The Haitian Revolution had a huge impact on the island of Barbados. While topographically, the island of Barbados was the most unsuitable for rebellion (Hart, 36), the psychological effect that the Haitian Revolution had on the slaves in Barbados cannot be overstated. These people had been enslaved for over a century and had an enslaved and entrenched state of mind. When the news reached them that slaves had successfully raised up against their masters and gained their freedom, it was like a whole new world had opened up in front of them.
The white slave owners were worried about a similar event happening on Barbados and took legislative actions to further control the lives of the enslaved people. The first such action the Assembly took was the Registry Bill which “mandated a count and documentation of the entire enslaved population” (Beckles, Great House Rules, 24). The new restrictions made it harder for enslaved people to meet in large numbers which is exactly what the masters wanted. If the enslaved people could not meet in large numbers, it was harder to foment rebellion. The effect on the slaves was most obvious in the enslaved peoples’ behavior. The slaves had begun to act more aggressively and were beginning to refuse to cooperate. This aggressiveness as read by the owners was most likely a new assertiveness they had never seen in their slaves. Since 1804 when the Haitian revolutionaries declared independence from France, “Assembly debates [in Barbados] focused increasingly upon this apparent insolent attitude among slaves” (Beckles, 79) which brought even more restrictive measures to the slaves lives. The non-slave holding whites sided with the slave owners to preserve the life and society they knew. Most wanted to maintain the life they were accustomed to and were not concerned with the effect that slavery had on the whole society, much less the enslaved people.
The Haitian Revolution also influenced Britain’s abolitionist to become more active. Abolitionist began to step up their activities in Barbados and other British colonies trying to get the slaves involved in securing their own freedom. The abolitionist saw what could happen if the slaves took the initiative but they did not want the emancipation to happen in the same way it did in Saint Domingue. The abolitionist dreamed of an orderly emancipation instead of the violent rebellion that took place in Saint Domingue. Abolitionists in England were gaining ground in Parliament after the Haitian Revolution as evidenced by the 1807 Slave Trade Abolition Act (Beckles, 78). They had hoped that this removal of slave trading would reduce the amount of slaves present in the colonies over time which would lead to the eventual emancipation of all slaves.
The enslaved people of Barbados took heart upon hearing the news of the successful revolt of the slaves on Saint Domingue. The restrictions the white owners put on the enslaved people made it hard for them to congregate in large numbers, so it took longer for the slaves to get a well planned revolt together. In 1816, the long feared revolt occurred. It was called Bussa’s Rebellion and it was the first and only slave revolt to take place on the island of Barbados. The revolt started in the south-eastern parish of St. Philip and spread throughout most of the central and southern parishes on the island (Beckles, 79). The revolt only lasted three days but the inspiration for it was clear.
The Haitian Revolution’s impact on the island of Barbados was more psychological than anything else. For the masters, the Haitian Revolution inspired fear of imminent revolt and constant plotting by their slaves. For the abolitionist, it was proof that there work had a purpose. It proved that the slaves wanted to be free and the abolitionist could help facilitate a peaceful transition to avoid the violence and bloodshed of the Haitian Revolution. The biggest impact by far was on the slaves. The successful revolt of the slaves on Saint Domingue showed the slaves that emancipation was possible. They believed that if they took their destinies in their own hands that freedom could be obtained in the near future. This led to more aggressiveness (or assertiveness, depending on which perspective you were looking at it from) and less cooperation with the masters. Although emancipation was not obtained until 1838, the Haitian Revolution inspired the slaves and encouraged them to look to a brighter future for themselves and their children.
Bibliography
Hart, Richard. From Occupation to Independence: A Short History of the Peoples of the English-Speaking Caribbean Region. (London: Pluto Press, 1998) 36.
Beckles, Hilary. A History of Barbados: From Amerindian Settlement to Nation-State (New York: Cambridge, 1990), 78-80.
Beckles, Hilary. Great House Rules: Landless Emancipation and Workers’ Protest in Barbados. (Kingston: Ian Randle Publishers, 2004) 24-28.
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