Bussa's rebellion (14–16 April 1816) was the largest
slave revolt
A slave rebellion is an armed uprising by slaves, as a way of fighting for their freedom. Rebellions of slaves have occurred in nearly all societies that practice slavery or have practiced slavery in the past. A desire for freedom and the dream o ...
in
Barbadian history. The rebellion takes its name from the African-born slave, Bussa, who led the rebellion. The rebellion, which was eventually defeated by the colonial militia, was the first of three mass slave rebellions in the
British West Indies
The British West Indies (BWI) were the territories in the West Indies under British Empire, British rule, including Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Antigua and Barb ...
that shook public faith in slavery in the years leading up to the
abolition of slavery
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world.
The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. T ...
in the
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
and emancipation of former slaves. It was followed by the
Demerara rebellion of 1823
The Demerara rebellion of 1823 was an uprising involving between 9,000 and 12,000 slaves that took place in the British colony of Demerara-Essequibo in what is now Guyana. The exact number of how many took part in the uprising is a matter of d ...
and by the
Baptist War in
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
in 1831–1832; these are often referred to as the "late slave rebellions".
Background
Barbados
Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...
was a central commercial point to which slaves from the Gold Coast were imported before further dispersal to other British colonies such as Jamaica and British Guiana. Slaves were imported from the Gold Coast to Barbados from the 17th century onward to about the early 19th century. The slave revolt on 14 April 1816 in Barbados was led by a slave named Bussa. Not much is known about his life before the revolt; scholars today are currently debating his possible origins. Bussa was likely a Coromantee, yet there is also reasonable speculation that he may have descended from the
Igbo peoples of modern-day south-eastern Nigeria. It is also possible that Bussa had both ancestries since slaves trafficked before the rebellion (mid- to late 16th-century shift in colonial demand for African slaves from the
Slave Coast) were transported primarily from the Gold Coast and underwent subsequent
creolization
Creolization is the process through which creole languages and cultures emerge. Creolization was first used by linguists to explain how contact languages become creole languages, but now scholars in other social sciences use the term to describe ...
of the island's African slave population. The Bussa's Rebellion, along with other persistent slave rebellions throughout the Caribbean, had given the British Colonial government a further incentive to pass and enact the
Slavery Abolition Act 1833
The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 ( 3 & 4 Will. 4. c. 73) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which abolished slavery in the British Empire by way of compensated emancipation. The act was legislated by Whig Prime Minister Charl ...
, officially abolishing slavery as an institution in all of its Caribbean territories.
Bussa
Bussa () was born a free man in
West Africa
West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
of possible
Igbo descent and was captured by
African merchants, sold to
European slave traders and transported to Barbados in the late 18th century as a slave, where under the
Barbados Slave Code
The Barbados Slave Code of 1661, officially titled as An Act for the better ordering and governing of Negroes, was a law passed by the Parliament of Barbados to provide a legal basis for slavery in the English colony of Barbados and, ostensibly, ...
slavery had been legal since 1661. Not much is known about him and there are no earlier records of him, and virtually no biographical information about Bussa is available. Records show a slave named "Bussa" was a ''ranger'' (a head officer among the slaves) on "
Bayley's Plantation" in the parish of
Saint Philip around the time of the rebellion.
This position would have given Bussa more freedom of movement than the average slave and would have made it easier for him to plan and coordinate the rebellion.
Revolt

The revolts arose at a time when the
British Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...
was working on schemes to ameliorate the conditions of slaves in the Caribbean. Preparation for this rebellion began soon after the House of Assembly discussed and rejected the
Imperial Registry Bill in November 1815, which would have registered West Indian slaves. Historians believe that slaves interpreted some of the parliamentary proposals as preparatory to emancipation, and took action when emancipation did not take place.
Among Bussa's collaborators were Joseph Pitt Washington Franklin (a free man), John and Nanny Grigg, a senior domestic slave, and Jackey on Simmons' Plantation, as well as other slaves, drivers and artisans. Jackey was a Creole driver who was an important figure. The planning was undertaken at a number of sugar estates, including Bailey's plantation, where it began. By February 1816, Bussa was an African driver, one of the few in his position.
He and his collaborators decided to start the revolt on 14 April, Easter Sunday.
Bussa, King Wiltshire, Dick Bailey and Johnny led the slaves into battle at Bailey's Plantation on Tuesday, 16 April. He commanded some 400 rebels, men and women, most of whom were believed to be Creole, born in the islands. He was killed in battle, his forces continued the fight until they were defeated by superior firepower of the colonial militia. The rebellion failed but its influence was significant to the future of Barbados.
Legacy
Bussa remains a popular figure in Barbados.
In 1985, 169 years after his rebellion, the
Emancipation Statue, created by Karl Broodhagen, was unveiled in Haggatt Hall, in the parish of St Michael. Many Barbadians attributed the statue to Bussa and nicknamed it "Bussa's Statue".
In 1998, the
Parliament of Barbados
The Parliament of Barbados is the national legislature of Barbados. It is accorded parliamentary sovereignty, legislative supremacy by Chapter V of the Constitution of Barbados.#refConstitution, Constitution, Chapter V, Part 1; Section 35 The P ...
named Bussa as one of the eleven
National Heroes of Barbados.
References
Further reading
*
Beckles, Hilary. "A History of Barbados: From Amerindian Settlement to Caribbean Single Market". Cambridge University Press, 2007.
*
Beckles, Hilary. ''Black Rebellion in Barbados''. Bridgetown, Barbados: Antilles Publications, 1984.
etailed account of the rebellion* Craton, Michael. ''Testing the Chains: Resistance to Slavery in the British West Indies,'' Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1982.
etailed account of the rebellion* Rodriguez, Junius P., ed. ''Encyclopedia of Slave Resistance and Rebellion''. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2006.
External links
Bussa profile Itzcaribbean
Bussa's Rebellion: How and Why did the Enslaved Africans of Barbados rebel in 1816 National Archives (UK)
The National Archives (TNA; ) is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Its parent department is the Department for Culture, Media and Sport of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is the ...
{{Season of Emancipation
Afro-Caribbean history
Conflicts in 1816
19th-century rebellions
Wars involving Barbados
Abolitionism in Barbados
Rebellions against the British Empire
1816 in Barbados
Slave rebellions in North America
April 1816
Slavery in Barbados