February 21, 2025 • 34 mins
In Part 2 of Golden Rock Dreams and Nightmares, we delve into the paradoxical history of St. Eustatius during its "Golden Rock" era (1750–1800). The island flourished as a global trading hub, connecting continents and fueling revolutions, yet its wealth was built on exploitation and the labor of enslaved people.
We uncover the critical, yet often overlooked, contributions of the elite women on St Eustatius, whose strategic alliances and property management helped consolidate power—even as systems of oppression underpinned their privileges. How do these hidden narratives challenge our traditional views of colonial history, and what do they demand from us today?
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Produced by Simpler Media
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
>> Dr. Elaine (00:00):
Abolitionists knew that homing in on the treatment of
enslaved women would provoke a lot of
outrage. Even though the British public did
not see black women as sort of proper
women, they did think that assaulting
women of any race was
barbaric. So all of this is to say
enslaved women featured heavily in
(00:20):
abolitionist material.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (00:26):
Welcome to Whispers of the Past. I'm your
host, Filo Vit. In this, part
two of Golden Rock Dreams and Nightmares, we
unravel the striking contradictions of synthastacia
during its golden rock era between
1750 and 1800. This
was a time of immense prosperity, and
(00:46):
the island thrived as a global trading hub,
connecting continents and fueling revolutions.
Yet beneath the prosperity lay a complex
reality, one of exploitation,
enslavement, and society sustained by human
suffering. These
contradictions force us to ask critical
(01:07):
how do we reconcile the celebrated wealth of a place
with the suffering that underpinned it?
Whose voices have been lost? And why does this
matter? As we examine the legacy of
colonization, the
history of Sintostatius has often been told through the
colonial lens, centering on the actions
(01:27):
of European men. Missing from this dominant
narrative are the enslaved, whose labor sustained the
island's wealth, and women, whose roles were shaped
by both resilience and compliancy.
In this episode, we seek to uncover the silence
in history and bring to light the voices that are
often overlooked. Amongst these
(01:48):
overlooked stories are those of women who navigate a system
of power and patriarchy. There
is some archival material from this time period about some of the
elite women of women like
Judith Godet, Maxwell De Grave, and Sarah
Godad Benner Don Lovick. They influence
the consolidation of wealth and power through strategic
(02:08):
marriages, inheritance, and property management.
Yet their privileges were built on a system of
exploitation that depended on the labor of the
enslaved. This
duality of resilience and complicity
challenges us to approach history with
nuance. How can we honor the strength of these
women while confronting the systems they
(02:30):
upheld? As we explore the legacies
of Sintostatius, we continue to amplify the
stories that were left in the shadows and reflect on
the shared but unequal experience of those who
lived through these transformative eras.
To begin, we revisit a pivotal moment in the
island's history with Mr. Richardson, the island's
(02:51):
heritage. Inspector.
>> Mr. Richardson (02:56):
Slavery is still not abolished. Um,
and you would see a lot of strange things later on that would
happen, especially in the early 1800s. But
before that, after the islands, um, you
know, salutes the American flag, recognizes
USA as, uh, an independent country. It
still goes kind of Pretty well, everyone is still welcome
(03:17):
on Sius. You know, you have the Jewish
community, you have the Anglican community, the Dutch
reform, you know, you have
Anabaptists, you have everyone, you have
Catholics that were worshiping in private residences. So you have
everyone is basically welcome. On
stage.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (03:35):
Within the thriving community of Sint Eustatius were
women who quietly influenced its prosperity and
social fabric. Judith
Gaudette Maxwell de Grave was born into a
wealthy planter family, solidifying her
influence through her marriage to commander Johannes de
Geff. Together, their combined
(03:55):
wealth and social standing positioned Judith as a
key figure during this era, overseeing fast
plantations and properties.
Her story challenges the notion that only men
drove synthesia's economic success,
revealing how marriages,
inheritance and strategic alliances
allowed women to navigate the constraint of colonial
(04:17):
patriarchy.
Similarly, elite, uh, women like Sarah Godett, Benner
Dunlopig played crucial roles in
consolidating wealth and power.
Born into prominence, Sarah's
influence extended far beyond her household.
Through three strategic marriages to Henry
Benner, William Donne, and Thomas Lofic,
(04:39):
she united some of the island's most lucrative
plantations under her control.
