chapter 6 w&s.docx

Women and Slavery - Chapter 6: Discipline and Physical Abuse Combating physical abuse Laws 1840 regulation abolished the whipping of women Article 47 of the Code Noir, prohibited the breakup of the slave family Article 34 of the Code Noir, prohibited slaves from assaulting free persons Slave women were cognizant of their vulnerability under law They didn?t view the lack of direct access to the courts as a barrier to litigation The courts generally ruled in the favor of slave owners Even if there was sufficient evidence and testimony that pointed to their guilt When called upon to testify slave women were considered not as legitimate witnesses but as slaves Within the French Caribbean as a whole however rulings remained arbitrary, uneven and unpredictable The issue of illegal whipping remained relevant Tensions between slave women and plantation personnel sometimes led to open confrontation Besides fining them judiciary sometimes deprived convicted slave owners of their slaves In the last years of slavery, as an increasing number of cases revealed acts of cruelty against slaves by their owners, different branches of the law began to take firmer action, but the results remained fairly predictable Colonial authorities expelled slaves whom they considered dangerous or whose character was turbulent On mere suspicion of acts of poison, assassination or subversive activities, the authorities usually imprisoned slaves, compensated their owners and deported them to Puerto Rico To the authorities the presence of so many slaves in prison waiting for deportation may have been an indication that slave owners were using deportations to rid themselves of unwanted slaves Some slaves courted deportation, preferring to risk the unknown The colonial treasure paid compensation The Council Prive of Martinique met in 1829 to investigate the problem However they could not easily prove in cases whether the slave owner intentionally wanted the slave gone or not Slaves could be arrested and put in jail without deportation for any violations of the Code Noir Throughout slavery the length of time slaves remained in prison was a source of tension between colonial officials and slaveowners Imprisoned slaves made no contribution to their owners It was not in the economic interest of the state to keep them imprisoned indefinitely since reimbursement for prison costs, even when required of slaveowners, was never certain The state sometimes resorted to auctioning slaves Could only expect meager returns as there were known risks involved in purchasing prison slaves, who were often ill and prone to rebellion Burdened with maintaining slaves in prison at the behest of their owners Restraints had to be placed on prison stays which indicated that slaveowners used state prisons as a means of convenience