Beyond Massa: Sugar Management in the British Caribbean, 1770-1834

Campbell, John F. Calaloux Publications - 2012

Chattel slavery, is a fundamental issue in the historical background of the Caribbean. The sugar

industry was seen as a very profitable investment during the time of slavery. Thus, many

Africans were forcefully enslaved to work on plantation, sold to plantation owners and were

considered the chattel (property) of their masters. In John F. Campbells Beyond Massa, many

factors leading to the allocation and acquisition of slaves are mentioned. Factors such as; jobbing

gangs, labour shortages, unanticipated natural conditions and requirement for specialized

labourers are pinpointed in Beyond Massa.

Firstly, additional slaves were acquired in order to replace the need for jobbing gangs. The cost

of jobbing gangs was seen as being economical for short-term usage. However, according to

Beyond Massa, Jobbing.was a considerable long term cost that planters wished to avoid.

(Campbell 24). As a result, new female slaves were bought to perform jobbing duties and

provide exchange labour to other plantations. Thus, plantation owners chose the alternative

option of purchasing more slaves, which would be more cost-effective to them in the long run.

There was also a division of labour among slaves due to a shortage in labour supply. The slaves

were allocated based on their strength and dexterity. Management implemented this strategy in

order to increase and maintain a steady output of Sugar given the limited amount of slaves

available. This division of labour would mean that sufficient output would be yielded in order to

meet the newly increased demands of the sugar market. Efficiency as well as better mobilization
would also be achieved by implementing labour division. Workers were categorized based on

their strength. The stronger slaves were given bulkier tasks than the other workers, while weaker

slaves were given less work. As stated in Beyond Massa The second gang assisted in lighter

tasks like fertilizing and weeding the fields (Campbell 31). Additionally, they were assigned

to working in the pens. It is mentioned that working in the pens was considered less strenuous

and healthier for slaves that were ailing.

Thirdly, labour was allocated in order to deal with disruptions in the plantation schedules.

Several unforeseen elements bombarded the plantation, forcing management to distribute

additional tasks to slaves so that regular schedule would be regained. Beyond Massa mentions

that Disruptions to the plantations production schedule resulted from floods, hurricanes or

outbreaks of disease. (Campbell 30). Despite being weakened by diseases the slaves were sent

to work arduously so that production would be maintained. The crops were also exposed to

diseases, which meant additional tasks to be performed by slaves.

Finally, slaves were allocated in order to perform tasks that required specialized labour.

Specialist tasks were assigned to stronger slaves to combat the need for purchasing additional

slaves. It was concluded that stronger slaves would be able to develop and eventually perform

specialist tasks effectively. The slaves that were given specialized tasks were sometimes even

assigned to several tasks at once to maintain maximum production. This allowed for greater

flexibility on the plantation as slaves were able to perform both specialized and unspecialized

jobs.
Conclusively, several factors contributed to the allocation and acquisition of slaves in Jamaica.

These factors were taken into consideration by management and this allowed them to decide on

the methods of labour allocation and reasons to purchase additional slaves.