Her alliances with influential families like
Benners and Dunns ensured her
descendant inherited a vast network of wealth and
property. This
consolidation of land highlights the critical but
often overlooked contributions of women in shaping
(05:01):
the island's economic foundations.
Judith's and Sarah's stories, along with others,
demonstrate how women operated within the colonial
system to secure influence. Their
legacy revealed a complex dynamic of power,
gender and wealth in a time to dominated
by men. Amongst
(05:22):
these figures was Johannes the Grave, governor of
Syntostatius during its most transformative
years. Born into an
influential island family, the KAF's rise to
power paralleled the island's emergence as a
global trading hub. He had
immense wealth, uh, owning 10 plantations.
He was a holder of 300 enslaved people
(05:45):
and had 16 trading ships.
Yet the graft is perhaps best remembered for his
bold recognition of the American
independence. In
1776, he slew the American
warship the Andrew Doria, making
Sintostatius the first foreign power to
acknowledge the United States of America.
(06:08):
While we were being celebrated by the Americans,
this act infuriated the British,
placing synthesias at the center of a global
conflict.
These stories of wealth, revolution and
exploitations are deeply intertwined.
Elite women like Judith and Sara used their positions to
(06:28):
shape family legacies, but their privileges were
underpinned by a system of enslavement and
inequalities. As we examine these
women's agency, we must also confront the systems
they uphold, reflecting how power,
privilege and Exploitation shape the fabric of
Sintostatius and the world beyond.
(06:49):
While the wealth of Sintostatius was shaped in part by
the influential individuals, the island's
prosperity extended far beyond families like the Gaudet and
the graves. Its thriving economy
drew people from diverse backgrounds, creating a
community where culture and opportunities
intersected. This prosperity
(07:10):
wasn't limited to the elite. Free people
of color. And wealthy merchants
also carved out spaces of influence
within this independent island nation.
Yet as we delve deeper, we see that this era
of wealth and opportunity came with stark inequalities
both visible and hidden in the shadows of
(07:30):
history. With this in mind, we return to Mr.
Richardson.
>> Mr. Richardson (07:36):
It's a free for all as long as you pay it.
You even have free people of color that were
living on the island and everything is going bliss
and you're kind of like this wealthy independent nation. And
of course, synthesis was also known for even
wealthy merchants at that time printing their own
coins with their own names on it. You know, think
(07:57):
of a gosling, et cetera. So the island is just extremely
wealthy.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (08:05):
This wealth wasn't coincidental.
Syntostacia's open roadstead made it one
of the busiest ports in the world. By the
1780s, we were attracting ships from Europe,
Africa, the Americans and beyond.
But this prosperity came at a profound human
cost. To understand the scale of the
economic engine, we turned to archaeologists,
(08:27):
Dr. Stelton, who shares with us the island
maritime history.
>> Dr. Stelton (08:35):
So in the 1770s and the 1780s, there
were between three and three and a half thousand ships that dropped
anchor and Stacia each year. And
those are the only the ones that are recorded. Right. So there were probably
interlopers and people who were trading illegally
as well, probably in the remote base to the north, like
Tamilandig Bay and Jenkins Bay, but the recorded ones, between
three and three and a half thousand every year. So that's,
(08:57):
yeah, that's a significant number of ships. And they were coming
from all over the world. They were coming from Europe,
from North America, from throughout the Caribbean, from West
Africa, South America. And all of
that was possible because
Staesia has such a large open roadstead where all these ships can
anchor. So that is by far, I think, the most
important and defining feature if you look at the maritime
(09:19):
history of the island and especially in the 18th century.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (09:25):
November 16, 1776,
marked a pivotal moment in Syntostatia's history.
On this day, the island saluted the Andrea Doria,
an American warship that, ah, played a key role in the
naval efforts during the American Revolution.
The Andrew Doria's arrival in Sint Eustacea's
harbor was symbolic as it was part of a broader
(09:46):
movement of American vessels seeking
international recognition and support from their struggles
against Britain. For some, this salute was a
bold gesture of freedom and revolution. But
for other colonial powers, it was seen as a direct
challenge to their authority.
Governor Johannes Zhaerf's decision to recognize the
(10:06):
United States wasn't a mistake. At
the time, Synthesias almost acted like an
independent nation with the slow communication between
the Hague and Oranjestad, leaving the island to
make its own decisions. However, this
recognition came at a heavy cost. It transforms
Interstacia from a neutral trade haven into a target
(10:26):
for British revenge, dragging the island into a
global conflict. Mr.
