The Plantation is an organized process of production that operate as a community with a rigid system of social stratification. How has the social system under plantocracy resulted in the quality of work that descendants of slaves have to/are performing today? Given such restrictions and order of the plantation system itself, in what ways could labourers have taken advantage of the systems?
NB: Once you have made your comment the a notification will be sent to the system. If you do not see you comment published, do not be alarmed, it will appear sometime afterwards.
- Word limit 250 - 300 words
- References should be made using The Chicago Manual of Style
- Word limit 250 - 300 words
- References should be made using The Chicago Manual of Style
Yes most definitely the plantation system was one of social stratification, where the slaves were at the bottom of the pyramid. It therefore has a link currently in the Caribbean today leading to the quality of life to the slave’s descendants. But it may not be only one.
ReplyDeleteOne main factor which can almost lead to a direct link to the descendents of slave’s quality of life today would be from the quality of land the slaves took when they were freed. This type of land was marginal land which was mainly in mountainous areas, hilly, infertile and of a very poor quality. Compared to the plantation lands which was flat, fertile and very well irrigated and should have been the choice of land to be taken by the slaves.
This land has been passed down from generations to generations and though it may seem that the farming practices currently would be in better shape now than it did many years ago, it is definitely not.
In fact it may even be worst, the land would have most like been divided among families and gotten smaller, would be very infertile due to constant farming. Farmers’ today farm on mainly low fertile, low irrigated land mainly in the rural section of the economies. This is not their fault though since it was the quality given to them years ago and they just simply used it. This would be very different if the slaves had taken advantage of the plantation lands instead of the marginal lands maybe just maybe farming and descendents of slaves would have an overall better quality of life and standard of living today.
Joshua Dhanpaul
812001979
I most definitely agree that, based on the quality of land that the ex-slaves took when they were freed, which was marginal, low fertility and irrigation land, have also influenced how it has been adapted from the generations passed as it is being performed by farmers of today. Secondly, I agree with how they could have taken advantage of the plantation systems if they had larger plots of land to cultivate on. However, this small quality of land they were given many years ago, restricted them from planting and producing a large - scale system of crops like the sugar plantations. So, not only could the freed slaves have taken advantage of the system by choosing the sugar plantations instead of the marginal lands, they could have also taken advantage of these plantations by producing a larger number of crops which could have also helped in influencing their overall standard of living today. If this was the case many years ago, then these ex-slaves would of been able to earn higher wages for themselves, as they would be able to hire workers to work for them and have better farming techniques and new machineries to help in the cultivation of their crops, thereby moving away completely from hand labour that was used on the sugar estates. However this is not the case in the real world because even though the slaves became free, they were still restricted to some extent so they could remain inferior to the Europeans or ‘whites’ . In Conclusion, it is the 'brain drain' effect that the legacy of the plantation system left, that the whites will always be on top and the Africans/blacks will always be at the bottom of the social stratification pyramid and it is this that also created the low lifestyle that still exist in the lives of many farmers across the region today.
DeleteReference : 1.Dookhan, Issac., A Pre-Emancipation History of the West Indies.Jamaica: Longman,1971.
I most definitely agree that, based on the quality of land that the ex-slaves took when they were freed, which was marginal, low fertility and irrigation land, have also influenced how it has been adapted from the generations passed as it is being performed by farmers of today. Secondly, I agree with how they could have taken advantage of the plantation systems if they had larger plots of land to cultivate on. However, this small quality of land they were given many years ago, restricted them from planting and producing a large - scale system of crops like the sugar plantations. So, not only could the freed slaves have taken advantage of the system by choosing the sugar plantations instead of the marginal lands, they could have also taken advantage of these plantations by producing a larger number of crops which could have also helped in influencing their overall standard of living today. If this was the case many years ago, then these ex-slaves would of been able to earn higher wages for themselves, as they would be able to hire workers to work for them and have better farming techniques and new machineries to help in the cultivation of their crops, thereby moving away completely from hand labour that was used on the sugar estates. However this is not the case in the real world because even though the slaves became free, they were still restricted to some extent so they could remain inferior to the Europeans or ‘whites’ . In Conclusion, it is the 'brain drain' effect that the legacy of the plantation system left, that the whites will always be on top and the Africans/blacks will always be at the bottom of the social stratification pyramid and it is this that also created the low lifestyle that still exist in the lives of many farmers across the region today.
DeleteReference : 1.Dookhan, Issac., A Pre-Emancipation History of the West Indies.Jamaica: Longman,1971.
NAME: PRISCILLA GUEVERRA
ID No. : 812005436
The plantation system was more than a mode of crop production, it was its own social institution, consisted a community, society and had its own hierarchy, which enforced social stratification. Being African slaves at the bottom of this pyramid being laborers, conversely the European Plantation owners were atop the masses of slaves.
ReplyDeleteThis form of stratification has established into the mindset of modern day descendants of slaves, a form of an inferiority complex, as during slavery, slaves were given the bare minimum share of resources. Even after the freedom of slaves, this has continued, the ex-slaves were “given” marginal lands, infertile, hilly or uncleared lands on which they were to do their farming, build their communities in comparison to the rich, flat plantation lands. In spite of this they also were not granted deeds to their land so land ownership is unclear. This has affected their descendants’ ability to be at maximum productivity as without land documents, it is difficult to obtain credit which is essential in investing in education and relevant technologies.
Affecting the descendants of slaves also is the sizes of lands, as portions of land have become smaller and fragmented due to splitting up of family lands in order to supply the needs of the of family members. This in turn decreases productivity as the efforts needed to cultivate such small portions of land is too great in comparison to the returns generated, also on small scales, only certain crops are profitable, and due to constant cultivation on the lands, poor agricultural practices and mismanagement of land, production/productivity has decreased in modern times. It is possible that if the ex-slaves had been able to take advantage of plantation lands, their descendants’ standard of living and agricultural production may have been in a better state than it is currently.
Amit Sookoo
I.D.No. 812001643
The plantation system operated as a community with a well structured social system, still has a tremendous effect on the practices and performance of laborers and farmers today in the Caribbean.
ReplyDeleteThe social hierarchy of the plantation system placed a Master at the top, followed by an overseer and at the very bottom the slaves.
Firstly one of the most important factor that influence the performance of farmers today is what happened in 1838 and onward. This was the time in which the slaves were freed, and upon gaining their freedom these former slaves began to acquire and settle on marginal lands which were mainly hilly, non irrigated and infertile. On this infertile land they began to practice subsistence farming in which they would plant several types of crops in small amounts in order to make a living. This type of farming has been passed down the generations and is the dominant form of farming practiced in the Caribbean today.
Secondly the marginal lands in which they occupied were infertile and hilly was then passed down through the generations, each time becoming smaller because parents would equally divide their land among children. However it not only became smaller, but with continuous use along the generations the already infertile soil has been depleted of all its nutrients and can now barely produce a good yield of crop.
It is clear to see now, that with a combination of the land sizes owned becoming smaller, the soil becoming depleted of nutrients as well as the practice of subsistence farming which were all passed down through the generations, that these are the reasons for the poor performance of farmers in the Caribbean today. One way in which the laborers could have taken advantage of the system would be by co-operating and using their land wisely in order to maximize their production and overall profit
Christian Seales
812004863
I strongly believe that in the days of plantocracy, social stratification played an integral part in how the slaves were seen as well as treated amongst the society. The enslaved blacks, whom were brought against their will, were deemed to be of lower status than the free blacks and coloureds which were the offsprings of the enslaved and the white ruling class at the top of the hierarchy.
ReplyDeleteDue to the social system under plantocracy, the descendants of the slaves impacted greatly on the quality of work performed today. One Example would be the pattern of ownership of lands. When slavery was abolished in 1838 the ex-slaves who had not acquired any land, who refused to go back to their homeland and who were no longer under the rule of white slave masters, seeked refuge in hilly areas away from the plantation. This movement away from the plantation to mountainous areas is a factor which influenced the practice of growing cash crops on low fertile lands as the ex-slaves were now in the stages of emancipation and had to provide for themselves and their families. This idea however, as the years went by proved to be not environmentally friendly as practices like slash and burn became prominent when the land’s soil became exhausted. These lands were then abandoned for new nutrient rich lands for the new harvesting season.
In my opinion I think that the labourers should have used their large numbers, grouped together as free ex-slaves and stood up to the plantation owners and demanded at least part of the lands ,since they were taken from their homelands against their will and forced to live in another land unfamiliar to them. The ex- slaves could have also used the coloureds as a key piece in trying to acquire lands since they were deemed to be of higher status.
Tori De Freitas-Baptiste
812003174
The rigid system of social stratification in the days of slavery showed a high degree of communism and had little to no mobility within the hierarchy of positions and responsibilities on the plantations.
ReplyDeleteWith the levels of restrictions of the plantation system, the slaves were terrified because of the penalties they would have to face as a result of disobedience. They would have to pay with their body limbs or even their lives to teach the others a lesson. To get away from this unending nightmare, some slaves risked their lives to escape the plantation system and inhabited the hillsides and mountains. This is one of the reasons why they settled for the marginal lands that had little to no value, i.e. no irrigation, no fertility, swampy and hilly. These marginal lands were then divided into smaller a smaller sizes among the descendants of the slaves. The slaves and their offspring still practiced farming but they included a wide variety of other crops instead of sugarcane alone.
The subdivisions of land continued up until today which is affecting the quality and quantity of crop yields even with the dramatic improvements in farm technology. For instance, most persons today own as little as ¼ acre of agricultural lands and with the introduction of the tractor which they still cannot use due to the limited space it has for turning on the land. They therefore have to resort back to old methods of farming such as a fork to plough.
The problem of farm land today could have being prevented if the slaves had united in their great numbers and strength to claim the valuable lands of the plantation. Due to the fear for their lives, this restricted the slaves from even plotting an escape or claiming valuable lands together when emancipated.
Rena Noel
812003288
The arranging of persons into social strata or classes is part of the plantation system, where the slaves are the labourers of the early days that are at the bottom of the pyramid and the master is at the top of the pyramid. Therefore this social structure has greatly influence into today’s Caribbean agricultural practice and development.
ReplyDeleteOne main factor that has influence today’s agricultural standards is the quality of the land, this is to say that the ex-slaves who were able to settle down on marginal lands which would normally be in the mountainous/hillside area are at variable qualities which is usually consist of little or no potential for profit and often has poor soil fertilization and other undesirable characteristics. This has led to poor performance today compared to the plantation land which were fertile, flat and very well irrigated which the ex-slaves should have taken up.
Another point that needs to be made is that today, acres of land which were passed down from generations to generations were divided up into smaller portions to satisfy the needs of the families. Land ownership is one of the main problems today as there were no documents to support descendants title to land hence it was difficult for farmers to obtain bank loans to invest in education and other essential items.
If the ex-slaves have taken advantage of the plantation land instead of the marginal land agricultural production and productivity would have been different today and the overall quality and standard of life would have been better.
Vinai Chatee
812117182
The social system played a major role under the plantocracy . The plantation system is however one of social stratification. In this social hierarchy, the masters are at the top of the pyramid, then there are the overseers and finally at the bottom are the slaves.
ReplyDeleteThe social structure has greatly impacted the quality of work that the slaves were performing. One factor which influenced the quality of work being done was the type of land they illegally occupied and also the size of the land. These ex-slaves illegally occupied marginal lands which were located on hillsides. These lands were of infertile soil, lack of nutrients and were also irrigated compared to the plantation’s land which was fertile, nourished with nutrients and flat which were favourable to agriculture. These lands available were very small ranging from ¼ - ½ acre, restricting machinery to fit or even turn in them. They eventually got smaller when the ex-slaves began sharing it equally among all his children which in those days were a large amount of children to one family.
Another factor that influenced the quality of work done by the slaves was, they were not granted deeds for their land therefore land ownership was unavailable. This factor has hindered the escalating amount of production that could have been made.
A way in which the labourers could have taken advantage of the plantation system is that they could have taken advantage and utilized the plantation lands which would have led to an increase in yield productivity. Also they could have taken advantage of the system if they were multilingual to help facilitate and enhance the communication process between the masters or overseers and the slaves which would have been a great help in bettering themselves on the plantation system.
Rene Ramlal
812001560
Plantocracy refers to the ruling classes and political or the government within the Caribbean region that are composed or dominated by plantation owners. The ruling classes were divided into three parts, the field workers or slaves, the overseers, and at the top the plantation owners. It played an influential part not only in the West Indies but in British parliament. As the system was very rigid or socially stratified there were many strategies in which labourers would use to take advantage of the system. Some of these are discussed as follows.
ReplyDeleteFirstly the men who were able to communicate with other labourers were the European planters could not, were given control over a set of slaves. Here the person can be seen as a communications officer. Also another way that they could improve their status is to have good relations with the planter in order to move up to domestic work, or even overseers if they were dependant workers, which was much better than working in the fields.
This rigid system in the plantation has also shaped the quality of work in our modern society. One instance, after emancipation and peasantry, the slaves left the plantation to do their own small farming and also work part time on the plantation to earn wages to allow the families to survive. Today we can see many people adopting the same practice where they run small businesses such as taxi or maxi services during the day and have a small farming practice also for household consumption or to sell.
So to put all things together the plantation system created a society that is still very existent in our modern world today. It can be seen by normal everyday people and it still makes a clear resemblance to the plantation back then.
