Emancipation Day 2020

In the early 1800s with the prospect of emancipation becoming a reality, slave owners began to face resistance demonstrated through bold acts and through covert actions. Here are 5 acts of resistance to slavery that took place in The Bahamas.  

1. The first revolt recorded in Abaco was in 1787. The reported incident involved several black people who lived on the outskirts of the Abaco settlements rebelling against their white counterparts with muskets and other weapons . The basis behind the revolt was that many of the Africans thought that they had been free. Lord Dunmore, who was governor at the time, went to the islands and granted amnesty to the accused for the restoration of peace and to return to work. Those who could prove their freedom were declared free. 

2. Creole Case. Creole Case was the result of an American  slave revolt in November 1841 on board the Creole, a ship involved in the United States coastwise slave trade. As a consequence of the revolt, 128 enslaved people won their freedom in the Bahamas. Because of the number of people eventually freed, the Creole mutiny was the most successful slave revolt in US history.

3. Mutiny of slaves on the Johnson estate in Eleuthera. In 1831 the slaves of Mr Johnson refused to work one day stating that they were free. The  magistrate that investigated the munity found the real cause of the rebellion to be a lack of food and clothes. Which were granted by the magistrate without lashes being given 

4. Mutiny on the Farquharson estate. A mutiny on Farquharson  estate took place in the year before the British act of emancipation. A fight broke out between a slave Isaac and the slave owner's son James over mounting a mule wrong. The next day every black person on the plantation turned out with clubs and sticks in their hands shouting threats to Mr Farquharson and his son James. All of the ring leaders in this revolt were sold. 

5. Runaways Cloe, Boatswain and their 4 children.

  In the 1820’s on January 17th a man named Boatswain and his wife Cloe ran away from Clifton with their 4 children, Harriet, Phillis, Matilda and St George. It was assumed that they were Harboured by the Baptist Negros about Sambo Scriven’s Meeting House on meeting street