Caribbean History

Student Based Assesment

To what extent were female slaves mentally affected by sexual abuse on the plantation during
the 18th century in the British Caribbean

Name: Antwone Lewis

Candidate No.:

School:

School Code

Research Topic: Caribbean Economy and Slavery

Subject: Caribbean History

Territory

Teacher’s Name:
Exam Year: 2023

Table of Contents

Content Page No.

Research Topic 1

Rationale 2

Introduction 3

Body of Research 4

Conclusion 9

Appendix 10

Bibliography 11

Research Topic
To what extent were female slaves mentally affected by sexual exploitation on the plantation
during the 18th century in the British Caribbean
 Rationale
I selected this theme “Caribbean Economy and Slavery” because during my years of high
school, I was intrigued by Caribbean History as a subject, as well as , Slavery thus when I
was given this assignment, I had a theme set prior was already set on this theme.

.My question was developed so as to find out how female slaves were mentally affected and
how traumatized these slaves were due to sexual abuse. I wanted to garner more knowledge
on the subject and understand, as a member of society the things that affect women will also
affect me, what these female slaves went through
Introduction
The African women had a unique yet beautiful body this made them a target for their

European owners who viewed them as nothing more than property. The sexual exploitation of

women and the psychological effects among other effects of it in the British Caribbean during

the 18th century would be discussed in this SBA. This study would display the true extent the

sexual exploitation of African female slaves on the plantations of the British Caribbean

during the 18th century.

Body of Research

To what extent were female slaves mentally affected by sexual exploitation on the plantation
in the 18th century in the British West Indies?

In the 18th century, the production of sugar in the British Caribbean relied heavily on
labor of African slaves. Both African men and women were taken to labor in the fields, but
some women were selected to be house slaves. It was whilst these black women were
working in the house that their unique beauty became noticed by their masters these
relationships were mostly abusive/exploitive.

A female slave could be called upon at any time- day or night- to be used as
concubines. This lack of control over who they could share their bodies with created another
form of sexual abuse for enslaved women. By simply being beautiful could materialize into a
life of servitude

for an enslaved woman. Beauty was one factor that increased the possibility of being sexually
abused. As a slave her wishes did not matter, it simply made it impossible for women to hold
on to their virtue. Some women wanted to keep themselves pure, but under the circumstances
they could not, thus, causing them to become frustrated, reckless or live in despair. White
owners wanted them to passively accept this sexual exploitation as their right and privilege of
power. Those who accepted were rewarded with European clothing, and privileges in the
great house

The close contact that these women had with white men meant that cultural values and
practices were passed between them. It could be debated whether long term relationships
between white men and slave women were based on manipulation and self-interest, or mutual
affection and caring. Slave owners did not conceive of their forceful sexual encounters with
enslaved females as being problematic, much less rape. However, it has been documented
that several female slaves

committed suicide as a means of escape from their tragic lives and some tried to murder the
white men who assaulted them and wound up being killed themselves. One example of this
was Eve from the Thomas Thistlewood Plantation in Jamaica. As property, enslaved women
could be forced to “consent” by their owners, most often through violence or the threat of
violence; in the minds of slave owners, this force was “refigured as consent”. They used
euphemisms as a shield for their in8dulgent sexual behavior and abuse of the enslaved
women

Reproduction became a central part of the enslaved woman’s responsibilities, therefore,

ensuring that enslaved women had sexual partners became a priority for slave owners. The
enslaved woman’s ability to become pregnant with a new generation of enslaved people
made her most vulnerable to sexual abuse from both black and white men and rendered her
virtually powerless over who she would share her body with. Having a child with a black
slave meant that that child would grow up in slavery, but having a child with a white man
gave them a bit of hope that the child may be freed if she became free. The wives of the white
men, threatened by the [1]“mulatto child”, very often sold the child into slavery without her
husband’s knowledge. This further emasculated the black woman who had hoped for a better
future for herself and her child. The inhumanity that accompanied the practice of
miscegenation allowed planters to sustain their slave population although some white men
protected and defended their black concubines and their children, it was not enough.

The threat of sexual exploitation was not merely a part of their consciousness, but was often
at the forefront of their minds. Acts of sexual exploitation were not discrete events; they
echoed among enslaved people, eliciting emotions and evoking sadness and powerlessness.
Indeed, these acts led to the development of an exploitation consciousness. Acts of sexual
exploitation brought about emotional distress and a sense of helplessness. For enslaved
women, this awareness of sexual exploitation, whether it was from personal experience or
word of mouth, generated feelings of anger, powerlessness and fear. It also informed them of
their limited control over their bodies.

The threat of sexual exploitation was not merely a part of their consciousness, but was often
at the forefront of their minds. Acts of sexual exploitation were not discrete events; they
echoed among enslaved people, eliciting emotions and evoking sadness and powerlessness.
Indeed, these acts led to the development of an exploitation consciousness. Acts of sexual
exploitation brought about emotional distress and a sense of helplessness. For enslaved
women, this awareness of sexual exploitation, whether it was from personal experience or
word of mouth, generated feelings of anger, powerlessness and fear. It also informed them of
their limited control over their bodies.
It led to the development of feelings of hopelessness not only about relationships, but about
life on a whole. This exploitation consciousness influenced how enslaved women navigated
through life. The emotional and psychological consequences of sexual exploitation were real
and were often a significant factor in enslaved women’s decision making. They realized they
could never follow the aspirations of their heart.

For those who were directly or indirectly affected by the trauma of sexual exploitation, sex
became more than simply an expression of love and physical desire between consenting
individuals. They gained a broadened understanding of the meaning of sex and how it could
be used to better their lives. The effects of sexual abuse extended beyond the enslaved
woman to enslaved communities at large. Feelings of pity and helplessness were elicited for
those enslaved women who endured the sexual advances. Though life went on, the
psychological effects of sexual exploitation were ever-present.

It is hard to understand a kind of pain that would cause a mother to abandon her child, or
make a woman beg a man to end her life. However, for many enslaved women, this kind of
pain was not far removed. For those enslaved women who came face to face with the trauma
of sexual exploitation, life could not stop. Obedience was still mandated, work still needed to
be performed, children—even those who were the product of coerced sex—still needed to be
raised, and the factory that was known as the plantation still needed to be run. Instead of
crumbling in the wake of sexual abuse, these enslaved women had to find means of coping
with the damage that had been done. This kind of victimization bred feelings of fear and
distrust for some, and resentment and the courage to fight back for others. As these instances
were experienced and witnessed by enslaved women and men on plantations all through the
colonial time, they left impressions that would factor into life decisions for generations to
come
Conclusion
From my research I reached the conclusion that female slaves were indeed psychologically
affected by sexual exploitation in the British Caribbean in the 18th century. They were so
abused to the point that many turned suicide and many were successful, these experiences of
sexual abuse had forever impacted the minds of the female slaves until they deceased and
those who witnessed it, and would forever leave impressions for generations.
Appendix
A female slave with a weight chained to her ankle (J. Stedman, 1796). Credit: Wellcome Collection
.