The 1816 Barbados Slave Revolt

Abstract

This thesis seeks to explore the leadership, causes and impact of the 1816 Barbados slave revolt. Many historians of resistance and abolitionism have overlooked or dismissed the rebellion because of its seemingly negligible effects upon emancipation, while those who do champion the actions of the 1816 rebels have arguably overstated its impact out of a desire to return agency to a history of enslavement. In Barbados, the popular narrative of the uprising is similarly tainted. Its importance to a sense of national pride and identity, rooted in historical examples of resistance and defiance in the face of colonial oppression, has led to a simplified and romanticised understanding. An enslaved man named Bussa has come to represent the rebellion, and the rebellion itself, emancipation. By revisiting often-used primary material, twinned with neglected or new sources, and the personal experience gained on a research trip to the island, the following will attempt to deconstruct these conflicting images. It is arguable that the only real way to restore a sense of autonomy to this history is by retelling it in its most complete form, and not simply viewing its causes and impacts through the uprising’s relationship with abolitionism. It is only by unearthing the complexity and confusion of these events - through the collective nature of the rebel leadership, the myriad of local issues stirring discontent, the slow and subtle development of nationalism and community amongst the rebels, the rumour and anxiety that surrounded the international catalysts for resistance, and every influence that all of this had, both in 1816 and in present-day Barbados – that the humanity and agency of this uprising can be illuminated and understood.