Caribbean history

Caribbean History Identured Labour Portuguese (Madeirans and Maltese) Group Members: Robinette Hemely Tehri-ann Brown Chamoya Cameron Joenel Bent Kimberly Graham Latifa Poorman Tamara Gooden Tamoy Gayle Teacher: Mrs. Wolfe Form: 5m Destination Where they came? Most Madeirans came to the the British Guyana to work on a plantation in Demarara. Madeirans in Guyana * In 1834 the fisrt 40 Madeirans came to Guyana to work as indentured labourers on a ship called “ Louisa Belle. ” * By the end of 1835, 553 Madeirans came on another trip to Guyana * In the time period 1836-1839 no Madeirans came to Guyana (As the Portuguese government did not want to see all their subjects leave * In 1839, 209 Maltese (from Malta) came to Guyana * Things picked up in 1840 as 15 Madeirans came and in 1841, 4297 arrived * In 1846 alone 6000 Madeirans arrived due to great famine in their country * In 1848, 4000 Madeirans were added to the pack * In 1881, The largest number went to Guyana- 32, 216 Madeirans * The last set came in 1882 Mdeirans in Trinidad * The first 125 Madeirans went to Trinidad in 1834 * A small amount went to Trinidad because of the 1846 famine Note * Because of the famine Madeira small numbers went St. Vincent, Grenada, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, and Jamaica. When the famine ended in 1847 the immigration slackened and was confined to mainly Guyana, St. Kitts and Antigua. Recruitment The “ Bounty” System Their recruitment was a part of a migration system based on the “ bounty” system. Under this system, public money, made available by the British government was used to pay the planters for each immigrant transported to the colony. The first 40 Immigrants came through a private enterprise of the planters who were made aware of great poverty and political instability in the island. Push and Pull Factors Push Factors 1. Poverty in Madeira 2. Political instability 3. Emigrants returned to Madeira with earnings which encouraged family members 4. The famine that fell on their country in 1846 5. Low wages. In Madeira workers were paid only 3 to 4 pence per day. Pull Factors 1. Work was available and this would free them from poverty 2. Food was available in the British West Indies in contrast to Madeira 3. Attracted by prospects of higher wages in the British West Indies Success/Failure By large The Europeans turned out to be unsuccessful labourers. Many of those who went to Jamaica were accustomed to sea-faring life and thought agricultural labour uncongenial. In all colonies, employers failed to provide adequate food, shelter and medical facilities to overcome the difficult initial period of acclimatization. Immigrants fell prey to the hot climatic conditions especially in Jamaica combined with excessive rum drinking. While the survivors unwilling to do work previously done by slaves, drifted into the towns, emigrated to the United States, or returned to their native countries.(from the book, POST EMANCIPATION HISTORY OF THE WEST INDIES) Terms of Their Contracts LEGAL DOCUMENTS: (This is an example) This INDENTURE Witnesseth that James Best a Labourer doth Voluntarily put himself Servant to Captain Stephen Jones Master of the Snow Sally to serve the said Stephen Jones and his Assigns, for and during the full Space, Time and Term of three Years from the first Day of the said James’ arrival in Philadelphia in AMERICA, during which Time or Term the said Master or his Assigns shall and will find and supply the said James with sufficient Meat, Drink, Apparel, Lodging and all other necessaries befitting such a Servant, and at the end and expiration of said Term, the said James to be made Free, and receive according to the Custom of the Country. Provided nevertheless, and these Presents are on this Condition, that if the said James shall pay the said Stephen Jones or his Assigns 15 Pounds British in twenty one Days after his arrival he shall be Free, and the above Indenture and every Clause therein, absolutely Void and of no Effect. In Witness whereof the said Parties have hereunto interchangeably put their Hands and Seals the 6th Day of July in the Year of our Lord, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy Three in the Presence of the Right Worshipful Mayor of the City of London. (Signatures) When the ship arrived, the captain would often advertise in a newspaper that indentured servants were for sale:[13] Just imported, on board the Snow Sally, Captain Stephen Jones, Master, from England, A number of healthy, stout English