Richardson will now walk us through this pivotal historical
moment.
>> Mr. Richardson (10:37):
And of course the American independence is being
heavily supported by Saint Eustatius.
Saint M. Eustatius at that time kind of acts like an
independent nation because correspondence between the Hague and
Oranjesat would have taken months. What
you see is interesting is that, you know, November 16th
comes around and we have a governor called
(10:58):
Johannes de Graaf who salutes the Andrew
Doria. Actually the Brig of War sails in and
fires shots and um,
Johannes de Graaf, who's the governor at the time,
replies to these shots, also kind of
solidifying that first salute as they call
it, and recognizing America as an
independent nation. But what's interesting is any people thought and
(11:20):
think it was a mistake. It was not a
mistake because you know, Johannes de Graaf, who's the governor
at the time, he was born into this role. The
governorship of these islands were kind of a dynasty. They
were royalty outside of royalty in Europe.
Johannes de Grafs, his father was governor at the time,
so he should have known this. And his father was governor
at the time when America was already fighting the war of
(11:43):
Independence against the British. So Yohannes as a
young boy, he should have known this. And Johannes
grandfather was governor of Stusatius. And
if you go further, his great grandfather was
governor of St. That's already like five generations
down the line of governorship. How could you not
know the rules of engagement? So these things were no mistake.
They fully well knew what they were doing.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (12:08):
While, uh, the American Revolution reshaped global power
dynamics, Sintostasia faced a different kind of
upheaval. In October of
1780, one of the deadliest hurricane
in recorded history struck the Caribbean. The
hurricane left a trail of devastation
profoundly impacting Sintostatius. Homes
were destroyed, lives were lost and
(12:30):
livelihoods were Disrupted.
This catastrophe marked a crucial turning point for the
island. As it began to rebuild, synthesis became
increasingly vulnerable, both economically and
politically. Misasutukao, a long term
island resident and one of the founders of the island center
of Archaeology and Research,
recounts the history of this period of growth
(12:52):
and struggle that shaped the island's
future.
>> Ms. Sutekau (12:59):
And our agreement here on Station was
to trade with the American colonies,
um, and provide them their arms, their
ammunition, their other things that they needed during the war.
But this was the biggest period of
Seius growth.
Then with the hurricane of 1780
(13:19):
which had greatly affected the population during
the 20 over 78, a uh,
lot of people died during that hurricane and
a lot of houses were destroyed and Station had to
rebuild. Unfortunately, February of
1781, English Boundary had
enough of our trade with uh, the
colonies and the Rodney captured the island.
(13:42):
Then this was a period where Eustacea went
downhill and we were, the
warehouses were closed and we were in bad
shape from 17 uh to
1784.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (13:59):
In December of 1781, Syntostatius
became the focus of British frustration.
Officially declaring war on the island, King George
III and his government targeted its vital
trade network, accusing
Sintostatius of aiding in the American
Revolution. This marked the beginning of one of the most
turbulent periods in the island's history.
(14:22):
The British invasion wasn't just a military
act. It was a calculated effort to dismantle
the economic engine that had been supporting their
rivals. Mr. Richardson
continues.
>> Mr. Richardson (14:36):
So you see that's already going to go downhill from
here economically, but also
socially this is going to lead to
1781, where the British actually are now
coming in. And in an official decree
actually that I saw, uh, original of
26 December
1781, the British
(14:57):
declares war.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (15:03):
The British invasion led by Admiral
Rodney was marked by paranoia and
cruelty. Rodney's suspicion of the island's
inhabitants, merchants, Jewish families and
free people of color, spiraled into harsh
and devastating measures.
Entire communities were uprooted, assets
were seized, and the once thriving social
(15:24):
fabric began to unravel fast.
Rodney's occupation wasn't just a military
campaign. It was a direct assault on the
diverse interconnected communities that made
Synthesius so unique.
>> Mr. Richardson (15:42):
King George iii, who is supposedly
mad at this time, uh, he
declares war on St. Eustatius.
And to this day it is said to be one
of the longest deliberations ever of the House of
Parliament in Westminster. And you see that
it's a long declaration of war. It's more
(16:03):
than 10 pages where they go into the extent
of what is to be done. To St.