Kareem Garvin
812002898
Is this the first assignment or did I miss one?
ReplyDeleteSunil Ramnarine
# : 811002091
This is the first one
DeleteThe plantation system was indeed a rigid system of stratification that limited the upward mobility of the slaves in that slaves were allowed to migrate upwards from field workers, however, limiting them to being household slaves and overseers i.e. they were never owners(massa). It was only after emancipation in 1838 that they were allowed to become land owners. The indentured slaves were offered land and money in order to avoid shipping costs and were also provided with a “deed of ownership.” Most of the African ex-slaves settled on marginal lands and illegally occupied land. In today’s society, the descendants of these slaves have rights to land and some have become owners but only possess land by “word-of-mouth” and not by deed ownership and can be observed planting on hillsides and lands of low quality. Growing of crops on hillsides has led to agriculture having a low production value because modern day equipment and techniques are not applicable in such conditions. Also, without any “deed of ownership” some ex-slaves (and their descendants today) are unable to acquire credit to improve production and acquire more land. Another issue that directly affects modern times is the fragmentation of land whereby land that was once large pieces have been divided into much smaller parts throughout the generations, so much so that it was impracticable to produce crops on such a small scale and limited the variability of crops. After emancipation, some ex-slaves took advantage of the massa’s desperate need for labourers became part-time workers (or casual workers) for plantations while at the same time marketing their own crops and skills. This practice is seen in today’s modern world whereby large scale agriculture farms and businesses hire labourers who in turn use their wages to purchase raw materials for their smaller scale business and farms.
ReplyDeleteMarcus Hospedales
809003622
The concept of social stratification deals with a division amongst people in a society. The enslaved Africans were automatically looked upon as the inferior civilization under the control of the whites and the plantation owners.
ReplyDeleteAfter the official abolition of slavery in 1838, the ex-slaves settled on the outskirts of the plantation and also alongside hills far away. These lands grew and diminished over the centuries and were brought down from generation to generation. There were major disadvantages associated with the farming practices done which affected the quality yield produced. Soil fertility and nutrition content is also a major factor affecting crop production.
The continuous use of soil without periods of rest depletes its nutrition content preventing quality yields for farmers. This is a major agricultural issue affecting estates today, along with poor farming practices like slash and burn, which was done to get rid of excess debris and unwanted plants. Such practices stripped the agricultural land of its value forcing families to move on to plots elsewhere.
Chances are the plots found would have been much smaller than previously owned. This was practiced over the years, affording descendants less and less amounts of land to farm on, directly affecting productivity, yield and profit for farmers today.
During slavery, certain slaves were afforded various privileges depending on one's skill set. Domestic duties such as taking care if the plantation owner's home and tending to their children is an example of how a slave could move up the hierarchy amongst other slaves like themselves. Also, the artisan (skilled) slaves were respected a little more than those who worked on the fields because they were an important asset to the plantation economy. Without them, the highly skilled process of transforming the sugar cane into its final product would cease, resulting in an economic problem for the plantation owner.
Maria Joseph
ID 812001783
The social system under the plantocracy, resulted in the descendants of slaves still being treated as though they are not as important as the other working class persons. After emancipation, the ex-slaves settled in the mountainous areas and developed their own crops there. The descendants of these slaves have less land space for crop civilization than their ancestors, since the size of the land decreased with each generation. Therefore, the size of the land portion per farmer is small. This deprives the workers of having large, modernized machinery that could assist them in decreasing the human labour hours. Also, since their crops were situated on hilly slopes, they may have to carry away crop produce bit by bit to sell it, which is very time consuming and difficult. Thus, these small scale farmers do not produce a large quantity, or variety of crops, which may also result in pests destroying the entire crop. The descendants may also lack the proper information that could help them in improving their lives and working strategies.
ReplyDeleteSome labourers on the plantation could have been favoured over the other slaves for being of a lighter complexion of skin than the others. They could have been given the privilege of being a house slave rather than a field slave. Another way in which a slave or labourer could have taken advantage of the rigid system of social stratification, is having the ability to read and write. This slave would have been promoted to a more decent job, such as taking records of the plantation’s expenditures and its profits. This slave would be considered to be an educated one and therefore be exempted from do field work.
CANDY CELESTINE
812000003
Slavery was the starting of stratification where it had the owners at the top of the pyramid, the overseers and to the bottom, the field workers. The master class owned all the production of land, labour, capital and enterprise, while the subject class sold their labour for minimum wage and was exploited. This system was rigid, meaning that everything was structured in a small pinnacle in the social pyramid. Presently there are different classes that exist in society, being the rich and the poor. However due to education and marriage it is possible for one to move up in this society.
ReplyDeleteTo begin with, during the time of the plantation system, slaves were forced to work and were given no wages, whereas presently people are given wages. The African workers were granted small provision grounds where they planted their own subsistence for their family, and grew potato, cassava and spices to sell on a Sunday market. As such, workers today do collect grants in the form of money.
The lands that these slaves were given were not so well sought after, and as such farming on hilly slopes are major drawbacks for small farmers. Machinery is not used because of the small amounts of land used to grow crops and neither for those associated on hilly slopes where irrigation is also a major drawback. However the plantation introduced new crops to the world to many countries and the cultivation of many of these still represents the principal means of livelihood.
Rekera Ambrally
812001034
The Caribbean stratification system has been influenced by its history of Plantation Slavery.
ReplyDeleteWilliam O Joanes defined a plantation as “An economic unit producing agricultural commodities… for sale and using large number of unskilled laborers whose activities where closely supervised.”
Within the plantation was a hierarchy which consisted of masters and slaves. The system of social stratification was very limited in mobility.
With the plantations hierarchy, racism and Negro discrimination was encouraged as Caucasian masters and drivers would look down upon the slaves. As such, a stigma was created that the purpose of Negros was to work in harsh, inhumane conditions and to only do physical labor. Social Stratification continues from one generation to the next, thus today, slave ancestors still have a stigma around them that their main purpose is for hard physical labor with little pay.
Moreover, upon the freedom of slaves in 1838, many ran into the hills as a way to leave behind the lives they once had and in search of land for farming. Unfortunately, the land obtained was not only poorly leveled but also very infertile thus limiting their plant production to a limited amount of crops. As time passed they would share the land between children and thus slave descendants would each receive smaller and smaller pieces of land. Hence, today, many peasants have about quarter of an acre and can only produce in small amounts with limited types of crop leaving them at a financial disadvantage. As compared to the descendants of slave masters who all received major benefits, for example, James Walt’s steam engine was produced thanks to the funding of West Indian slave owners.
However, slaves may have been able to overcome this predicament if they had decided to unite, as one peasant against an entire plantation is insignificant but many united may have been able to compete on an economic market and thus with wealth, possibly abolishing the stigma of social stratification.
Ryan West
812002338
ReplyDeleteThe plantation system is considered to be the division of land into smaller units under private ownership as noted by John Simkin. In the days of plantocracy social stratification played a major role in the outcome of how they the descendants of slaves are performing today.
Social stratification divided them into groups, there were the slaves and then there were the masters, the slaves were used to cultivate the land and they were over looked by the higher class of the hierarchy which were their masters, for being disobedient the slaves were beaten and to some extent were made to pay with their limbs and sometimes their lives, some slaves took the risk of running away and living in the mountain.
After the end of slavery the slaves were given small pieces of land ¼ acres and below, the land lacked basic quality, due to small land space the slaves planted small crop also referred to as cash crops, they used a slash and burn method which resulted in the infertility of the land, once the slash and burn process was done the slaves would move to other pieces of land to continue planting. The land then became smaller due to the land being divided amongst themselves, they should have unite and utilize the land space together to plant a variety of crops, but as a result of failure to do so they and paying the price today for not acting out to the higher level of the hierarchy and demanding more land as they were taken against their own will and enslaved.
Due to the land being ¼ acres and less today they have to resort to manually labor as the land that they occupied was too small for the operation of agricultural machines, the machines are unable to maneuver because of the lack of space. If the planters were able to take hold of the plantation land they were enslaved on it would of have it a lot easier and wouldn’t have to resort to manual labor since machinery would have been able to maneuver in and around the plantation land and agriculture would have been a lot better off than it is today as they might have been able to eliminate the discrimination against them because of their economic status.
Stephon McCarthy
I.D -812002247
The Plantation asides from being an institution of political colonization and Agricultural production was Social System, a system of social stratification where there was little or no room for social mobility. Slaves were at the bottom of the pyramid, above were the plantation overseers and the top were the plantation owners. There was small social mobility for the slaves though; they could be promoted to house slaves from a field slave, which was a source of pride for them. In 1838 slavery was abolished and slaves were free, and since plantation lands were off limits, slaves had to settle for less fertile marginal lands, such as mountainsides and marshes, neither of which was good for producing a good yield of crops and as subsistence farmers, which most slaves became cash crops such as Cassava were grown as they had the quickest turnover. The marginal lands could only produce a low yield which these now ex-slaves depended upon. Then soil exhaustion set in and this exhausted land was passed down from generation to generation losing its little fertility and becoming fragmented due to the land having to be shared among kin. Eventually we arrived at today where the descendants of these slaves are struggling to grow crops on small plots of exhausted land usually about ½ acre. These descendants engage in part time jobs because the land cannot sustain them; the quality of the work is poor, as well as most of the farmers who can’t obtain loans due no land deeds, loans which could have been used to finance new ventures and improvements. If only the farmers of yesteryear had formed some sort of agricultural alliance, helping and advising each other, making better use of their land, not to mention getting the land deeds, they could have taken advantage of the system, benefited themselves as well as their future generations.
ReplyDeleteErik Ranoo
I.D. # 812003827
The plantation was contemplated as a total economic institute. This was an economy where a social working sector existed in a community which demonstrated the upper and lower class civilization, the “whites” as the top of the food chain and the “blacks” as bottom feeders. The congregation of slaves were restricted, neglected an ignored. Depleting resources were available for them to make a living where life was hard and the soil was diminishing of nutrients. When the slaves earned their freedom, the once depleted soil was then passed onto generations today, where as previously compared to the “whites” who had plentiful and rich propagated soil to cultivate. As a result of this, it can be established that because of the lacking micro and macro nutrients in the soil, various generations of species of plants were lost because of poor quality. In the Caribbean and worldwide some of the remaining species are still struggling to survive as a result of the consequences of the depleting soil. The surfaces were so fragile and brittle that individual crops could be utilized.
ReplyDeleteIndustrious labourers working in the field benefited in various ways. This included being exposed to a variety of different languages. Their master in authority could utilize them to manage and have order over other working slaves in the plantation. Slaves who had trading (barter) skills gained beneficial services over those who did not. They were rewarded by having vegetable gardens or visiting family members on other plantation. Depending on the harvested crop such as cotton (which was limited) women or men obtaining the ability to weave clothing or sow were looked upon with favour. Slaves that had authority over others increased their production and land availability. The wives of these slave planters nursed and supervised other slaves.
Jenette Greenidge
I.D. # 812001010
The social system under plantocracy has resulted in the quality of work that decedents of slaves are performing today. Ownership of the land today was influenced by the past. After 1838 slaves were emancipated. There was a sudden rapid acquisition for land. This land consisted of marginal land around the outskirts of the plantation. Newly emancipated slaves illegally occupied these lands. The slaves had to settle for marginal land which consisted mostly of infertile or sloping land because the fertile, flat land was already being occupied for the plantation. The average piece of land was 1 acre. Over the years land has been passed down from generation to generation, each getting a smaller piece of land. Today the size of land which one person occupies is affecting productivity. Machinery cannot be used on such small land therefore manual labour must be done. Since land was occupied illegally or ‘squatted’ farmers do not have a legal ownership of the land and cannot take loans to boost their business. Also since the land was of marginal quality, the fertility of the land was already low. The constant exhaustion of the land would also result in reduced productivity.
ReplyDeleteIt must be remembered that the peasantry was alongside the plantation and not after. Peasants engaged in cash crops which were both for sale and for subsistence. They part time farmers and wage earners. Today it can be seen that farmers have other jobs and do not rely solely on farming.
Perhaps if the newly emancipated slaved ‘squatted’ on the plantation itself they would more likely be able to take advantage of the rich fertile land therefore increasing productivity and ensuring a higher standard of living for both themselves and future generations. Also if in the pre emancipation period slaves were better able to communicate with slave masters by speaking English this might have improved both their livelihood and future generations.
Name: Renelle Sankar
ID No.: 811000438
Yes, indeed the plantation had a rigid system of social stratification in the past, of which is similar today. During that time frame the planters were at the top, the more educated or highly skilled slaves (overseers) in the middle and the possibly uneducated or slow slaves at the bottom (field workers).
ReplyDeleteNowadays, it is the upper class (elite), the middle class and the lower (working) class. The only difference between then and now is that, they were given no wages, they were forced to work from dusk till dawn and poor working conditions they had to endure, as opposed to today, persons are given wages or salaries, there are shorter working hours and persons are in much better working conditions.
Following their freedom in 1838, the ex-slaves tried to acquire land, of which the planters did not want to sell ‘crown land’ to them. Hence, the rule that the minimum amount of land moved from 16 hectares to 130 hectares that can be bought. Therefore, majority of the ex-slaves did not get land due to not having the amount of money required to purchase land hence, the reason for them settling in the hills and on the outskirts, acquiring marginal land that lacked fertility and irrigation, which eventually caused low production.
