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Colonial Society

Colonial Society. Chapter 1 and more. Earliest Settlers. Filibusters Pirates, freebooters and Buccaneers who hunted hides in the interior. Started in trafficking of tobacco in 1670’s 1685 indigo introduced Beginnings of plantation economy

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Colonial Society

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  1. Colonial Society Chapter 1 and more

  2. Earliest Settlers • Filibusters • Pirates, freebooters and Buccaneers who hunted hides in the interior. • Started in trafficking of tobacco in 1670’s • 1685 indigo introduced • Beginnings of plantation economy • Engages- white peasant class from western France who signed multi year contracts to work in the colony. • 1670 founding of Le Cap – Bertrand D’Ogeron

  3. Colonial history • 1697 treaty of Ryswick • 1698- Company of St Louis • 1500 French immigrants • 2500 Africans as free farmers • Sugar Boom • Tastes in Europe change • Increase in demand for sugar equaled increase in demand for slaves

  4. Pearl of the Antillies • Richest colony in the world • Coffee • Indigo • Cocoa • Sugar • 210 million French pounds inannual in trade in exports • 500 million in total trade (including slavery and trade with Europe)

  5. Colonial society • Stratified society • Colonial administration • Governor appointed by France • Intendant-appointed the crown • Military appointed by the crown, • Attorney General • All appointed by French crown. • From the nobility • Highest authority in the colony • Grand Blans –BlanBlans • Petit Blans- Faux Blans • 27,000 whites • White consciousness- The lowest white man saw himself as equal of any rich whiteman in terms of respect he felt due. • A white was never wrong vis a vis the black

  6. Colored society • Affranchis- Mullatos, Free Blacks 30,000 • Owned 25% of the slaves • 25% of the real-estate • 1/3 of the plantations • Imitated white manners • Educated in France • Slaves • 500,000 • From 1700-1792- average 14,500 slaves • From 1764-1792- average 26,400 per year • From 1783-1792- 37,000 a year • By 1789 2/3 of the slaves in the colony were foreign born • 50% mortality rate

  7. Slaves • At bottom of social structure. • Were not free • Worked 12+ hour days • Ateliers • Divided by strength and health • Commanded by a “commandeur” a slave • Generally a Creole slave (one born in the colony) • Would become leaders of the revolution • Toussaint, Jean-Francois were commandeaurs • 24 hour sugar production • Skilled slaves • Carpenters, blacksmiths, houseslaves • Slave diet- manioc, beans, dried fish • Small plot of land • Needed to grow food to feed themselves • Looked after • Violences- Calculate brutality that maintained the slave order

  8. Weapons of the Strong • Code noire-1685 defined the conditions of slavery in the French Colonies • Provided several regulations for interactions between white and black • Terror- Used by white elite to keep slaves in check • Buffered by violence • Mutilation • Whipping • Torture • Burning • Genital mutilation • Le Jeune • Religion- Children of Hamm • Only Catholicism was allowed to be practiced in the colony • Brainwashing- Africans and blackness demeaned • Socially dead people

  9. Weapons of the Weak • Resistance was, therefore, a natural and necciary features of slavery. • Open and Covert resistance • Resistance • Creole language- means to communicate between slaves • Infanticide , suicide, murder • Work slowdowns • Burning of crops • Poisoning of live stock • Damaging of machines • Run away-Maroons • At times entire ateliers lead by a commandeur • Vodou (42) • Dances- Don Pedre

  10. Tensions in the colony • Grand Blancs had all the power • Petit blancs saw Grands get rich and they never gained any advantages • Despised the Grand Blancs who acted as their superiors • Served as plantation managers in the country; lawyers shop keepers ect in the city • Affranchis caught in dubious position • Some as rich, or richer than whites • Julian Raymond • Repressed by various codes that limited what they could wear, gave them a curfew, did not allow them to claim their fathers and forbade them from hitting white people in self defense. Could be killed or maimed. • Members of a subordinate second class

  11. Cracks in the armor. • The Slave society was buttressed by an uneasy alliance between Grand Blans, Petit blans, and Affranchis. • Although they had their conflicts they were all united in maintaining the slave order • Shared mutual interests • French Revolution in Haiti • Oge, Raymond • Oge-Chavannes

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