and Welsh Servants and Redemptioners, and a few Palatines [Germans], amongst whom are the following tradesmen, viz. Blacksmiths, watch-makers, coppersmiths, taylors, shoemakers, ship-carpenters and caulkers, weavers, cabinet-makers, ship-joiners, nailers, engravers, copperplate printers, plasterers, bricklayers, sawyers and painters. Also schoolmasters, clerks and book-keepers, farmers and labourers, and some lively smart boys, fit for various other employments, whose times are to be disposed of. Enquire of the Captain on board the vessel, off Walnut-street wharff, or of MEASE and CALDWELL. When a buyer was found, the sale would be recorded at the city court. The Philadelphia Mayor’s Court Indenture Book, page 742, for September 18, 1773 has the following entry: James Best, who was under Indenture of Redemption to Captain Stephen Jones now cancelled in consideration of £ 15, paid for his Passage from London bound a servant to David Rittenhouse of the City of Philadelphia & assigns three years to befound all necessaries.(this example came from WIKIPEDIA) RESTRICTIONS Indentures could not marry without the permission of their owner, were subject to physical punishment (like many young ordinary servants), and saw their obligation to labour enforced by the courts. To ensure uninterrupted work by the female servants, the law lengthened the term of their indenture if they became pregnant. But unlike slaves, servants were guaranteed to be eventually released from bondage. At the end of their term they received a payment known as ” freedom dues” and become free members of society.  One could buy and sell indentured servants’ contracts, and the right to their labour would change hands, but not the person as a piece of property. Both male and female labourers could be subject to violence, occasionally even resulting in death.  Richard Hofstadter notes that, as slaves arrived in greater numbers after 1700, white labourers became a ” privileged stratum, assigned to lighter work and more skilled tasks” Additional information * When planters started the cost of the passage they insisted on contracts. However, as these contracts were signed as arrival, there was little a planter could do if the terms were refused. This frequently happened in British Guiana and Trinidad. * For most of the 1840s, the British government would only permit contracts signed on arrival in the colony. * The contracts stipulated the number of days to be worked, the hours to be worked in a day, the daily wages and conditions about return passages. Conditions * A contract would run for five years from the day of arrival in the colony to, every day of the year except for holidays and time spent in prison. Time spent in prison would have to be mad up for after the contract time ended. * A field labourer on a plantation had to work seven hours per day and a factory labourer ten hours. * The wages were 1/- per day (later 1/6d) for men over 16 years as they were seen as healthy and 8d per day for women or boy under 16. * For the first 3 months of arrival food would be provided but 4d could be deducted from his/her wage for this. * The labourers were to be housed in barracks, rent free and would receive free medicine and hospitalisation. * A breach of labour laws was regarded a crime and the immigrant could not give evidence in his/her own defence. * For minor offences such as not answering to ones name at the mornings roll, a fine of 5pounds could be imposed. Indentured Labour Black immigration failed to solve the labour problem of planters in British Guyana or Trinidad. Many believe they might have better fortune by turning to indentured labourers. They were returning to the system which had been tried in the sugar colonies before slavery, but with one important difference. The bond-servants of the seventeenth century had been poor error Europeans. The indentured labourers of the nineteenth century came from the many parts of the world where European traders and soldiers had become powerful. In other ways the system was the same. Poor, land less people would be recruited to work on the plantations with promises of a free passage and a small plot of land after they had worked for a few years. (From the book CARIBBEAN STORIES BOOK TWO: THE INHERITORS) Bibliography References Authors A Post Emancipation History of the West Indies Isaac Dookham Caribbean Story (book two: The Inheritors William Claypole & John Robottom Emancipation to Emigration R. Greenwood and S. Hamber Google Wikipedia the Free Encyclopaedia