The ex-slaves could have taken advantage of the systems by educating each other in terms of teaching each other skills and traits and trying to get out of the system earlier. Furthermore, they could have pooled their resources and money to buy land, of which they could have planted crops to sell as well as use for themselves and their families.
Conclusively, with educating each other and co-operation, most, if not all of the ex-slaves would have benefited tremendously.
Reference: B. Reid, Ruel. BSc. Dip. Ed. CAPE Caribbean Studies, 2007.
Kishauna George
812000237
Plantocracy in the Caribbean established a racially stratified social system which meant the whites (owners) were at the top of the hierarchy, the Mulattos (mixed descendants; black and white) just under the whites followed by the blacks (slaves) at the bottom. This system provided little or no social mobility of the slaves. After the abolition of slavery, achieved in 1834, most of the slaves settled on land far from the place which they were treated as inferiors, the plantations.
ReplyDeleteThe land they acquired was marginal, mostly hilly, low fertility and uneven & poorly irrigated; due to the plantations which were on low laying & well drained lands (near rivers). The exslaves used their lands for subsistent farming until the soil became exhausted then they’ll go settle at another lot of marginal land. These lots were also separated/fragmented through generations so that their children could also support their families meaning the land got smaller & smaller throughout the generations. Because of this, descendants are currently less productive because of less fertile soils and are occupying lands around 1/4 acres. Therefore forcing the current generation to invest more into the land by applying fertilizers and chemicals so they could be efficient and productive.
Given the order of the plantation system it would’ve been beneficial if communication between the top & bottom of the hierarchy was possible so problems & issues could’ve been resolved maybe creating a little better environment. Also the slaves outnumbered the whites so if they were to revolt against the owners and the way they were treated, the owners would have possibly tried a different way to keep order because they wouldn’t kill all the salves it wouldn’t be productive for the plantation.
Duane Cockburn
812001785
The plantation system was hierarchical meaning that the masters ,whites, professionals and men of business were at the top of the hierarchy then their were the white tradesmen, book-keepers and poor whites who farmed a few acres of land, last but not least at the base of the hierarchy were the slaves.
ReplyDeleteA major reason which can virtually lead to a direct link between the descendents of slave’s and their quality of life now was the quality of land which the slaves took when they were emancipated. Most of these lands which the salves took were marginal lands and they were mostly in hilly areas. The lands were infertile and of a very poor worth when weighed against the plantation lands which were flat, fertile and exceptionally well irrigated and it ought to have been the option of land that were to be taken by the ex- slaves.
The marginal lands which the ex- salves took when they were emancipated had to be separated into smaller a smaller proportions among the descendants of the ex- slaves. The ex-slaves and their young still practiced farming but they included a wide variety of other crops.
Machinery could not be used on such minute land therefore physical work must have to be done. Since land was taken unlawfully farmers do not have an authorized tenure of the land and cannot take loans to enhance their production.
If the ex-slaves had occupied plantation land instead of the marginal land farming production and efficiency would have been diverse at the moment and the general quality and paradigm of life would have been enhanced.
Sanjay Maharaj
811004348
The historical past of the West Indies, is the history of sugar and its production. The Plantation System was a social, political and economic institution that was primarily based on sugar and slavery. Its rigid system of social stratification has resulted in many ways on the quality of work that are still being performed today. Firstly, when the slaves were granted their freedom, they were able to gain an education amongst each other in learning the different languages of other African tribes. However, the freed slaves were still poorly educated and this was so to keep them inferior or at the bottom. This however has further resulted in the poor farming techniques and the little or no machinery that are being performed that was adopted from the ex-slaves. Even though the freed slaves had very little education they did introduced new farming techniques that was adopted by farmers of today, for example ‘slash and burn’. The freed slaves also went on to independently cultivate crops away from the sugar estates and they adopted small plots of land that was considered to be marginal. The benefit here is that the ex-slaves gained ownership to the land when they were freed and this was a way in which they took advantage of the system because when they were slaves they were restricted from having any ownership. Lastly, the plantation was a monocultural system and the freed slaves introduced the diversification of crops which led directly into peasantry in 1838. Such crops that they introduced were bananas, coffee and many more. These crops have therefore been adopted by many farmers today as they are seen cultivating different crops. This can also be a way in which they took advantage of the system, by moving away from monoculture and introducing the diversification of crops.
ReplyDeleteName : Priscilla J Gueverra
ID No.: 812005436
When examining the word society we think of a group of people who live in the same area or territory and are subject to some kind of authoritative rule. In my opinion, the social system that developed as a result of the relationship between the planter class and the slaves was no different.
ReplyDeleteUnder the plantation society there was a rigid system of social stratification because the planter class was the “superior class” (whites) although they were in minority in comparison to the large amount of slaves who worked on the plantations. At the top of the hierarchy were the planter classes (small group) who monitored work done by the slaves who were at the bottom of the hierarchy (large group). There was limited or no mobility done by slaves in the plantation society. We can still see the effects of the plantation system in today’s society. After the slaves were emancipated in 1834 they occupied land (marginal land) on the outskirts of the plantations. These lands were described as unfertile as compared to the very fertile and well established plantation lands. There was still limited mobility during this period so the exslaves had to settle for what they got which was marginal land. This land was then passed down from generation to generation and used for subsistence farming to provide for their families and also to sell what little they could. So we can see that the social system under plantocracy has affected the work done by descendants of exslaves today.
The labourers outnumbered the planter class on the plantations. Moving as a united group could’ve been seen as a way to take advantage of this system. This is because they could’ve overthrown the planter class who were much smaller in numbers.
Nicholas Dingwell
812117163
Plantocracy is a ruling class,politician order or government dominated by plantation owners. This system was dominant in the Caribbean during slavery where the planters were atop the social pyramid whilst the black enslaved were at the bottom. The social structure under the plantation system has greatly influenced the quality of work that the decendents of ex-slaves in the Caribbean perform today.
ReplyDeleteWhen slaves were granted their full emancipation in 1838,some fled to remote hilly areas while others illegally occupied marginal lands on the fringes of estates. On these hilly or infertile uncleared lands, cash crops were cultivated on a subsistance basis. Some supplemented their income gained by selling their produce by working part time on the estates for wages. This can still be seen in the Caribbean today where small farmers tend to their crops for part of the day and then perform a different trade for the remainder of the day.
Also evident,is the small proportions of land operated by farmers (approximately qaurter to half acre). This pattern originated from the colonial days where the now then freed labourers,passed down the lands which they previously occupied to their children through the generations. As a result, the offsprings inherited smaller parcels of land on which to grow food. Because of mediocre plots, it made it difficult for farmers to grow more than one crop or use large machinery such as wheel tractors.
If these labourers had pooled their resources,they could have been able to purchase or claim larger proportions of fertile prime agricultural lands, thus taking advantage of the system and placing Caribbean agriculture in a higher realm.
Reference: Lennox Honychurch, The Caribbean People Book 2 (UK:Thomas Nelson &Sons Ltd,1995),102-105.
Name: Vishram Bickaree
ID #: 812003898
The plantation system was used mainly for the production of goods such as sugar and coffee. It was also a social system which entailed a social hierarchy where the planters, who were the white masters, were at the top and the slaves at the very bottom. This social system has affected the lives of the descendants of both the slaves and the white masters.
ReplyDeleteAfter emancipation, the recently freed slaves took up residence on the nearby marginal lands which was mostly hilly landscapes as well as infertile. Because of this it was difficult for the ex-slaves to plant their crops, which they did. These lands are getting smaller and smaller as fragmentation takes place whereby the land would be separated and distributed among the family members as the family grows. The descendants now may have a small portion because of this. The ex-slaves also did not have any legal papers for the ownership of the lands which would in turn make it hard for their descendants to get the rights to it. The social systems of the plantation also affected the descendants mentally up to this day, for example racism between different ethnic backgrounds.
Being a slave you had to be somewhat special in one way or the other to move up the social hierarchy in the plantation, for example the slaves who came from Africa, came from different tribes and spoke different languages. If you were a slave who spoke most of these tribe languages, the masters would be able to break that communication barrier, therefore that slave would be superior to the others. The masters, who were the white men at the time, would sometimes have sex with the enslaved female women giving birth to a new race. This new race would later on form their own social class, not being higher than the masters but higher than the slaves.
ID#812002145
The Plantation system has a major impact on the quality of present day work. The Social Stratification classified slaves at the bottom of the society. After emancipation in 1838,the slaves occupied marginal land and the best land was already taken up by plantations. This scenario still remains up to this present day. The plantations compete with the peasants for land and labour, by continuously expanding on the limited amount of land available. Labourers are more willing to work for plantation owners rather than peasants; this is due to steady employment offered by plantations and the use of more advanced techniques.
ReplyDeletePlantation that were sold out to the government were usually infertile and divided a lot, which gave rise to small acreages. Farmers were forced to seek out work, because of poor quality land, this increase the practice of part-time farming. The foreign-owned banks are more willing to lend to foreign-own plantation owners, whilst the peasants are unable to receive credit from lending institutions.
Moreover, investments for research are made both by government and the plantations, in the various crops cultivted by plantations, whilst little or no research is done in the crops peasants cultivate. Plantations affects polices which impede the development of peasants, such as price and markets. There are more infrastructures built for processing and distribution of plantation crops compared to crops grown by peasants. All of these have resulted in a poor levels of productivity of peasants.
Slaves could have taken advantage on the plantation system by forming farmer groups and targeting the export market, they could also learn to speak multi languages which would help them to be more diverse and they could also learn a trade that would increase their income and standard of living.
Mitch Jno Chales
student ID# 812003707
The structure of the slave society has resulted in some level of Stratification today. Individuals with lighter complexion, wealth and education feel they are the superior ones of society and being a farmer is below their standards as such the lands which was passed down to them are either left abandoned or rented to lower class individuals. Others practice part –time farming alongside working in various organizations such as carpenters to earn wage to sustain their family and neighborhood. Ancestry lands where either acquired by runaway slaves performing illegal occupation on marginal lands or slave masters with no legal documentation making it difficult to use as collateral for small loans improving farms in this modern time.
ReplyDeleteAs years went by land fragmentation among children where more pronounce resulting in many farmers of today having small holdings of ¼ acre to ½ acres example Layou Park Dominica; performing mixed cropping, also limiting usage of equipments and machinery.Prolong cultivation also caused soils infertility. Many farm elders today have limited educate or training as a result primitive methods are still used in turn emerging pest and disease proliferate in the case of “Sigatoka Disease affecting Musa sp. and not much can be done by farmers; thus hindering the productive capacity of land and crops .
Laborers took advantage of the plantocracy by practicing in non-insurrectionary and insurrectionary resistance allowing them to gain some level of freedom and limit harsh punishment before the period of 1938. The mulattos and domestic slaves could have formed unions speaking to their master to lobby for slaves benefits (wages, set working hours and good working conditions). Multiply powerful slave’s colonies could have been formed on one plantation by lands which was given to them by their masters to keep their workforce using this as a mean to take over the plantation.
Nelsha U.Shillingford
812006504
Definitely yes the plantation system was one of a social stratification system .social stratification is a particular form of social inequality, it refers to the presents of distinct social groups which are ranked one above the other based on factors such as race,colour, and wealth the social hierarchy, was made up of the masters are at the top of the pyramid, then there are the overseers and finally at the bottom are the slaves. During slavery times it was based on a closed system whereas today it is based on a open system(meaning you can have social mobility based on ones education) After emancipation, the ex-slaves settled in the mountain where they took the marginal lands due to all the fertile lands were taken up by the plantation owner’s.On the land space the slaves planted small crops also referred to as cash crops, they used a slash and burn method which resulted in the infertility of the land, once the slash and burn process was done the slaves would move to other pieces of land to continue planting hence the exhaustion of the soil These small pieces of land was divided up and handed down to the members of the family from generation to generation thus the land became smaller and smaller. Today"s generation now struggling to grow crops on small plots of exhausted and marginal lands. maybe if the slaves could have observed the system of the plantation owners and was educated they cud have created their own economy rather than have a dependent and crippled economy today
ReplyDeleteAndrea Gosine
student ID # 812001885
Under the plantation system, the social pyramid was a very important part of a person’s life. Depending on which strata you belonged, you were treated differently. The slaves that were at the bottom of this so-called pyramid were treated unfairly and were over worked in most cases. They were given very strict regulations to follow and were socially immobile; they could only be promoted to house worker which was a huge deal for them. After the abolition of slavery, the slaves settled on marginal lands which were infertile land found mainly in the mountains or in swampy areas. On those lands, they grew crops to maintain themselves and maybe have a bit to sell. Planting on those kind of lands was definitely a task. As time went by the lands greatly depreciated in fertility and the increase in population meant that land was less and less as more people took up the lands. The land a descendent of a slave would have now would be 1/8 of the land his ancestors had.
ReplyDeleteThe slaves could have taken advantage of those lands they acquired long ago, pooled their resources and developed large scale production. This would have led to a greater development of today’s methods of farming. Also I’m sure with crop rotation this could have helped the soil and the lands would still be in a farmable state today. In conclusion, the methods of farming have not developed much from the days of slavery and now it is more difficult to farm properly due to the malpractices of those slave farmers.
