Bermuda History - Slavery Period

Slavery in Bermuda

The first slaves were brought to Bermuda soon after the colony was established in 1620. The indentured or debt bonded contract labor in Bermuda continued until 1684.

White population in Bermuda remained the majority into the 18th century despite a continuous influx of Latin American and African blacks, native Americans, Irish and Scots. The first Blacks to come to Bermuda in numbers were free West Indians, who emigrated from territories taken from Spain.

The slaves initially worked under seven years of bond, as did most English settlers. This was to repay the administrator for the cost of their transport.

As the size of the Black population started growing, the administrative company made many attempts to reduce the number of blacks in the island. They changed the terms of indenture for the Blacks and raised it to 99 years in order to discourage blacks to come to the island. One could obtain the slaves by sale or purchase, auction, legal seizure or by gift. The price of a slave depended on the demand.

Throughout the 17th century, black children sold for £8, women from £10 to £20, and able bodied black and Indian men for around £26. Blacks and Indians never willingly accepted their status as slaves and seized any available opportunity to escape or rebel. It was not easy to escape because of the size of the island. Also the nearest land was more than 700 miles away.

But still slaves ran off from their masters and hid in the caves along Bermuda's coast. Others attempted to plot against their masters. One such plot occurred in 1656 when a dozen Black men led by William Force, a free Black man, plotted to murder their English masters. As the target night arrived, two of the slaves lost their nerves and reported the conspiracy to authorities. The conspirators were rounded up and tried by court martial. Two were hung and William Force was later sent to the Bahamas with most of the island's other free blacks.

In 1673, in another attempt, 15 Blacks conspired to kill their masters. Again, one of the conspirators lost his nerve and reported the conspiracy. While the conspirators were all punished, this conspiracy resulted in enforcing more stringent laws for the slaves related to their movement. A slave found outside his estate without a ticket from his owner could be beaten with a rod or whip. A second offense would result in an ear being cut off.

Native American slaves were brought in large numbers from as far as Mexico. They were preferred as house servants as they proved less troublesome than the Blacks and Irish, who were constantly plotting rebellion.

The slave trade was outlawed in Bermuda in 1807, and all slaves were freed in 1834.

At the end of the 17th Century, Whites composed the majority of Bermuda's population. Blacks and Native Americans were both small minorities. After 10,000 Bermudians emigrated prior to American independence, most of them White, this left Blacks with a slight majority.

Portuguese immigration, which began in the 1840s has been offset by immigration from the West Indies which began at the end of the 19th Century.

Today, about 60% of Bermudians are described as being of African descent, although many may have greater European ancestry, and almost all Bermudians would be able to easily find ancestors and relatives of either African or European descent.

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