Black Resistance in Barbados after the Bussa Revolt, 1816–1838

Abstract: In April 1816, the enslaved in their quest for freedom under Bussa, suffered a heavy military defeat. Hundreds were killed in battle and executed; their homes in the parish of St Philip were burnt and many were transported from the island. Yet, despite this military defeat, the enslaved continued to resist steadfastly, using a range of responses such as rebellion, the murder of enslavers, slave plots, marronage and demands for compensation. Using newspapers, governors’ correspondence and plantation records, this article discusses the resistance of the enslaved in the period 1816 to 1838 in their pursuit for freedom. It is argued that despite the heavy suppression of the 1816 rebellion by the military, enslaved people continued to be militant in the period leading up to emancipation in 1838. Furthermore, this militancy was influenced by anti-slavery political consciousness and notions of freedom delayed by the local enslavers amidst intense local and international political debates over amelioration and abolition.