Nicolas C. Seenath
812000093
In the Plantation System there was stratification of different members of the community such as the field workers, the artisans, the domestic slaves the book keepers and the plantation owner. The Plantocracy system was put in place to suppress any such motivation for the slaves to rise against the system, so this was strongly followed by plantation owners any slave that disobeyed was severely punished. So to enforce certain ways into the slaves they had the a rigid system that resulted in the passing of various farming techniques that are being used by some farmers today.
ReplyDeleteIn the Plantation, it was considered a Social System to condition certain ways and behavoir through enforcing it into the basis of their lives so that they are accepted by the White's in society, but was still at the bottom of the social pyramid. For example the conversion of many of African slaves to Roman Catholic religion etc. Through use of the Plantation as a Social System to the African Slaves and the Plantocracy by the ruling class they the slaves were shifted to a particular way of life given the resources that they were given. After Emancipation on 1838 most ex slaves were given land by thier owners but was considered marginal of poor value and poor conditions the land was usually infertile and barren located on hillsides and geographic areas that were considered unsuitable to grow particular crops. Through generations passed we can still see this with our small farmers and techniques used and carried through generations the land that was passed down as well as thier traditions of planting for example the use of ' cash crops' such as cassava or yam or any other fast growing crop that can yield fast money for the farmers and has a fast recover rate so that they can reap the crop again for further profit to support their family.
The amount of land given to the freed slaves were very small enough to mentain their own livelihood but some of the farmers worked up their way saved their resources and gradually build themselves up financially resulting in some farmers occupying large portions of land enough to have their own plantation pool all their resources and continually grow into successful farmers, which were few. With constant fractionation of the land being slit up by sharing of family members passed trough generations had the potential to take advantage of the systems due to lack of adequate education on farming practices and technology as well as resources resulted in the late adaptations of local farmers using new techniques that are more efficient and effective observed by those practised by First World Countries.
ID: 812001372
Kristien Jebodsingh
The plantation was a total institution that controlled all aspects of the society; the economy, the social institutions and the governance of the Caribbean society. Social stratification was based on the pigmentation of the skin; with the whites being on top and the black slaves at the bottom. They had ideologically conditioned the African slaves to think of themselves as inferior and worthless thus they had very little benefits and privileges. Even after they were emancipated because of their social status they were only allowed small acres of marginal land to cultivate cash crops. The slaves were not entitled to own or purchase land because in those days land was a valuable asset.
ReplyDeleteThis has trickled down into today’s society. Many of the slaves’ descendants face hardships in acquiring loans and financial support because they have no legal ownership of land and possess no collateral. As a result, they are forced to support their agricultural practices from their salaries which often are minute compared to the cost of operating a successful farm.
However, during the days of slavery, slaves could have achieved social mobility by becoming a skilled workman and learning different skills. An artisan slave worked in factories and work sheds making sugar and occupied a higher social status than the field slaves. Also , slaves who were able to speak different languages were given the responsibility of being a fascilitor of communication and occupied a higher social status.
As unfair as this system may have been, many of the African slaves have risen above this and have made remarkable progress in today’s society.
Candace Gibbs
812005997
The plantation system was made to benefit the owners of the plantations, and as a result the descendants of slave are at a great disadvantage. After emancipation and the slaves were given freedom, they had no way to go and as a result some worked for the owners of the plantation for little wages, while others moved as far away from the plantations as they could. They moved to the mountains and the hill sides where the land was rocky and less fertile than that of the plantation. The plantation owner eventually sold the lands to the workers, but because of the lack of knowledge by the workers, they purchased the land without any papers or proof that they purchased it.
ReplyDeleteI believe the workers (slaves)/ peasants did the best they could with the knowledge they had. The black ‘newly’ freed workers where chattel slaves and where treated like animals. The plantation owners had laws against black slaves learning to read or write and becoming educated; because of this they had no knowledge or any idea, to have in writing that they bought and are now owners of the land they live on.
As the plantation owners left, more peasants arrived looking for a lively hood in farming and claimed whatever land was left available. As time passed no more land was available, and the land was divided into smaller plots as to ensure more people could have a piece of land. The peasants didn't have much to give to the descendants other than the piece of land they may have been able to obtain, and as a result, the land was split among the family into smaller pieces. They were also able to pass on what little knowledge they were able to acquire through trial and error when farming for themselves and for the plantations. These methods however were time and energy consuming, and to always was totally effective considering where the plots of land were some times located. The farmers as time has passed have been able to form Co ops and get necessary assistance from the government to assist them and educate them with better ways and devices to cultivated and grow their crops.
ID: 812117429
SEATONIA BLACKMAN
The Social Stratification System under Plantocracy, has indeed impacted greatly on the quality of work that descendants of slaves are performing today. The social hierarchy of the plantation system was divided into three categories: the Masters at the top, followed by the overseers and at the bottom, the slaves.
ReplyDeleteOne main factor that has influenced Agricultural practices in today's society is the quality of land. In 1838, when the slaves were granted freedom they began establishing themselves as independent cultivators where they disposed small portions of land usually 1/4 to 1/2 acres in size illegally, or 'squatted' on the outskirts of the plantation estate on mountainous areas. These lands were basically of marginal quality i.e, the fertility of the land was relatively low which resulted from slash and burn, it was hilly, not surveyed and uncleared when compared to the plantation lands which was very well irrigated, fertile and flat land. However, because of this rapid 'exhaustion' of land it leaded to reduced productivity.
Also, due to the fact that the land size was very small these farmers couldn't have operated/maneuvered agricultural machines because of the lack of space and so had to resort to manual labour.
Moreover, as the years went by, land had been passed down from generation to generation of descendants with each acquiring smaller pieces of land. As as result of this, today the size of land each person owns is affecting productivity greatly.
Nevertheless, these labourers could have taken advantage of the systems by learning to speak the various languages spoken by the different tribes. By doing so, then the plantation owner could have seen him/her as a facilitator to enhance the communication process between the masters and slaves, moreover giving him/her a greater opportunity in bettering themselves on the plantation estate. Also, they could have occupied the plantation lands instead of the marginal lands. In this way their descendants' standard of living expectations, productivity and agricultural production would definitely have been in a better state today.
Sacha Seunarine
812001522
The Plantation System has indeed greatly impacted on the quality and way in which the descendants of those slaves perform today. The system social stratification had 3 main levels which ensure this. At the base of the pyramid there were the Slaves, at the middle there was the Overseers and at the top there was the Owner. This rigid system was sure to keep the slaves in check at the bottom. When they eventually freed they squatted on the marginal lands because they could not live on the plantation land. This meant that these people would now have to farm on small, infertile, poor quality lands which made it harder to grow crops, leaving them much poorer than they already were.
ReplyDeleteThese ex-slave farmers had to have a labour force so they had many children and each child, when they grew older, must inherit a piece of property resulting in fragmentation. Each child inheriting a piece of land, and then their children would have to do the same.
So now in society today, descendants of those labourers are now farming on small pieces of land at average 2 acres, of poor quality. This now causes farmers to practice part-time farming. So while they are farming, they also have other jobs at the side. These labourers back then could have taken better advantage of the systems. After being emancipated they could have they could have worked together and joined their properties of land and formed a large scale farming system which would have then altered the quality of work today.
ID: 812003015
Richard Yuen
Behavioural patterns that emerged as a result of plantocracy has been passed across generations. During the period of plantocracy a number of plantations were set up to serve in the interest of the developed countries. Even today, what is planted in developing countries is used mainly for export to profit mainly the developing countries. The social system was based on the hierarchy with Whites at the top being masters, overseers in the middle and the enslaved blacks at the bottom. Many of the enslaved came to the Caribbean with agricultural knowledge. Therefore under slavery they put their previous practices into use and practice. They were automatically placed to do arduous work (agriculture). This may be the reason why today some descendants who are considered to be educated resent agricultural work, they are of the view that is a job that someone without or with little work has to do.
ReplyDeleteOwners were generally absent and hired overseers to run operations on the plantations. Today many of our businesses in the Caribbean are operated by absentee owners. Positions from local manager down are usually given to the inhabitants (descendants of slaves). In other cases where businesses are locally owned, one may find the exploitation of labour to some extent since they may have the mentality that it is how it’s supposed to be in order to run their businesses effectively. It is also noticeable that whenever workers are given supervisory authority they abuse it.
The slaves took advantage of their restrictions through their Sunday market to sell and become hucksters selling. They did this to earn extra income which some used to purchase land in post-emancipation era to establish peasant farms. This can be seen at present where some people who aren’t earning or doesn’t think they are earning enough income, do part-time jobs such as farming or any other skill they may possess.
Kemisha S Williams
Student ID: 812002858
Slavery and the Plantation society were the foundation upon which the caribbean would be built.This structure would be built mainly along the lines of class and race as these two factors would be closely linked. thus we can conclude that the plantation society was more than a means to crop production it was a social institution in which social stratification was endorced.
ReplyDeletein this stratification slaves were at the lowest strata with the whites and the european slave owners at the highest. Because of the rigidity of the stratification upward mobility was difficult, and for a slave, or even a free black, to make it out of the lowest strata of society was difficult.
The mindset passed down was one of eurocentrism, which infused an inferiority complex into the decendants of the slaves.
during slavery the slaves were given the minimum and even after abolition the slaves were given hilly infertile land with no deeds. With thee older generation finding it difficult to produce crops and the younger generation,due to lack of documentation,unable to secure credit for education and investment the job prospects of the decscendents were severly limited.The one advantage that the slaves had were thier numbers. the slaves greately outnumbered the europeans. The freed slaves took the marginal lands and worked with them when it was a possibility for them to take the lands that they had work on for years but the instilled fear and hatred of the plantation prevented such.
Hiram Tobias
808011262
Plantocracy ruled colonial economic, political and social life. The rigid hierarchy supported the masters or plantation owners to be white men who were always at the top or middle as overseers, whilst the black slaves struggled at the bottom as field workers. The field workers earned extra wages by working in shops, carpentry and fishing. This can still be seen today where farmers depend on more than one job for income. After the slaves were emancipated, they had difficulty in acquiring their own lands and so they illegally occupied lands on the outskirts of plantation owners land. These were small parcels of low quality land and so there were many restrictions; restrictions such as low irrigation, low fertility, were usually on hillsides – and so were subjected to landslides – and unable to use machinery because the land was so small. These small lands have been passed down to the descendants of slaves and so many of the restrictions are still intact.
ReplyDeleteThe descendants today are now farming on a fraction of the land that was started with and the soils are now exhausted from years of malpractice such as ‘slash and burn’. Due to all of these disadvantages, the quality of work was and is poor. The practice of one crop should have been converted to crop rotation and so the land would not have been as exhausted as it is today. Though the system was rigid, labourers could’ve worked together, sharing their land and other resources to farm different crops and earning much more than they do on their own. As a united group, they would have been able to have some kind of resistance against the whites and their system.
Plantocracy is an order of rulership made up of plantation owners; these ran the Plantation systems of the colonized world. These systems were made up of social strata where the plantation owners were at the top, overseers who maintained the slave labour force and the plantations economic and trade welfares and the slaves (who were at the bottom of the social pyramid)
ReplyDeleteWith the proclamation of Emancipation in 1834 and the era of apprenticeship ending in 1838 slaves were declared truly free from their masters and began to occupy marginal, less fertile and poorly irrigated lands mostly on hillsides of the country or outskirts of plantations as this was all that was available to them, since crown lands that were more fertile contained the plantations. Small acreage of lands acquired were uncleared and thus slash and burn techniques were frequently used for clearing.
Monocropping was the consistent method of agriculture used, limited knowledge of crop propagation and protection also limited farmers to produce crops of quality and at many times lost crops due to diseases and pests, this system also led to already poor levels of soil nutrients being used up quickly.
Over time these methods and small acreages of lands were passed down through generations, the poor inefficient methods of farming also being passed down, leading to farming then becoming a career being looked down upon in developing societies leading to many farmers giving up their trade.
Had the ex-slaves used proper land management practices such as crop rotation, nutrient replenishment (eg application and tilling of manure), development of proper drainage and irrigation systems and access or invention of proper tools and machinery, forming of a one union workforce their small acreages could have been transformed to compete and probably be superior to the masa’s plantation systems.
Name : Sunil Ramnarine
Stu. ID # : 811002091
The slaves were considered at the bottom of the social system pyramid. They ad no political rights, could not attend council and could not choose government. They were forcibly converted to Catholics and could not attend church even after being baptized. They were not allowed to congregate and mingle and to form families. The fathers played little roles in the childs life. The small group of whites known as the plantocracy were considered high ranked in social standings.In the eighteenth century the power rested in the hands of the plantocracy. Only a small number of these, usually the wealthiest sat in the island assemblies and wrote the laws.The planters in the assemblies were greatly afraid of the slaves numbers and strength. In larger colonies the plantocracy were already threatened by the maroons.
ReplyDeleteSlaves worked extra jobs in other to gain extra wages and grew crops to sell at market.
After emancipation, the slaves were given small areas of land. It was usually hilly or mountainous marginal and infertile land. They utilized the farming techniques they learned to grow crops such as maize, cassava and yams.They were offered no deeds, had no financial support and had no education.These hardships helped influenced the development of future generations.