Eustatius. And then there's this
admiral, this Lord Burke is his name.
And he closes off this session just before, like the
gavel goes down. So you can kind of reimagine
it as being in the House of Commons in the
uk and, you know, all of these crossbenches are
(16:24):
screaming at each other. And then here is this Edmund Burke is
like, you know, and before we end, I just want you to say
this, like, sink the island, sink it, sink.
You know, I want to see Syntustatius at,
ah, the bottom of the sea where it belongs.
It has no defenses and its only
glory has been its location and its
(16:45):
trade. And you really get the
essence of Lord Burke's anger
at Centius for helping them aid the
usa. And one can only think the
tantrums they must have had knowing that 2
Statius was like a bad word for the British.
So then the fourth Dutch Anglo war
(17:06):
that comes between the English and the
Dutch was actually declared on
St Eustatius and dependencies.
Many people don't know this, but when
the British were sailing down and the British were
gathering from other islands, they actually distracted
St. Martin. I, um, St. Martin was also
(17:27):
part of this destruction.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (17:35):
The British attack on Sint Eustaceous was
carefully planned before focusing on the island itself.
They first targeted neighboring islands like St.
Martin, knowing it would be difficult for anyone to help if
the island fell. With
St. Martin captured, they then turned their attention to
Sint Eustace. The result was a devastating blow to
(17:56):
the island's trade economy. But the British occupation
didn't end there.
>> Mr. Richardson (18:03):
They knew there was nothing much on Ceiba. It was high, it was
isolated, it was much smaller. But they actually
sailed into St. Martin first and knew if
they burned Fort Amsterdam and
they kind of captured St. Martin, there
was no one else to help because that was the last Dutch
island in that corner. So
(18:23):
they did that. So it was carefully planned. And then Rodney
came in and then what they call the
plundering, not technically, because the trade,
Rodney kind of allows the trade to continue
during his period because he's kind of fooling everyone off,
you know, and then Rodney stays on the island.
And what's interesting is many of the things that
(18:44):
Rodney would have account for in his
journals, in his diary while being on the
island, eventually. Fast forward now in parts
of Stacia's collective memory
in a lot of plays and the way a lot of people behave
and even in the funerary customs of how
people still bury people, it all comes
from the British occupation of the Island.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (19:11):
Rodney's occupation left a profound impact on the
island. The trauma of his actions
influenced not only the immediate residents, but also
the cultural fabric of synthesis,
particularly in customs like burial practices.
His paranoia and control tactics shaped
social behaviors that endured for generations.
>> Mr. Richardson (19:34):
So you see that it's so traumatic that it's
still part of society today. The way people bury
people, for example. I've read one of his documentation
of it. So one morning there's a funeral, and
Rodney is now staying in the present day
museum. And from the balcony he looks
out the window and in the direction of the
(19:54):
Jewish synagogue, he sees there's a funeral going
on and there's everyone in black and everyone is
crying. But also, Rodney noted that there were quite
a lot of funerals on the island. It's like everyone was
dying. Like it was a trend. If you weren't
dead, you weren't part of the trend,
and everyone was just dying. And Rodney decides, you
(20:14):
know what, I'm going to get dressed. And he
fetches, um, to get a horse and
he mounts himself on the horse and he goes to pay
his respects to this funeral.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (20:29):
Rodney's curiosity led to a chilling
moment that mirrored the growing tension of the
occupation. His decision to attend
a funeral, observing it from a distance
would mark a strange chapter in history of
syncestatius, where paranoia and
fear were at the heart of everyday life.
>> Mr. Richardson (20:50):
And Rodney drilled down in
his journal after that, when the
casket was passing, you know, he wanted to pay his
respects. And they weren't the caskets with the lids like we know
them today. It was just a cover that would go on.
And Rodney kind of,
you know, out of curiosity
(21:10):
wanted to look in, and he
kind of, you know, looked in
from his horse and also, you know, like realized something was
off here. And when the person in
the casket saw, of course, the sword edging
towards them, he jumped out
of the coffin and ran up the road that we call
(21:31):
Fort Oran Yisrael. He ran up that road and
Rodney recorded this in his journal. So it's insane that
something like this actually happened. And people
ran with fright, not because the dead was awake,
but because they know bust they were busted.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (21:48):
This incident symbolizes Rodney's growing
distrust of the island's inhabitants.
