Essay Sample on the Document Slave Revolt in West Indies

Place the Document in Historical Context

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The author of this document is an editor is John Peter Zenger who is an editor who printed the sloop captain report which talked about the slave takeover of the Danish Island of St.John in November 1733. The author intended to address this document to white colonies including the United States on the issue of slavery. The society at this particular period was living in fear due to emerging slave groups. During this era, the society was dominated by slavery. The slaves were tired with the slavery life and formed revolt groups in order to fight for their rights and American were against this slave uprising in all colonies in North America and ended up threatening them. During this particular period, slavery was experienced mostly in West Indies as this region was significant to commerce and trade. As a result of this, the formation of slave revolts among slaves was important in this region which later resulted into a fight (John, 1733).

Slavery did not exist as an issue on its own but rather it had various consequences that led to the loss of many lives .The slaves due to continuous mistreatment attacked the island and this turned bloody since they killed every aged men and woman that they came across and ended up introducing young girls to immoral activities. The slave group managed to take control of the island for 8 days before they were attacked by the whites who came from St .Thomas and took over the control after a fierce fight and resistance from the slaves. The fighting between the slaves and whites continued until 1734 and this is the time the French and the British arrived and neutralized the uprising. The author states that most islands in this region lived with a fear of being attacked by the uprising for a long time (John, 1733).

List the Documents Main Points

The author wanted to the issue of slavery and its consequences to the society. The slaves used to be mistreated by the whites and this did not go well with the slaves. The society was not at peace as the slaves were fighting for their right while the whites wanted to keep them as slaves and this resulted in frequent fights between the two groups. The author has also tried to show how innocent individuals can be victims of circumstances during the period of war. When slaves attacked Fort Island, most people who suffered at this particular period were old men and women as they could not run for their lives. Furthermore, the author has shown immoral practices that can be seen during the war. The slaves upon invading the island decided to debauchee young women in the society.

Historical Significance

This document had a positive impact on the later generation as individuals started knowing the importance of equality with the society. There was no need for keeping other as slaves, and at the same time, the effect of enslaving individuals was futile as these slaves did fight back and the white colonies also lost a lot of people. The authors society did realize the importance of not treating others equal due to damages the society experienced. Notably, the document largely impacted the slaves and the white colonies since the slavery at that particular period decreased even though it continued for more centuries before it was abolished (John, 1733).

Reference

John P.S. Slave Revolt in West Indies, 1733