The freed slaves could of taken advantage by learning new trades and languages as these skills were considered important and valuable.
NAME:Kenisha Etter
#ID:812001015
Plantocracy refers to a ruling class or political government that is dominated by plantation owners. The plantation system mapped and controlled the way the “plantation community” was stratified, with the plantation owners at the top and the top and the slaves at the bottom. There was little to no chance of upward mobility within this system. After emancipation the freed slaves left the estates for a combination of reasons and expressed their desire to distance themselves from the plantation system by occupying marginal lands which was on the mountainous regions on the outskirts of the estates. This unfertile, unirrigated land usually occupied in two acre plots, would be used by the ex-slaves to cultivate cash crops for generations.
ReplyDeleteAnother factor that affected the ex-slaves and their generations to come is the fact that they could not obtain deeds for their land which affects their ability to obtain financing. This constricted them as a lot of money is needed to fertilize the land as fertilizing agents such as limestone and manure etc. are very costly. Other expenses include, fertilizers for plants equipment and machinery and even quality seedlings.
To combat their low income due to low productivity many of the ex-slaves combined the cultivation of their land with other jobs such as casual work on estates, shop keeping and fishing which today reflect the type of work the descendants of the slaves are doing. Even though there are not many estates left many of them have reverted to factory work and various other low skilled jobs. Another common practice among the descendants of the slaves is maxi taxi and other transport work during the mid-day and substance farming on mornings and evenings.
It is possible that if the ex-slaves had had better circumstances the quality of life of their descendants could have been significantly better. Labourers could have taken advantage of the systems by learning new skills such as blacksmithing or even household roles. Learning new languages or gaining their master trust and learning to drive the carriages could have helped move them up the hierarchy as communication and accessibility was a problem on the estates.
After emancipation the ex-slaves should have grouped together in an association where they could have profited from each other’s resources like tools, labour, seedlings capital or even knowledge. Another action that could have been taken is that they could have made work to own land deeds for premium land with the plantation owners
Rohan Persad
812001966
Plantocracy operated as a well structured social system. It played an integral role as to how the slaves were seen and treated in society. The enslaved blacks were at the lowest hierarchal level, the free blacks and coloureds were above them and the white ruling class stood at the top of the hierarchal pyramid. After Emancipation, the free Africans could not acquire land legally so they occupied lands illegally on the outskirts of the plantation. These lands were often located on hillsides or mountainous terrain. These parcels of land were subject to restrictions such as landslides due to its location, low fertility and low irrigation.
ReplyDeleteToday, the descendants farm on these same lands which have been passed down from generation to generation. In present day, the land would now be exhausted and lacking fertility due to the practices of mono crop cultivation due to the mediocre plots of land that were available and the slash and burn farming technique. The crops that were cultivated were known as cash crops and the slaves sold the produce to earn extra wages. This can be seen in the Caribbean today as some farmers may tend to their crops for a period of time while pursuing another job, usually a trade.
If the laborers had bonded and formed a unit, they could have inherited prime fertile lands, due to the majority of them, being a higher ratio than that of the Whites, thereby taking advantage of the Plantation System resulting in the Caribbean's agricultural sector being in a better position.
Name: Ronnard Ramlochan
Student I.D: 812002629
Social stratification indeed a rigid system in which slaves on the plantation were organized to operate as a community in the process of production. Enforced with a social hierarchy of white being dominant.
ReplyDeleteThe quality of work as it pertains to the performance of the descendants of slave are affected in various ways the today. Firstly the most important factor are upon the period in which the slaves were freed. They began to acquire and settle on marginal lands which were on hilly sides , swampy areas and had infertile soil. The plantations system existed along side the peasant system,further affecting descendants of slaves today by an inability to cultivate crops on a large scale due to the quality of land- lack nutrients, fertility, the size of land and a dependency syndrome on machinery. Machinery were operated and owned by higher persons in the hierarchy, today some farmers are still unable to acquire the necessary machinery to cultivate there crops but also due to the size of land.
Further the education of the hierarchy was indeed a rigid system again in which the slaves on the plantation system knowledge of how to advance themselves was a slower process.
In my opinion despite the restrictions on the plantation system the labourers could've taken advantage by cultivating short term cash crops for the purpose of exporting for themselves and satisfying there needs, thus not for the slave masters. Further to unite and empower among more plantations in larger groups. For instance Henri Christophe was successful that he transformed a slave- based economy into an effective and productive economy. A nation of freed people, he built six notable chateaux and eight palaces in the region. Information sited from The Britain Encyclopedia ://m.eb.com/topic/115781.
Name :Renee Davidson
Student I.D.:812117260
Yes social stratification played a major role in the days of slavery. The slaves were considered to be of the lowest class then, came the overseers and the plantation owners were at the top. After Emancipation in 1838 these freed slaves either settled in mountains or on the outskirts of the plantation estates. These lands were considered to be infertile. In order for these ex slaves to survive they planted crops or either sold their land and open up shops ect. These lands were approximately one quater of an arce. This meant that not much farming could have taken place. These ex slaves used methods such as slash and burn, monocropping and cash crop to make a living. These lands were passed on from generation to generation depleting the soil fertility making it harder to farm on.When government bought over the plantation estates they were also infertile. This tradition still goes on in today's society, where farmers farm on small pieces of land just enough to provide for their family or sell. With addition to having farm land, farmers today also make a living by both farming and driving taxi or other small jobs. Labourers could have taken advantage by coming together and joining their lands making it one big plantation. This could have increased their production as well as income.
ReplyDeleteFarissa Salick
812001056
The social system under plantocracy resulted in a poor quality of work that the descendents of slaves have to or are performing today .This was shown by the marginal lands that we are planting in today.This lands are infertile and crop yeilds are very low today.This was so because the plantation took the best lands and the peasants had to fend for themselves with the marginal lands of poor quality, these lands had poor irrigation low fertility and so these lands passed on from generation to generation untill today an it still produces poor quality crops.
ReplyDeleteAnother pertinent point to bear in mind is that today we still practice monoculture which is the planting of one crop over a piece of land for a very long period of time example the rice fields in the caroni area. Since these plants require the same nutrients over an over the soil becomes depleated of these nutrients and as a result the quality of crops produced is very low and more land is cleared and is then used by farmers.This resulted in wastage of lands which was not properly well managed by the peasents and farmers of today.
Labourers could have taken advantage of the system because labourers were taken from different parts of the west coasts of Africa, an each labourer belonged to a different tribe which spoke in a way that they can understand each other. As a result the masters had to use people from these different tribes in order to communicate with them for production to take place an orders from these masters to be taken,which resulted in these different tribes to have an advantage over their masters in terms of communication.
Fadil Khan
812000108
The plantation system is viewed as the dominant economic,social and political institution and has in place a rigid system of social stratification which may be defined as the presence of distinct social groups which are ranked one above the other in terms of factors such as prestige and wealth. Within the plantation system there existed a social pyramid where each group was placed according to their rank in society. The white Europeans held the highest position at the top of the pyramid, the overseers in the middle and the African slaves at the bottom.
ReplyDeleteThe African slaves signed an indentureship contract with the whites and faced many restrictions while working on the plantation such as not being able to practice their religion. However at the end of their indentureship period they would take up illegal occupation of land on the outskirts of the plantation. This was known as 'marginal lands'and had often had low fertility and located on the hillsides. These lands have been inherited by the descendants of the indentured labourers and therefore affects farming today due to the land having poor fertility and no irrigation system. The continuous process of soil erosion over the years have also resulted in lands being inappropriate for farming.
One practice which still exists today is part time farming where farmers cultivate crops and have other jobs on the side such as fisheries,shops or tailoring.
Within the system there were several ways of climbing the social pyramid, for example marriage. In addition to the field slaves there were also the domestic slaves who worked in the great houses. Here the European masters would form relationships with the African women and the children born were referred to as Mulattoes. Mulattoes had a lighter complexion and this was indicative of belonging to a higher class in society.
Vishal Boodoo
812000246
Social stratification can be defined as the ranking of individual in groups for example, class and status. Labourers could have resisted by going against the planters wishes and not adhering to the rules outline for them and by doing so it slow down the process on the plantation and as a result cause a decrease in the plantation overall profits. After emancipation the freed slaves left the plantation and squatted on marginal land which was low fertile land and was located on the hillside.
ReplyDeleteThe blacks were inferior to the whites hence they were enslaved. Deemed as psychologically incapable of taking care of themselves, the whites gave them food and clothing, in return for their work as labourers on the plantation. Under the social stratification system, the top was the owners (Massa), then the overseers, followed by the field workers. With relation to society today the blacks are still oppressed, however the blacks have been moving up the scale and acquiring positions. The plantation was indeed a rigid system where there was limited mobility that is field slaves moving to house slaves.
Slaves took advantage of the system in many ways. In term of social rebellion they communicated in their own languages through the use of drums. The slaves tired to win the masters trust and by doing so they aimed at getting better positions, for example, that of a driver or overseer. In addition having different trades and skills and being able to specialize, as well as knowing different languages to be able to communicate with the whites were ways in which the slaves better themselves on the plantation system.
Name: Samantha Paladee
Student I.D: 812001263
Firstly, after the true indigenous inhabitants were annihilated, colonizers introduced the ‘plantation system.’ This system was a productive as well as an economic one as it was developed to extend the European empires. The West African slaves were then introduced since this system called for the use of labourers. The plantation system consisted of a hierarchy which had social structures with rigid patterns of stratification and where social mobility was limited. This hierarchal structure comprised of the masters, overseers and slaves in that order. This system was chiefly based on race, colour and other ascriptive characteristics. During the period of slavery, these slaves were oppressed, deprived of their cultural identity and their human rights. Moreover, one of the main aspects of this system was the dehumanization of the African people. The slaves were considered ‘chattel’ and hence they were not paid for their labour.
ReplyDeleteSlavery was abolished in 1838. Many of the slaves refused to return home and hence seeked refuge in the mountainous areas around the plantation. These lands in which they occupied were referred to as ‘marginal lands,’ which was mainly hilly, infertile, and lacked a proper irrigation system. The ex-slaves didn’t have much of a choice since the rich fertile land was already occupied. When these ex-slaves started to multiply, they divided their lands and distributed it to their offspings into fractions as low as ¼ acre per person; these descendants, in order to survive used this land to produce cash crops. The land started to lose its quality and value since slash and burn practices made it uncultivable and exhausted. The present situation in the Caribbean today is due to the depletion of soil nutrients and it could have been avoided if these slaves had co-operated and fought for their human rights.
Stephanie Jagdeo
812001988
The social system under plantocracy has resulted in the quality of work that the descendants of slaves have to/are performing today as at that time the social stratification separated the blacks from the whites making the blacks the slaves and the whites as their masters.
ReplyDeleteAfter the slaves were granted their freedom, the lands owned were by the descendants of the whites or the planters who refused to sell their lands to the ex-slaves so instead they rented the lands to them as their landlords while the ex-slaves became their tenants. This is now the reason for the descendants of these slaves to be doing the quality of work that they do. These ex-slaves were to live on the plantations in the cabins with families and paid their rents by working on the plantations with their wives. They were the awarded crops at the end of the year for their hard work.
There are even constraints toward these descendants as a result of social stratification. Some of these are the increase in population growth which thereby increases the need of land for housing, the expansion of plantations, the reduction of labour supply due to advanced technologies and lack of investment and support by government.
With these restrictions and order of the plantation system, labourers could have taken advantage by utilizing the lands they rented by planting a variety of crops and a higher number of crops. They could have also taken advantage by educating themselves and being able to communicate with their landlords. This would have been a great benefit to them as they would have known a lot more about the plantation and the system and it would have also benefited their descendants even today in farming and agriculture.
Reshma Sharma
812003309
The plantation system was definitely under a rigid system of social stratification, where the slaves were at the bottom of the pyramid and the headmasters or plantation owners at the top of the hierarchy. Upward mobility was limited therefore giving slaves the ability to only move up depending on their skills and became skilled laborers and household slaves.
ReplyDeleteThis social system under plantocracy affected the quality of work performed by descendants today, in that after the emancipation of slaves in 1838, marginal lands and mountainous areas were occupied by these ex-slaves. With the land being of poor quality, hilly and infertile on which their production of crops were taking place, productivity levels were low. Subsistence farming was practiced in these areas where farmers practiced mixed cropping; planting many different crops on the same plot of land. Also marginal lands became less because of the division of it among descendants through generations.
Land ownership is also a problem today. The ex-slaves were not given a "deed of ownership" which is needed now in order to claim land and take loans an receive incentives to enhance the quality of lands and maximize production.
However, I think slaves could have taken advantage of the situation if they had united, all of them together and ceased the production of sugar(the export product) because the slaves labour, skill and expertise were most needed.
Yohanna Dickson
809003912.
The plantation system was considered to be an economic, political and social institute, which consisted of a simple pyramid depicting the order of hierarchy within the system. This system had many different effects upon the descendants of the slaves.
ReplyDeleteDuring the plantation era, slaves had minimal exposure to social mobility as they were forced to do what they were told. In 1838 the slaves were granted their freedom and were given land to cultivate goods for a means of earning income. The land given to them was not the best for cultivation but the slaves worked with what they were given. The villages were set up off the plantation as the slaves did not want any reminder of their former masters. Other slaves decided to learn craftsmanship in the major cities of the island.
