesting to note that the large proportion of Africans was also an obstacle to unity in that the various ethnic groups were fractious. At these gatherings, he and other slaves were able to plan the simultaneous arson of the plantations of Le Cap (James 88). (Conrad 397)

Other slave insurrections had more ambitious goals, including the wholesale slaughter of all whites.

Approximate Word count = 1866
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

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