Beyond Massa

Kyle Lamorrell

Student ID number: 816002568

Course Coordinator. John F Campbell

Date: 16/09/2016

“Chattel, no souls, compulsory tools,” these are some of the ways in which Africans slaves were described in the book Beyond Massa by John Campbell. Can you imagine being viewed as a compulsory tool? Like a thief in the night the Europeans came and kidnapped the Africans from their homes and brought them to the Caribbean with a sole purpose to work on the sugar-cane plantations. However, on the Golden Grove plantation in Jamaica due to many factors the enslaved Africans had to take on additional tasks.

One main factor was shortage of labour. Sugar-cane plantations required a large and constant labour force to carry out various task. Estate Manager of Golden Grove, Simon Taylor explained “The Leander arrived some little time age and brought a very unhealthy Cargo,” (Beyond Massa: sugar management in the British Caribbean, 1770- 1834 J. Campbell – Calaloux Publications – 2012 Page23). Due to the conditions on-board the ships many slaves died or were unhealthy leaving less labour available for plantation. Hence, the remaining healthy slaves would be assigned to having more than one tasks.

The production of Sugar-cane involved a long process that didn’t run smoothly but experienced unexpected demands or tasks which lead too “Double Job Allocation”. Flooding which was caused by dried cane leaves blocking irrigation channels made slaves having to take on an additional task to clear the blocked drains immediately. Another unexpected task was caused by caterpillars which were pests and affected young canes by causing it to not produce a high standard of product. The chattel had to be called upon to nurse sick plants and to eradicate the undesirables in the field. In 1781, after Jamaica was bamboozled by a gale, Simon Taylor reported that “Your Plantain walk and Negro Ground was quiet down and foul and your Negroes are very weakly,” (Beyond Massa: sugar...