The actions of the slaves after emancipation greatly effected the lives of the descendants as they inherited what the slaves have accomplished when they were free.
The descendants of slaves were forced to use infertile and overused land which made it harder for them to make a living. The minimal crop which was being produced by the ex-slaves forced them to branch off into part time jobs.In my opinion the descendants would have had such an easier life if the slaves formed a group or different groups after emancipation, as it would have been better if they joined all their land and worked as a group to produce goods which would result in high productivity.
Matthew Chung
ID : 812002589
Emancipation of slavery has been effective for some generations now, but sadly our social organization and structure still resembles very such that which existed during slavery .Few whites’ at the top of the social class and a large number of blacks’ in the last rank.
ReplyDeleteThe period of saturation during pleasantry is the results of what we see today. Where farmers plant crops on marginal, small proportions of lands without the use of any advanced technology because of where their farms are located, which are on hillsides or on small lands. These small farmers now have to compete which superior farming and imported goods which are subsidized. Forcing them into part time farming and seeking second jobs usually as shopkeepers, bus driver and county workers ect.
Before emancipation education was not a privilege of the slaves. The only skills that were taught to them were those needed to work the plantation fields. After slavery education was some what accessible to ex-slaves but it didn’t allow for any social mobility that shifted the structure of the already existing social pyramid.
Slaves on the plantation could have taken advantage of the system by perfecting a skill that would be an asset on the plantation. This may have helped a laborer to be placed in charge of slaves that performed a particular task.
Advancement could’ve been attempted with the ability to communicate with all the slaves who spoke different languages. This would’ve shown the overseer that you could be seen as a facilitator of communication. This may even open doors for laborers to be promoted to a house slave as that was the only social mobility for slaves during slavery.
Mary-Ethel Gray
812001927
The social system under plantocracy was a total institution. It established the socialization of slaves, into a political and economic way of life. This rigid caste system involved the white planter class at the highest rank and black slaves at the lowest. This mindset remained after emancipation whereby one had a preconception that blacks were only good for one thing; hard labour.
ReplyDeleteMany blacks may find that they have limits set around them when they are stereotyped as "good athletes and musicians"(Hayes 1995, 27). This is just one example which shows that the legacy of plantocracy still prevails in modern times. Earlier examples such as in the 1930’s Caribbean, blacks were not able to get jobs in places such as banks which were owned by white foreign corporations. Therefore, the caste system still prevails but in different contexts. Plantocracy also established a mindset in these black descendants creating a psychological depravity of self worth. Therefore they think that they are only good for mundane jobs such as C.E.P.E.P in Trinidad or subsistence farming, where they stay years without trying to up lift themselves.Today one can say that blacks are physically free but not mentally.
The restrictions of the plantation system did not prevent labourers from trying to better their situation. The slaves were taken from their tribes which had use for blacksmiths, medicine women and people who could communicate with other tribes. The slaves who had these skills used it to be manumitted from the fields. Since the plantations were so large they practiced in secrete their home religions since “the plantation owner saw this as a means to plan revolt” ( Jones 1968, 156).
Krystal Rouse
812000378
I strongly believe that the plantation system was a rigid system of social stratification where the african slaves were at the bottom of the pyramid and the upper class (whites) were at the top of the pyramid.
ReplyDeleteIt is an extreme form of inequality in which some individuals are owned by others as their property. When the slaves were freed, they were given land that was poorly irrigated, marginal and infertile which was located in mountaineous areas. On the other hand, the plantation land owned by the whites were flat, fertile and sufficiently irrigated. The slaves should have demanded that, that type of land should have been given to them as an option. However, this minute and infertile quantilty of land they were given, restricted them from planting large scale system of crops, for example, the sugar plantations.
These ex slaves illegally occupied "squatted" these lands and had no choice but to settle for the marginal land that was given to them because the other fertile lands were being occupied for the plantations. Generation after generation, land has been passed down resulting in smaller fragmentations of land. Since land was being "squatted" on, these farmers weren't deemed a legal deed. Here machinery could not have been used on these small lands resulting solely on manuel labour.
These ex slaves could have sky rocketed their overall standard of living by producing large number of cash crops on their marginal lands. Conversely, the constant exhaustion of this poorly fertile land could have resulted in a reduction of productivity or maybe they could have taken advantage of the rich fertile soil by "squatting" on the plantation itself. Another way the ex slaves could have taken advantage of the system was to improve their standard english so as to better communicate with their slave masters. With this occuring, they would have maybe gotten better opportunities thus improving future generations and their standard of living.
Name: Sharmila Ellis
Student i.d # : 812000407
The Caribbean stratification system has been influenced by its history of Colonialism, Plantation Slavery and Indentureship. Although, most of these territories are currently politically independent nation-states, the legacy of their history have continued to impact upon their individual social structure. The Plantation has many dimensions, it is a system of agricultural production as well as a social institution.
ReplyDeleteThe stratification system in the Plantation society were described as caste-like. The three strata consisted of the white (planters/mangers) own wealth, means of production and political power, mixed (overseers) and the black (house /field slaves). Over time, a limited amount of upward mobility was possible from the base stratum to the middle stratum. The social stratification under plantocracy has indeed influenced a significant amount to the quality of work that the descendants of slaves that are performing in this day and time.
Firstly, one of the main factor that influenced farming practices today is that time when the slaves were freed, gaining this freedom they began to “squat” or settle on marginal lands. These lands were mostly mountainous (hilly), there were no irrigation systems and the land was very low in fertility. The former slaves took this land and began to practice subsistence farming which consisted of a small variety of crops for their own survival and to provide means of living. Subsistence farming is small scale farming and has been passed down to the current generations in the Caribbean today.
Secondly, these marginal lands were divided amongst past and present generations; this was fragmented land (1/4- ½ acres). These lands provided low production and low yields since it was restricted from machinery, there were no irrigation systems and low soil fertility. These small plots of land is affecting productivity greatly presently. If however, the slaves had joined together in creating a single unit in providing necessities to higher production yields and income, the Caribbean’s plantation system would have been a greater one.
Name :Shereece Boodram
Student I.D : 812000735
Social Stratification refers to a system in which categories of people are systematically ranked in a hierachy on a basis of their access to scarce but valued resources. I distinctly agree that the plantation system operated upon social stratification, the top were the owners (Massa), then the overseers, followed by the lower class slaves. In accordance with today's society most blacks are still lower class, however some they have been moving up the hierachy and acquiring positions that were in the past held my solely whites.
ReplyDeleteUpon emancipation in 1838 slaves obtained lands on the outskirts of plantations, there they settled and planted their native crops to sell as cash crops and as food for themseleves however this land was marginal, low fertile, hilly amd not quite suited for farming. These lands have been inherited by the slave descendants and has therefore affects farming today. The continuous process of soil erosion over the years have also resulted in lands being inappropriate for farming.
However there were many ways that the ex-slaves could have taken advantage to the systems as in terms of Social Rebellion they communicated in their own languages through the use of African drums and smoke signals which they should have used to demand better lands for farming and living conditions, life for thier decendants would be a lot more enjoyable today. Ex-slaves could have also united all their lands and create a sole large plantation which would caused an increase in the productuin of cash crops allowing them to improve their standard of living and would have indeed impacted upon the decendants of these ex-slaves in today's society.
NAME : JERON SHADRACK HOSEIN.
STUDENT I.D. : 812001250.
The plantation system was without doubt one of hierarchical structure. The slaves were at the lowest level of the social pyramid while the European plantation owners stood at the top. It has therefore shaped the way in which the descendants of slaves perform today.
ReplyDeleteAfter Emancipation, the freed slaves moved away from the plantation estates which contained the best quality land and acquired marginal lands on the outskirts of the plantations which were of extremely poor quality, hilly and infertile. These lands were passed on from generation to generation and became more fragmented with each generation. Many factors therefore affected the performance of the descendants of slaves including the small-sized, poor quality land, the lack of capital and the mindset of inferiority inculcated in them as a result of social stratification during slavery. They had poor agricultural practices such as mono-cropping and over cultivating which exhausted the soil resulting in low crop productivity. Today, the tradition still prevails as the descendants still perform these poor agricultural practices on their highly fragmented and exhausted land, thus producing poor quality crops.
Notwithstanding the restrictions of the plantation system, the labourers could have learned different trades such as animal husbandry and shoe making to obtain a source of income. They could have also learned different languages of other tribes to make communication among them easier.
Liam Wiltshire
812000980
Plantocracy is also known as slavocracy this is where a ruling class, political order or government was dominated by the plantation owners. In the social stratification system there were three main classes of people at the bottom the slaves, above the slaves were the overseer and at the top the plantation owner. Although this class system existed there was still the opportunity for the slaves to move up and down the stratification system. However, none of them could become a plantation owner, but could have moved from being a field worker to working in Master’s (Massa’s) house or becoming an overseer of the plantation. In these times the women worked in the plantations and the men worked in the factories due to the type of work. The slaves who worked in the factories developed technical skills that were needed to fix the equipments and sometimes would not do so unless they were paid.
ReplyDeleteThe slaves at that time could have learned to speak different languages, whereby, they could have become facilitators of communication for the overseer of the plantation; to tell when the slaves were planning a revolution.
Today in our society much could be related to the stratification system, however, an individual could obtain education which enables them to move up the social system. An example of this is through intergenerational mobility, whereby, the children of farmers do not have to become farmers but could become lawyers, doctors etcetera. Another difference is workers can demand better wages and working conditions or can cease work, but in the time of slavery the enslaved would have been wiped or killed for not carrying out their jobs. Even though there are differences some people find it difficult to move up the stratification system and poor quality work still exists. Also after emancipation there came the peasantry system of small farming whereby individuals farmed on small parcels of land as well as performed other jobs. This type of farming could still be seen today expect it is called small farming.
Shinace A. Baboolal
#812001217
The social system under plantocracy has greatly impacted on the quality of work that descendents of slaves are performing today. Under the plantation system there was limited mobility where the masters were at the top of the social ladder and the fieldworkers or slaves were at the bottom while the overseers were at the middle.
ReplyDeleteThe ownership pattern of land today was as a result of most of the slaves occupying marginal lands which was the illegal occupation of poor quality, and low fertility plots of land located on the hillsides. As a result, most of the farmers today occupy such land type. The size of farming land today is as a result of the fragmentation of lands whereby the inheritance of land from one generation to the next resulted in smaller plots of land being allotted to farming approximately quarter to half acre.
The plantation system have also influenced the work force of the slaves since most of them practiced part time farming, where they would do a side line job like fishing, carpentry or artistry. This is still practiced today, because of the poor quality land being utilised for farming which usually results in low production and low profits thus the additional jobs are necessary.
Given such restrictions the labourers could have taken advantage of the system by growing cash crops, these are short crops grown for sale to provide for their own subsistence. They also could have sort to find cures for diseases to stay healthy, learned different languages to better understand their tasks as well as becoming skilled in other areas.
Anesha Sharma
811001491
The social system under plantocracy or in times of the plantation system was based on stratification. This is where there were the masters holding the highest position, directly below them the overseers and the lowest level, the slaves. Within each level there were its own stratification for example the domestic slaves were at a higher level as compared to the field slaves. Presently or in today’s society there is a great shift from this system, however there are still signs of stratification. This system affects the quality of work the descendants of the slave perform today with great negativity; this is so because after emancipation when slavery was abolished the slaves moved away from the plantation life but they maintained their main skill of planting or farming, however this was done in a smaller scale, on smaller plots of lands, lands that were much less fertile and unsuitable for farming. The major positive outcome of this would have to diversification, moving away from only planting one crop.
ReplyDeletePlantation Life was restricted; basically the slaves had little or no freedom, considering this there were many ways in which the slaves did take advantage of the system. Ways in which labourers could have taken advantage of the system is by becoming multi- lingual, learning the language of the master so they can understand their task and perform more effectively, another way would be by learning methods of medicine, creating remedies to be healthier also to cure and prevent diseases, they could have also become more versatile and improve on their skills, which may result in moving up in the social ladder.
Shantal Mahase
Id# 811003716
My previous answer has two errors. This is the same answer but without the errors.
ReplyDeleteBehavioural patterns that emerged as a result of plantocracy has been passed across generations. During the period of plantocracy a number of plantations were set up to serve in the interest of the developed countries. Even today, what is planted in developing countries is used mainly for export to profit mainly the developing countries. The social system was based on the hierarchy with Whites at the top being masters, overseers in the middle and the enslaved blacks at the bottom. Many of the enslaved came to the Caribbean with agricultural knowledge. Therefore under slavery they put their previous practices into use and practice. They were automatically placed to do arduous work (agriculture). This may be the reason why today some descendants who are considered to be educated resent agricultural work, they are of the view that is a job that someone without or with little education has to do.
Owners were generally absent and hired overseers to run operations on the plantations. Today many of our businesses in the Caribbean are operated by absentee owners. Positions from local manager down are usually given to the inhabitants (descendants of slaves). In other cases where businesses are locally owned, one may find the exploitation of labour to some extent since they may have the mentality that it is how it’s supposed to be in order to run their businesses effectively. It is also noticeable that whenever workers are given supervisory authority they abuse it.
