Contests, tensions in pre-Emancipation Tobago

ONE OF THE most well-known features of Tobago’s history is the intense rivalry which occurred between the European powers for ownership of the island since the end of the 17th century. While popular knowledge is centred on the European conflicts, the first contests occurred between the invading Europeans and the island’s First Peoples population, who strongly defended their land against the invaders. After the First Peoples population was decimated and the survivors forced out of the island, the extended period of intense rivalry among the European countries for ownership of the island occurred.

These were two of the conflicts which occurred during the early years of the European presence in Tobago. However, after the island was ceded to Britain and a British administration was put in place, another round of conflicts, which were inherent in the nature and organisation of slave society, unfolded on the island. The first conflicts of this period emanated from the top levels of the administration.

The governor, who represented the British monarch, was the chief administrator on the island. He was assisted by the large planters who served as members of the House of Assembly and the island’s council. Differences of opinion between the governor and the Assembly over several matters, including the appointment of officials and even of the governor himself, often brought them to loggerheads, with each party attempting to demonstrate its superior power.

Whenever such a conflict situation occurred, the Assembly used its control of the island’s Treasury as its main weapon. It would refuse to vote the colony’s annual supplies which would embarrass the governor, who was rendered unable to pay salaries and meet the expenses of the administration of the colony. Such conflicts were frequent occurrences right up to the years before Emancipation when the Assembly was able to flex its muscles over the governor who, under pressure, was forced to bow to their demands.

These conflicts represent a power struggle between the governor and the members of the Assembly, the outcome of which demonstrates the power Tobago’s large planters, who, acting through the House of Assembly, were able to wield over all other officials and to influence decision-making regarding all matters pertaining to the colony.

Although the large planters shared common economic and political interests, there were areas in which there were divergent views within the group. Differences of geographical origins and religion provided fodder for tensions within this group. There was a significant presence of Scotsmen in Tobago’s planting community but there was a group of Englishmen whose influence extended to the dominant merchant community and who had close relations with some of the top administrators.

Religious matters separated the Scottish Presbyterians from the dominant Anglican Englishmen, whose primary concern was the promotion of Anglicanism on the island. On this matter there was strong opposition between the Anglicans and the Presbyterians.

On the business front, merchants and planters became embroiled in conflict. Tobago had a long history of a shortage of coins, which lasted right up to the end of the 19th century. Because of this shortage, rum was used as the medium of exchange for the conduct of business transactions.

Since the plantation system was organised to produce sugar and rum for export, essential items had to be imported, which made planters dependent on the agents of the external suppliers. Suppliers of imported goods were paid with rum in exchange for the items ordered by the planters.

The problem lay with the divergent views about the value of the rum. While the planters attempted to get the best value for their product, the suppliers tended to provide a much lower estimate of its value. This difference was caused by the fluctuating prices of rum on the market. The tendency was for Tobago’s produce to attract a lower price while prices for imported goods increased, as did the prices to the local agents for their services.

It must be remembered that Tobago’s planting community faced diminishing returns from their investment in plantations. In addition, planters were not alert to the rapid market price changes for both exports and imports and based their assessment on the prices obtained for rum the previous season. Falling prices, lack of specie and the high cost of imported goods caused some of the largest planters to find themselves heavily in debt to the local agents of the foreign suppliers. This caused conflict and tension between planters and merchants on the island.

On the social arena there were distinctions within the white community, for there were rich whites who were landowners and merchants and there were poor whites who were socially distinct. These were poor white men who came to the island in a bid to make their fortunes. They were able to avoid menial labour and obtained employment as clerks and skilled craftsmen on the estates.

They were seen as the natural allies of the white ruling class to increase the white presence on the island and help maintain the social distinctions of plantation society, and, during conflicts with the resisting enslaved population, to support the white population. However, rich and poor whites were separated by the property qualification of ten acres of land, which excluded the poor whites from the ability to vote and fully participate in ruling-class activities.

The enforced sexual relations between white males and enslaved females produced a coloured population whose presence complicated the social structure and caused tensions in the society. The coloured population, placed a rung above the enslaved Africans on the social ladder, saw themselves as superior to the black population and aspired to become embraced in white society.

On the other hand, whites saw them as upstarts and made efforts to curtail their power. This was done by the imposition of disabling laws which prevented the coloured population from employment in the upper levels of the administration and from acquiring the power and control that were reserved for whites.

While the coloureds were viewed as possible increased support for the white population against resisting blacks, it was initially considered taboo for white men to marry coloured women and, when they did, they chose educated and talented “high-colour” women.

There were distinctions among the coloured population; some were free and others were enslaved and many free coloureds were poor. The wealthier free coloureds campaigned in objection to the legal disabilities which were imposed on them, which were removed in 1831 except for their restriction from rising to hold commissions in the militia.

After the heated contest for possession of the island, the period of British rule did not provide a peaceful environment for the population for there were conflicts and tensions in all levels of the society. The island’s history was characterised by the power struggles between governor and assemblymen, the rifts between planters and merchants, disagreements within the ruling class over religion and trade, and tensions within and between the social groups, in addition to the hostility of enslaved Africans to their white enslavers.