Slaves were not recorded as immigrants. Instead they were documented as property or cargo aboard ships. Some West-Indians chose to identify as the ethnicity they were born into while others changed their ethnic identification or married into a family of superior racial status to avoid social adversity.
Abolition may have ended slavery but it certainly did not end pro-slavery ideology...[1] |
This work (Newly arrived coolies in Trinidad, by unknown), identified by Rhea King, is free of known copyright restrictions.
Documentation
All freed slaves were required to keep their “certificate of freedom” on their person with no exceptions. To be caught without proper documentation led to immediate imprisonment. Even freed slaves faced the fear of being captured and sold back into slavery in other pro-slavery countries. If they were able to provide their required papers after being jailed they still owed the government a fee to pay the cost of their jail time.[3]
Identity
After emancipation black veterans found it very difficult to receive government pensions. In order to be eligible for these pensions, veterans were required to provide proper paperwork and documentation. Many former slaves found this to be a major obstacle. It was very common for slaves to change their names after emancipation. Most adopted the last names of their slave owners but it was very popular to change their last names to that of their fathers after they were freed. This migration of identity was very common among slaves who wished to relinquish themselves of the chains that once bound their identities.[2]
All freed slaves were required to keep their “certificate of freedom” on their person with no exceptions. To be caught without proper documentation led to immediate imprisonment. Even freed slaves faced the fear of being captured and sold back into slavery in other pro-slavery countries. If they were able to provide their required papers after being jailed they still owed the government a fee to pay the cost of their jail time.[3]
Identity
After emancipation black veterans found it very difficult to receive government pensions. In order to be eligible for these pensions, veterans were required to provide proper paperwork and documentation. Many former slaves found this to be a major obstacle. It was very common for slaves to change their names after emancipation. Most adopted the last names of their slave owners but it was very popular to change their last names to that of their fathers after they were freed. This migration of identity was very common among slaves who wished to relinquish themselves of the chains that once bound their identities.[2]
Education
Schools for West-Indians were very short on funding and lacked proper curriculum in comparison to white schools. Many focused on penmanship, reading, and spelling to give their students the opportunity to keep up with the society’s current literary expectations. The ability to read and write was imperative to freed slaves because it protected them from being taken advantage of financially and lawfully.[2]
Schools for West-Indians were very short on funding and lacked proper curriculum in comparison to white schools. Many focused on penmanship, reading, and spelling to give their students the opportunity to keep up with the society’s current literary expectations. The ability to read and write was imperative to freed slaves because it protected them from being taken advantage of financially and lawfully.[2]
Finding Work
After abolition there was an debilitating lack of labor in the colonized islands. Many former slaves, all of whom received no reparations after abolition, took advantage of this shortage and migrated to places such as Trinidad to find work. These migrants were indented to their employers and found themselves to be in a very familiar predicament. Indentured laborers were usually treated no better than slaves and received next to no payment. They were forced to endure hazardous living arrangements and starvation and received no healthcare.[3]
After abolition there was an debilitating lack of labor in the colonized islands. Many former slaves, all of whom received no reparations after abolition, took advantage of this shortage and migrated to places such as Trinidad to find work. These migrants were indented to their employers and found themselves to be in a very familiar predicament. Indentured laborers were usually treated no better than slaves and received next to no payment. They were forced to endure hazardous living arrangements and starvation and received no healthcare.[3]
Jamaican laborers cutting sugar cane by GettyImages is free of copyright
[1] Ancestors from the West Indies- A Historical and Genealogical Overview of Afro-Caribbean Immigration, 1900–1930s
[2] Voices of Emancipation Union Pension Files Giving Voice to Former Slaves, Winter 2005, Vol. 37, No. 4 By Donald R. Shaffer and Elizabeth Regosin
[3] “Slavery in the British and French Caribbean.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Apr. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_British_and_French_Caribbean.
[4] “Slave.” Slave Dictionary Definition | Slave Defined, Apr. 2018, www.yourdictionary.com/slave.
[5] National Archives UK. “Indian Indenture System.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Apr. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_indenture_system.
[2] Voices of Emancipation Union Pension Files Giving Voice to Former Slaves, Winter 2005, Vol. 37, No. 4 By Donald R. Shaffer and Elizabeth Regosin
[3] “Slavery in the British and French Caribbean.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Apr. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_British_and_French_Caribbean.
[4] “Slave.” Slave Dictionary Definition | Slave Defined, Apr. 2018, www.yourdictionary.com/slave.
[5] National Archives UK. “Indian Indenture System.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Apr. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_indenture_system.