The slaves took advantage of their restrictions through their Sunday market to sell and become hucksters selling. They did this to earn extra income which some used to purchase land in post-emancipation era to establish peasant farms. This can be seen at present where some people who aren’t earning or doesn’t think they are earning enough income, do part-time jobs such as farming or any other skill they may possess to earn extra income.
Kemisha S Williams
Student ID: 812002858
In the late seventeenth century the word plantation was known as a large agricultural venture with large numbers of labour workers that were overlooked by the plantation master which produced crops for export. The plantation system propagated social stratification with the plantation workers, the slaves, being at the bottom of the hierarchal pyramid while the plantation masters were at the top. There was no social mobility in this system as no slave could ever become a plantation master but rather remain as a slave of the white plantation master. These plantations were large plots of fertile land where mono-cropping, mostly sugar cane, took place.
ReplyDeleteWhen the slaves were freed and the Emancipation Act was implemented, most slaves abandoned the plantations as they no longer wanted to remember the harsh and brutal memories. These slaves moved to hillsides where they practised subsistence agriculture. All the skills known to them about planting were utilised and taught to their children so they could sustain themselves. These plots of land were divided amongst the family and so most descendants today own small plots of land which are suitable for subsistence agriculture but not for commercial purposes. This type of farming is most dominant today due to land space and knowledge from ancestors.
Another main factor which affects farming today is status perceived of a farmer. The status of the slave farmers has remained in the minds of the populations and so many of the descendants today rather pursue something besides farming due to the background and history of farming.
With education on commercial farming and pooling plots of land together along with the perception of farming being changed, farming back then and even now would have been greatly improved.
SALEEM ABDUL AZIZ
810001275
Social stratification is a concept involving the classification of people into groups based on shared socio-economic conditions. The quality of work that descendants of slave have to/are performing today is a direct result of the social system used in plantocracy. During this period, there were owners of the plantations who were most times absent, leaving them to be managed by white overseers (Massa). The foreman, house servants, followed by the field slaves completed the pyramid of the plantation system. Historically, plantations were a product of colonialism, their produce mainly for export. There are two basic requisites of a plantation, a large area of cultivable land and a large labour force.
ReplyDeleteAfter Emancipation in 1838, the freed slaves moved away from the plantations, leaving behind fertile soil, easy access to water and all else necessary to produce on a large, sustainable scale. Without these necessities, they were doomed to poverty because the abolition gave rise to other issues. Racism was escalated, their illiteracy limited their jobs, land ownership and citizenship issues also surfaced. This went on from generation to generation, descendants from slaves surviving with the remnants of their forefathers. Thus, their production level was greatly minimized and they would be at risk of losing their lands because they do not possess any deed of ownership, negatively impacting their quality of work.
The labourers could have taken advantage of the system because people with artisanal capability (building boats, barns, houses etc) were in short supply in the eighteenth century and not everywhere in the nineteenth and expensive where found. The possession of these skills gave slaves the leverage because planters desired to keep them at home and at work rather than bad treatment, encouraging them to flee. This would have been beneficial to their future generations.
Name: Cherice Wolfe
Student ID: 811004515
The plantation system has had a great impact on the lives of most slave descendants, and this impact is magnified on modern day farmers. Little by little, our ancestors moved from being captured slaves to freed peasants, where they settled on the marginal lands of the plantation to begin their new lives. On that very land, they built houses and engaged in subsistence farming to support their families. A portion of that land would then be given to each child of the peasant an so on throughout future generations. That very land in its infertile an degraded state reflects the land that nowaday farmers are forced to cultivate for a living. These lands are also situated on hills and in most instances the soil is clayey in nature which makes it difficult to use machinery to maximise production, an crops are lost to floods etc during the rainy season.
ReplyDeleteThe slaves that were forced to spent long, hard hours working on the plantation could not escape the humiliation and horror that they endured daily, however, if they possessed certain skills, they might have been able to make "the best of their situation". The bottom of the plantation system hierarchy was occupied by the field slaves, just above them the overseers that monitored the work on the fields, an then there were the house slaves that had the somewhat "privilege" of working as the owner's maid. If the field slaves displayed various skills that could of been useful in other areas of the plantation system, they would have been promoted to overseers or even better, house maids.
The plantation system has had a great impact on the lives of most slave descendants, and this impact is magnified on modern day farmers. Little by little, our ancestors moved from being captured slaves to freed peasants, where they settled on the marginal lands of the plantation, to begin their new lives. On that very land, they built houses and engaged in subsistence farming to support their families. A portion of that land would then be given to each child of the peasant and so on throughout future generations. That very land in its infertile and degraded state, reflects the land that nowaday farmers are forced to cultivate for a living. These lands are also situated on hills, and in most instances the soil is clayey in nature which makes it difficult to use machinery to maxmise production, and crops are lost to floods etc. during the rainy season.
DeleteThe slaves that were forced to spend long, hard hours working on the plantation could not escape the humiliation and horror that they endured daily, however if they possessed certain skills, they might have been able to make "the best of their situation". The bottom of the plantation system hierarchy was occupied by the field slaves, just above them, the overseers that monitored the work on the fields, and then there were the house slaves, that had the somewhat "privilege" of working as the owner's maids. If the field slaves displayed various skills that could have been utilised in other areas of the plantation system, they would have been "promoted" to overseers or even better, house maids, which many slaves would have seen as a better alternative.
NAME:KHYLA NUNES
ID NUMBER:812000581
The plantation was indeed a community with a rigid system of social stratification. The plantation society was divided into three parts which were the upper class, the traditional whites who were usually the plantation owners, the intermediate class which consisted of the mulattos and were usually educated with some wealth but no political power and then there were the working class which were the blacks who were uneducated and lacked any wealth or political power. In today’s society this culture still exists where a considerable amount of the wealth and high end jobs belong to the whites and the “none- white” are still located and the lower end of the social strata.
ReplyDeleteWhen slavery was abolished in 1838 the now ex slaves’ occupied land rented to them by previous land owners. On this land they planted a variety of crops and reared livestock. The structure of the peasantry was divided into three phases beginning with the establishment of it where there was rapid acquisition of the land then there was the consolidation period where the peasant altered their cultivating of provisions to spice and arrowroot and thirdly the period of saturation. At this stage the peasantry was incapable of expanding at an efficient pace hence leading to the importation of goods into the country and dependence on the foreign markets for our indigenous crops.
The laborers could have taken advantage of the system if they had begun rearing of livestock on the land which they rented from the landowner and “squatted” on the fertile land in which the planters once used to cultivate the crops and this could have prevented the inability of the peasantry to expand and replenish itself at an efficient pace and in conclusion obtain a greater amount of income to sustain them and their families.
Shweta Trebouhansingh
ID:811004001
Caribbean slave plantations were organized units that utilized a large number of closely supervise laborers in producing a main crop, for example sugarcane, to make sugar for export. There existed on the plantation a master and overseers to supervise the slaves.
ReplyDeleteToday, Caribbean work ethics is different from the work ethics on the plantation long ago. This difference may have been influenced by the treatment of our fore-parents on the plantation. Our fore-parents were driven and whipped to work on the plantation; hence agricultural field work is looked down upon today. People may see field type work as slave type work and their attitude to agricultural type work may be described as ‘lazy’ with an unwillingness to work. This even with mechanization and automated systems that can be used to make field work easier.
Slaves were powerless and had ‘no’ rights; they had to work on the plantation. Emancipation has given Caribbean people a voice in which to say ‘massa’ days done, so we work at our leisure rejecting capitalist imposition of work routines. Many farmers have part-time jobs and use the remainder of their time engaged in planting mainly cash crops, being ‘massa’ unto themselves.
A Laborer could have taken advantage of the plantation system by being a more-skilled worker than other slaves, therefore moving up from the intense work in the field to a less laborious job. Also, if a field slave understands the language of different slave tribes, he would have the ability to translate what other slaves were saying, which now puts him in a higher position in the plantation system. Finally, if a laborer is hard-working and discipline he could achieved upward mobility to a house slave, where he gets the better of everything as opposed to the field slaves on the plantation.
Shelly Ann Mohammed
811004118
Due to the social system under the plantocracy, the quality of work that the descendants of slaves are performing in the agricultural field today is becoming poorer. This is simply because the lands that the ex-slaves obtained after emancipation were not suitable for agricultural purposes. Examples of these lands that they obtained are the peripheries of the plantation area, abandon plantation and also the mountainous inferiors. As a result of the large plantation system that was monocrop dependence the land was very poor quality land which had little soil fertility. In addition the mountainous inferiors were quite hilly. As compared to the plantation land which had rich fertile soil and well irrigated flat land. Hence the plantations produce high yields of produce whereas the ex-slaves produce the opposite. The land the slaves had acquired were quite small and due to the fragmentation (death of a farmer resulted in the land being divided equally among his children) the next generation received smaller parcels of land. Therefore presently it can be clearly seen how the quality of agriculture in the Caribbean are deteriorating.
ReplyDeleteThe rigid system of social stratification in the plantation system did not allowed social mobility from one caste to another however; it allowed labourers to move up in their own social class. For example, the African labourers came from different parts of the West Coast of Africa, they belong to different tribal group therefore most of them could not speak the same language. Hence the communication between the master and the labourers were complicated. Therefore if one of the labourers is able to speak more than one language, he would be given the privilege to carry out the chain of command from master to slave. Another example is if a slave has a particular skill such as creating objects from steel therefore he became a ‘blacksmith’ which meant he no longer worked on the fields. These are just two ways of how labourers could have moved up from field labourers.
Shanaz Bharat
ID # 812001663
Considering the early days of the plantation system, there are many aspects which should be looked at. The system was truly a institution. There were numerous differences pertaining to the language and descent of slaves on the farms. there were also the aspect of race differences which stems racism on the plantations. the slaves were picked up from numerous places more in the west. They were just picked randomly and placed on a bout which took them to the farms to work for white owners. They had little or no rights they eat left overs and slept in little dorms or huts. the women were raped or just used for pleasure by the owners or the supervisors. The slaves were just placed there to make money by planting of one crop cane or cotton. When emancipation took place and slaves were now free they start to grab land rapidly and began there own plantation. Comparing slavery to the plantation system now, there is a growth in black ownership of land. These lands was not the best in quality but it was still land. It was not a easy thing to take advantage on the farm pertaining to slaves because most of them spoke a different language, but they may have been the idea to come together and strike against the decisions of the owners. after emancipation, then came the construction of groups such as the trade union which fights for workers rights as an individual. Now as there is an increase in agriculture it would help cope with the rise in population, as population rises the demand for food would increase. The good thing about these present farmers is that they adapt to a multi-cropping system which differ from the mono-cropping system of long ago and also technology is greater, these practices/methods is a good thing to Caribbean society and may help Caribbean agriculture on a hold.
ReplyDelete812002813
ReplyDeleteThe Plantation which gave way to the enslavement of many Africans was seen as a place of tremendous dread due to the humiliating and inhumane conditions in which these slaves had to endure. the plantation system like modern day society was victim to social stratification meaning that persons of the system were segmented and grouped by class and ethnicity, there were African field slaves who stood at the bottom of the social ladder, immediately on top were African house slaves followed by overseers usually of European decent and standing at the top of the social ladder was the plantation owner.
ReplyDeleteat the end of slavery in the 1800's African ex slaves refusing to work as indentured laborers sought out refuge in the mountainous marginal areas surrounding the plantation. these infertile, poorly irrigated lands gave way to a new life for these slaves and their families.
these poorly educated,culturally deprived ex slaves occupied up to 5 acres of land in which they planted crops in order to provide for their families, a skill in which they passed down from generation to generation along with land that was divided among each offspring making it difficult to produce surplus produce to sell and obtain income which lead to the adoption of many other skills throughout the years such as fishing, carpentry and other services that allowed descendants to have a sustainable income. some persons gave up the farming life entirely buy selling their land to their siblings and moving to cities to adopt a more corporate lifestyle.
laborers could have taken advantage of this system by accumulating a high amount of land and maximize the amount of cash crops they produce as well as educating themselves to make the best of the situation given to them by learning about soil fertility methods and proper irrigation practices
NAME: Kristoff Toussaint
ID# 812001868
The plantation society was made up of the plantation owners, the skilled whites, the mixed raced people (the slaves and the whites mixed) and the slaves, which consists of Africans and East Indian indentured laborers.
ReplyDeletePhebe Ramayah
811000694
Undoubtedly, The Plantation System was an organized process of production that operated as a community with a rigid of social stratification, a hierarchy that placed slaves at the bottom of the social pyramid and whites at the top. Although the world speaks of evolution and change, we as a people, that is, descendants of ex-slaves are still experiencing whiplash from the traumatic event that was Slavery and is seen through the quality of work that is being performed today.
ReplyDeleteEx-slaves settling on marginal land after slavery was a watershed event in the lives of Caribbean people. Making this choice and settling for marginal land that was mountainous, infertile and of general poor quality compared to plantation land that was well irrigated, flat, fertile land placed them at a disadvantage as production and yield were initially be low. Land would be split among generations to come and they would inherit this same problem of low fertility and yield, but on a larger scale. Things could have been different today if ex-slaves taken advantage of the White’s proposal to take occupy (but not be entitled to or own) plantation land. The inability to declare title to land for either marginal or plantation land would further set back future generations as banks refuse loans to persons who cannot produce them which would result in a lack of educational and technological advancement.
