The Turbulent Times Of 1765 In Belize: A Historical Perspective

In 1765, the British settlement in Belize was governed by a set of regulations known as Burnaby's Code, which was formalised by Rear Admiral Sir William Burnaby, commander-in-chief of Jamaica. This code was an expansion of the basic democracy that the settlers had already established.

The British introduced slavery to Belize and imported thousands of slaves from Africa

The British settlers, known as Baymen, needed slaves to work in the timber industry, as treaties forbade the production of plantation crops in Belize. While the work was different from that on plantations, it was still arduous and oppressive for the slaves. The slaves were frequently the objects of "extreme inhumanity", as a report published in 1820 stated. The chaplain of the settlement reported "instances, many instances, of horrible barbarity" against the slaves.

The slaves in Belize were primarily tasked with processing timber and mahogany, which was heavy work that required a lot of labour. This work was seasonal, and it allowed male slaves to work largely unsupervised, as they were sent out in small gangs to perform their tasks. During the rainy season, the slaves would help to float the lumber downriver for processing. Various positions were required for chopping and manufacturing lumber, including huntsmen, axmen, and those who cared for the oxen that pulled the logs. Other slaves worked as domestic helpers, sailors, blacksmiths, nurses, and bakers.

The British settlers who controlled the political economy of Belize also benefited from slavery. A small group of wealthy white British settlers held almost total administrative and economic control over settlements that were predominantly indigenous and Black. They claimed about four-fifths of the available land and owned about half of all slaves. They also controlled imports, exports, and wholesale and retail trades, and determined taxation.

The slaves were used to cut logwood and later mahogany

The British settlers in Belize, who called themselves Baymen, began importing African slaves in the early 18th century to help cut logwood and, later, mahogany. The slaves were treated harshly and oppressively, and there were at least four slave revolts in Belize.

Cutting logwood was a simple, small-scale operation, and only one or two slaves were needed to cut the small trees. However, as the trade shifted to mahogany in the last quarter of the 18th century, the scale of operations increased, and more slaves were required. Mahogany trees were much larger and more difficult to locate than logwood trees, and the extraction process was more complex and technologically demanding. It required larger gangs of slaves, with different specialisations, to locate, fell, trim, transport, and process the trees into logs.

The slaves who occupied the upriver mahogany camps were divided into groups according to their specialised jobs, including huntsman, axeman, path clearer, ox-team driver, and log trimmer. The huntsman, who climbed the tallest trees to locate the mahogany trees, enjoyed a degree of independence, as he could sell his information to the owner of a neighbouring claim if he was treated poorly. Once a suitable tree was located, the path clearer would identify the shortest route to move the log, avoiding slopes, swamps, and rocks, and then build a rudimentary road. The axeman would then fell the tree, usually from a stage built eight to ten feet above the ground to avoid the huge root buttresses. The tree would be cleared of its limbs, dragged to the river, and cut with a distinctive mark to identify its owner.

During the rainy season, the logs would be thrown into the river and floated downstream, where they would be captured using a large boom chain attached to anchors on each shore. The logs would then be squared to facilitate loading into a ship's hold and marked with an inventory code. The largest logs were rough-squared in the forest to make them lighter and prevent rolling.

The use of small gangs of slaves meant that close supervision was not required, and whip-wielding drivers, common on large plantations elsewhere, were unknown in Belize. However, the slaves' experience was still oppressive, and they were frequently the objects of "extreme inhumanity", as a report published in 1820 stated. The slaves' own actions, including suicide, abortion, murder, escape, and revolt, suggest how they viewed their situation.

The slaves were treated with extreme inhumanity

The slaves in Belize were treated with extreme inhumanity. They were frequently the objects of "horrible barbarity", as a report published in 1820 stated. The slaves' own actions, including suicide, abortion, murder, escape, and revolt, suggest how they viewed their situation.

The slaves' experience, though different from that on plantations in other colonies in the region, was nevertheless oppressive. The slaves were brought to Belize to help cut logwood and later, mahogany. Cutting logwood was a simple, small-scale operation, but the settlers imported slaves to help with the work. Cutting timber was seasonal work that required workers to spend several months isolated in temporary makeshift camps in the forest, away from families in Belize Town.

The slaves were mostly women and children, who were used to clean their masters' houses, sew, wash and iron their clothes, prepare and serve their food, and raise their children. Other slaves worked as sailors, blacksmiths, nurses, and bakers. The slaves were also used for mahogany extraction, which was a large-scale operation. Huntsmen found the trees, which were then cut, trimmed, and hauled to the riverside. During the rainy season, settlers and slaves floated rafts of untrimmed logs downriver, where the wood was processed for shipment. Huntsmen were highly skilled and valued slaves, as were the axmen who cut the trees while standing on a springy platform four to five meters high. Another group of slaves cared for the oxen that pulled the huge logs to the river.

The slaves were frequently the objects of suicide, abortion, murder, escape, and revolt

In 1765, Rear Admiral Sir William Burnaby, commander-in-chief of Jamaica, arrived in the settlement of Belize and codified and expanded the settlers' regulations into a document known as Burnaby's Code. This was a significant development in the history of Belize, which at the time was a British settlement.

The slaves in Belize were subjected to harsh and oppressive conditions, and they frequently responded in ways that reflected their desperation and desire for freedom. Suicide was one such response, a tragic consequence of the extreme inhumanity inflicted upon them. Abortion was also mentioned as an action taken by slaves, though the specifics of this are not elaborated on in the sources.

Murder was another act committed by slaves in Belize, though it is not clear if this was directed at their oppressors or fellow slaves. Escape was a common method of resistance, with many slaves taking advantage of the terrain and the frontiers to flee their captors. The slaves' knowledge of the land and their small, scattered groups made escape a viable option, and many successfully reached Yucatán, Guatemala, Honduras, and other parts of Central America.

Revolt was also a frequent occurrence, with four slave revolts recorded in Belize. The last revolt in 1820, led by two black slaves, was a well-armed and coordinated effort by slaves who had been subjected to unnecessary harshness and had legitimate grounds for complaint.

The slaves were granted freedom in 1838

The history of Belize is steeped in the legacy of slavery. The British introduced slavery to the region, importing thousands of slaves from Africa to cut logwood and mahogany. The slaves' experience was harsh and oppressive, and they were subjected to "extreme inhumanity", as noted in an 1820 report. The slaves' labour was integral to the British economy, as mahogany was the chief export.

In 1833, the British Parliament passed the Emancipation Act, which abolished slavery throughout the British colonies. This act was intended to avoid drastic social changes by implementing a five-year transition period, during which slaves would remain under the control of their masters. Finally, on 1st August 1838, the slaves in Belize were granted freedom.

Despite emancipation, the former slaves continued to face challenges. The masters of the settlement, a small elite group, maintained control by denying access to land and limiting the economic freedom of the freed slaves. Additionally, a complex social hierarchy based on race persisted, with white British settlers at the top, followed by mixed-race Creoles, and African-born slaves at the bottom. This racial hierarchy made systemic change difficult to achieve.

The legacy of slavery in Belize is still felt today. The country's population is diverse, with Mestizos, Creoles, native Maya, Chinese, East Indian, and Mennonite communities, all of whom have been shaped by the history of slavery and its aftermath. The Garifuna, an Afro-Caribbean ethnic group formed from escaped slaves, also played a significant role in shaping modern-day Belize.

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