11+b.+Amelioration


 * __AMELIORATION__**

Amelioration was a proposal made by a group of plantation and slave owners called the West Indian Committee to the Colonial Secretary in Britain to improve conditions for the enslaved Africans. These improvements were made between 1816 and 1826.

The reason why the planters proposed Amelioration was to hinder of delay abolition of slavery and the emancipation of slaves. They thought that if they improved the condition of slaves they could silence the anit-slavery movement and continue slavery so they could remain with the use of their slaves.

IN 1816,Jamaica had already passed the Consilidated Slave Law. This mandated that slaves should have Sunday off work, as well as one other day every fortnight to do their own planting. They were to have at least 26 days off work every year. Their work day was also to be no longer than 5am to 7pm whith 30mins for breakfast and a 2 hour lunch. However it is not certain to what extent the law was enforced. This was the first instant where slave condtions were improved.

In 1823, official Amelioration laws were passed for the ALL of the British Caribbean territories. The British Abolitionists formed a new organization, called the **Society for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery.** Their plan was to campaign for an immediate improvement in the conditions of enslaved Africans and then to get slavery completely abolished. The abolitionists set up over 200 branches of the new society in a year. The British Caribbean planters soon realized that public opinion was not on their side and that they might also lose the support of MP's if anti-slavery legislation went to Parliament. So they changed strategy and decided to propose Amelioration to Parliament themselves. Their representatives in London sent their suggestions to the Colonial Secretary who accepted them and ordered the propsals put into action in the British Caribbean territories.

Some of the terms of Amelioration are as follows:
 * Female slaves could not be whipped
 * Slave owners and overseers could not carry whips with them in the fields
 * Slave families could not be separated
 * Slaves had to receive religious instruction
 * Banks for slaves to store their savings had to be established. These savings were to help slaves save money to buy their freedom if they wanted to.
 * Slaves could not be sold as payment of debts
 * Slaves had to be allowed to go to church on Sunday and to go to market on Saturday
 * All floggings over 3 strokes were to be recorded by estate officials and the records submitted every 3 months to a magistrate
 * Slaves should have a legal right to give evidence in court once sponsored by a member of the clergy (church member)
 * A male slave who was to be whipped should be given one day's notice before the actual whipping

__Why did Amelioration fail?__

Amelioration failed because planters from all the islands (especially Jamaica, Barbados, St Vincent and Dominica) refused to accept and pass the proposals. They found that it gave the slaves too much freedom and too many rights and that this could cause disorder and riots. In the end the slaves were only treated worse. By 1826, it was clear that Amelioration was a failure and the Emancipation society and many British parliamentarians demanded for slavery to end.


 * __Related Past Paper questions__**

1a. Describe 5 proposals introduced in 1823 to improve the conditions of slavery in the Caribbean. b. Explain 2 ways in which the planters reacted to the new Ameliorarion proposals.