Another obvious solution would have been for them to occupy plantation land, pool their resources together (land and labour) which would have increased production and by extension income which would have allowed more opportunities for present generations. While this alternative would have been ideal for both the psyche and socio-economic status of their children, is it not unfair to ask such a feat or sacrifice knowing exactly what they were running from?
Sihle Mendoza
811002601
The plantation economy is an arrangement of control, enslavement and land together with no mechanization to accomplish the cultivation of a particular crop due to forced labor that only benefited the Europeans. The plantation society was made up of the plantation owners, the skilled whites, the mixed raced people (the slaves and the whites mixed) and the slaves, which consists of Africans and East Indian indentured laborers. This organization was carried out on the same piece of land where both the slave masters and the slaves lived. In addition, agriculture was the only known means of survival, thus this gave rise to the peasantry. Which was established after emancipation (1838) or freedom from the slavery, this was basically made up of ex-slaves who cultivated marginal land either around or on the mountainous regions. Farming was the main soured of income, as some of them would attain low income wages at the plantation. Furthermore, the peasantry grew due to increased lands for mixed farming and exports. As a result, the children of the slaves became farmers and carried on the plantation tradition for a period of many years .Whereas today’s descendants acquire valued jobs and become high society members. As they no longer intended to settle for low class life styles or manipulation by others. The plantation system has impacted on not only the slaves themselves but has trickled its ways down to the present day where acculturation has embedded into the minds of the descendants due to this social stratification agriculture is identified primarily with slavery, which the modern society views as low class and degrading, therefore our workforce has little to no interest in plantation as a whole.
ReplyDeletePhebe Ramayah
811000694
The plantation was an organized process of production that operated as a community, a rigid system of social stratification which still has a magnificent impact on Caribbean society today. It was a dominant and integral component of the social, political and economic intuitions, if not the determinant. The societies were stratified into various subdivisions that could be related as a pyramid decided by colour and race. The Anglo-Saxon planter was at the top, and slaves were at the bottom; there were few occasions for social mobility for the enslaved.
ReplyDeleteAfter Emancipation the enslaved migrated to the marginal lines off the estates and into the hillsides to form settlements where they all grew cash crops. These subsistence farmers from the peasantry society, the planters made it extremely difficult to acquire land; minute land portions were exorbitantly priced as planter refused to sell their surplus and marginal lands, heavy legislation against illegal settlement on crown lands. Licences were costly to sell small quantities of sugar, coffee, charcoal and firewood. They levied land taxes discriminated against small land owners. All these restrictions was to try to reduce the labour shortage which their foreseen.Some plantation owners offered small parcels of land for ex-slaves to stay and work on the estate for long hours and little paid as they was a shortage of land after awhile.
They practice slash and burn, no rotation of crops, heavy use of artificial fertilizers leading to soil degradation, loss of top soil (erosion) and generally exhausted soils. Eisner said, the peasants “were left to themselves to experiment with different crops and techniques”. Eisner’s statement also explains the lack of agricultural knowledge, inadequate fertile land for expansion and little credit. Another problem evident at present is the proportion of lands the current farmers occupied is very small due to fragmentation as it would be divided amount the lump sum of off-springs over the generations.
Leeba Bradshaw-Lucillio
812004758
The Plantation system is a 'political, social and economic institution’ which was established with one purpose; to produce revenues by the production and export of a mono crop. The owners of these plantations in the European colonies were foreign born and bore allegiance to the country of their origin.
ReplyDeleteLimited agricultural technology on plantations made a large labour pool necessary. African slaves were brought to the plantations after failed attempts at using the indigenous people of the region, and white indentured labour. The social system under plantocracy was rigid and race and caste lines were drawn. The plantation owners and learned professionals were at the top of the social pyramid and slaves were at the base. The intermediate levels of the social pyramid were occupied by small planters, merchants, artisan and labourers.
The position that a slave held in society was determined by his race and his place was in the fields. Emancipation in 1834 and the end of indenture-ship in 1838 offered hope of a new beginning for the freed slaves. Unfortunately the freed slaves and their descendants found that this freedom was bittersweet. Although they were free the plantocray still controlled the land masses and the slaves and their descendants were forced to use marginal land to practice subsistence farming. They were charged larger land rental fees than the plantation owners. Unlike the hacienda system which provided land for subsistence farming to the estate workers, slaves had no legal ownership or rights to land ownership.
The biracial descendants of the slave owners feared better since they were able to work as house servants. Other former slaves were artisans since a few were allowed to learn trades. However, education was and still is the only route for most to escape persistent poverty. The inability to own land and weakened family structures have kept much of the salve progeny stymied in economic and social improvement.
Veronica Bunbury
810004517
The Plantation system served to establish a mindset into the ex-slaves in which they were constantly reminded that they were of a lower status than their white counterparts. this mindset was integral in how they operated on the plantations, as much so as the system of slavery was. The years of fear had subconsciously caused them to believe that they could never be as good, so most of them settled for what they were given after emancipation and tried to eke out an existence on the little infertile land they were handed.
ReplyDeleteHowever, they may have fared better had they come together and weighed their options, limited as they were. They already had the knowledge of how a plantation system operated, and they knew it was successful. they were all given lands relatively close to each other. Perhaps they could have joined their lots together and created a smaller version of the plantation system, thought he lands weren't the best.
Also, they were given the choice to work under the white masters for a small fee in addition to their lots. this was not much, but they did not possess much other choices, and a small fee was better than none. Working as a laborer as a free person, they could now show off more of their talents and could have been given apprenticeships and could now move up in the social ladder of the plantations. New jobs like training the new recruits could have been given to the older laborers, and so on. They could have used their incentives to better their chances for themselves and their families.
Clevon Oliver
812003824
The plantation system of today was definitely influenced by social stratification which was afflicted upon our slave ancestors by the Europeans. Slaves were at the bottom of a social pyramid whilst the rich, white plantation owners occupied the top.
ReplyDeleteThis social system of plantocracy is what resulted in the quality of work seen by today's Caribbean peasant farmers to be as it is. The main factor fueling this type of work was simply the "quality of land," which the ex slaves acquired after emancipation, during the period of establishment. They illegally occupied and settled on marginal land which was infertile, mountainous and swampy in some cases. This was so because plantation owners already occupied the flat, fertile, irrigated land.
This marginal land has been passed down from generation to generation to the farmers of today. Due to the constant decades of farming, degeneration would have occurred leaving the land in its current state today. It gets worst as farmers today may have divided their land between families etc. making it even smaller and more difficult to rationally farm on.
In conclusion, this is the type of land farmers are forced to farm on today. Agriculture may have been much different if ex slaves acquired the quality of land their slaves masters enjoyed. Then may be, just may be, agriculture in the Caribbean today would have been different.
Justin Josh Boodoo,
812002996.
N.B I posted this since lunch time and when i checked i didn't
ReplyDeletesee it so i'm re-posting it.
I agree that the plantation system is one with a rigid system of social stratification.Normally with the White European- stock owners or managers at the top,culturally mixed skilled personnel in the middle(i.e. offspring's of the lack women and the White European men), and the culturally different unskilled labourers at the bottom.there is virtually no mobility in either direction within this system of stratification, and every aspect of life on the plantation reflects the social structure.After Emancipation in 1838 the freed slaves went anywhere the could find land on abandoned plantation and in the mountainous interiors of the various territories.They tried to get as far away from the memories of the brutality they suffered. In the mountains they occupied small areas of farm land not more than 1/4 acre. There they practiced a type of agriculture called slash and burn method for subsistance farming until the land was exhausted and moved to another.On these lands the planted cash crops such as yams and cassava.All the land that the slaves squatted was infertile or inaccessible and was too small for any machinery.Nowadays the descendants are now farming on small fractions of the land they started with and the soils are exhausted from the many years of malpractice.The government even compete for land and labor.Most of our local companies are run by people living in European countries (i.e.foreigners/Whites)and are often absent and hire overseers to manage their businesses.Farmers also work on their farms early in the morning and at evening when the sun sets. During the day the work as taxi drivers or work in small shops or businesses.However the laborers could have join together their small farm lands to create a large plantation to increase production and income. this would have also given them the space to use machinery and grants or loans from the government banks.Slaves could have also taken advantage of the system to have special privileges by being able to speak more than one language,do more strenuous jobs and skilled jobs or even some type of calculation to get a higher position.
ID 812002079
JOEL HENRY
The “Plantation System” was fashioned by the Europeans as new agricultural form. West African slaves were imported to work on these plantations since there was a shortage in labour. The plantation was almost a little community by itself. The plantation was hierarchical with a rigid system of social stratification where the owners had a higher status or authority above the slaves who had little or no rights. It was comprised of masters, overseers and slaves. The slaves were considered “chattel” denoting they were perceived as the owner’s personal property. The slaves were forced and did almost all the work, which was done by hand labour for little or no wages on vast tracks of land. Slaves were deprived of their cultural identity and their basic rights as human beings. During the civil war great changes occurred such as the freeing of the slaves. In 1838 slavery was abolished. Descendants of the slaves lived in the outskirts of the plantation in mainly mountainous areas since most slaves rejected the proposal to return home. The land in which the ex-slaves planted was marginal, infertile land as the rich land already belonged to their ex-masters who they refused to work for. The ex-slaves divided their land and allocated it to their offspring into fractions. Because of the quality of the land, it became exhausted quickly due to practices such as slash and burn. The descendants used the land to produce cash crops solely to survive. A restriction was that the ex-slaves didn’t have any rights to the land on the plantation and therefore had to settle for depleted land or work for the plantation owners which they refused to do. Since plantations needed labourers to work on the land ex-slaves could’ve exploited the owners into making some sort of bargain for better standards of living.
ReplyDeleteRODERICK MOHAMMED
812002027
We saw from the plantation system, there was indeed a rigid system of social stratification. This social stratification occurred as a result of occupational status and rank in authority. The white owner was at the top of the pyramid follow by a few skilled white people and then the slaves. All the labour on the farm was done by the slaves. They had no opportunities to better themselves. After emancipation, slaves were able to recieve some education but most of the were still working on farms and doing manual labour. As a result of this, today this is the type of work that the descendants of slaves are performing today. Due to lack of education and the plantation system, generations and generations of slave descendants still perform this type of manual labour and work in farms.
ReplyDeleteOne way that slaves could have taken advantage of the system could have been their ability to speak different languages. Since salves came from different tribes in Africa, they spoke different dialects. Therefore if one slave was able to speak many dialects, then this slave may have been given more responsibilities to manage different tribes. Another way was that they would have gained the knowledge on how to grow different crops. As a result of this when emancipation occurred they were able to set up their own small farms.
Nigel Birbal
809001049
The plantation purpose and role was like any modern day business that exists around us. Meaning its purpose was to make money and create a way of life. For it to successfully do so it had to have an order based on social stratification. The African slaves were placed at the bottom and were led by European plantation owners. There placement at the bottom of this organisational pyramid made it hard to take advantage of system as the only movement upwards was from lower class to middle class. They were never given authority or power. When they were given freedom the only land the slaves could have claimed was the marginal land on the outskirts of the plantation. So this land was obviously not fertile and located on hilly hard to manage surfaces. This land was passed down from generations and we now live amongst it today so we can see why agriculture is at such a poor state today but this is not the only factor. The observance or social stratification was mostly based on skin colour and this had also been passed down to the generations. This is greatly reflected in our work force today as it clear labourers consist of a certain class and race of people. In conclusion I believe the slaves were powerless in creating a richer more successful lifestyle for themselves but they were able to survive by doing what they knew best working hard and persevering even when they couldn’t use machinery or were faced with the adversary of poorly irrigated land they still conquered this an to survive and the society today should observe this an upkeep this.
ReplyDeleteSHAY RACKAL
811003817
The Plantation is an organized process of production that operate as a community with a rigid system of social stratification. How has the social system under plantocracy resulted in the quality of work that descendants of slaves have to/are performing today? Given such restrictions and order of the plantation system itself, in what ways could labourers have taken advantage of the systems?
ReplyDeleteThe quality of work that descendants of slaves in today’s Caribbean society are executing today is the result of the legacy of the plantation stratification system, i.e. the hierarchical structures of class and strata of the plantation system that has been passed down from generation to generation. This system was so embedded into the minds of slaves that even after they were physically freed from the Plantation Estate and its’ Master from 1838 onwards, they were still physiologically bounded by it. Associated with the social stratification system Caribbean slave descendents still carry the mindset and stigma that their main purpose is for hard physical labor with no or little pay. As a result of this the Caribbean work force generally do not work to their maximum productivity in today’s society.
The labourers could have taken advantage of the plantation system by learning the various languages of the other slaves so he could be used by the overseer to manage the slaves hence escaping the daily hard labour. Those who were skilled or semi-skilled would have been place higher in the stratification pyramid. They would be placed inside of the sugar factories in charge of the different components of the production system e.g. mills, broilers, machines, transport and rum house. Those who were lighter skin would be placed in the Great House as domestic workers as cooks, seamstress, butlers to name a few of the duties. With this came the opportunity to access books, this would place them in a better job as they would be considered an educated slave. They would escape the rigors of field work. These are some of the ways laboures could take advantage of the system given the restrictions and order of the plantation system itself.
Nadine Holder 812005571