His paranoia spiraled, leading to a widespread
social disruption. As
Rodney tightened the grip, entire
communities, Jewish families,
merchants, and even free people of color
face brutal measures, forever
(22:10):
altering the fabric of synthesia.
>> Mr. Richardson (22:17):
And that's when they saw that under the coffin there were a
lot of valuable documents, papers and deeds.
So people were Trying to bury, um, their
valuables as well. And then Rodney goes basically
ballistic because now it's like all of these
funerals, were they real, were they fake? He
becomes almost paranoid here. He becomes kind of
(22:37):
this evil deviant. You know, he's like, exporting the
Jews. The Jews are all rounded up, and I think their place
in the building that's currently the dive shop, I think it's that
particular building was the weighing house. And you see that the
Jews are all put in that building, um,
separated. The men from the women are put in another cellar. The men
are in another building. Free people of color are free
(22:57):
no more. All enslaved people that were free at
the time or reinstated into slavery. Rodney is becoming
extremely paranoid and he starts to
auction off the stuff that out of the synagogue.
And the Jews are being expelled at high rates.
Something that would have been labeled
anti Semitic, you know, under today's standards.
(23:18):
Rodney didn't only do that to the Jews, but also to
the Catholics, the rich merchants, the Dutch
merchants, free people of color. So he
attacks every part of Stacia
society in his paranoia. It's about
1783 now, I think. 1782,
1783.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (23:38):
Rodney's actions during this period revealed a brutal
attempt to control every aspect of the island
society. His measures left deep
scars, marking a turning point in the lives
of Cintastasia's diverse communities. The
legacy of Rodney's tactics lasted far beyond the
18th century, disrupting cultural norms
and leading to superstitions that influenced
(24:00):
Synastasia's burial practices and collective memory
for generations. This enduring
impact is a testament how deeply historical
events shape communities not only
through their immediate consequences, but through the
echoes they leave in cultural traditions and shared
history.
>> Mr. Richardson (24:21):
So, of course, out of that, a lot of superstition
developed. Many plays that were written
by Ellis Lopes. They were all funeral plays,
and every play, someone jumps out of a coffin.
In Europe, it's normal to put your favorite thing in the
casket, et cetera. But you see that people begin to
not do that for a long time on Stacia, out of, like,
(24:41):
oh, if you do it, then, you know Rodney's gonna still
come. So you see that people stop, like, for a very
long time, colloquially, like, out of
superstition. People no longer wanna bury someone
with coins or with anything of value
because, you know, it keeps the spirit awake. They
will not rest out of fear of Rodney coming back. And you
see all of these weird kind of mythical
(25:03):
stories then develop out of something that actually
happened. So you see how that kind of a
historical fact trickled down 200
years later into superstition of station
society. And I think that is, you know, again, really
interesting how history kind of shapes
society. Whether it's a big place or a small place,
you always kind of connect it to something that
(25:26):
happened.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (25:30):
As Mr. Richardson illustrates, the trauma of
Rodney's occupation left an incredible mark on the
cultural and social fabric of Sintostatius,
creating superstition and traditions that endured
for centuries. But even as these legacies
took root, the island itself faced continual
upheaval. Sintostatius, once
a thriving hub of trade, became a pawn in a
(25:52):
larger geopolitical chess game of colonial
powers. The era following
Rodney's occupation was marked by a relentless back
and forth struggle for control. We now return
to Mrs. M. Soutikau, who continues the timeline of
Syntostacia's history.
>> Ms. Sutekau (26:12):
The French came in and rescued us, uh, in
1784. By 1790,
we had built all of that back
1790 Stacia
population, as well as the
amount of trade, was the highest it ever
was. Unfortunately, in
1794, the French were to capture
(26:34):
us again, close the warehouses
down. From 1794 to
1816, Stacia was
played volleyball back and forth between the English
and the French, with the Dutch only being able to rule a
few years. Prosperity
died.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (26:54):
Rodney's occupation wasn't the end of Sintostatia's
struggles. Between 1781 and
1816, the island became a pawn in a larger
geopolitical battle of Europe. Repeating
invasions by British and French, coupled with
declining trade, marked the beginning of the island's
economic and social decline. Once
celebrated as the golden Rock,
(27:15):
Sintostatius faced a grim future as its
prosperity faded into memory.
Amongst this turbulence, the enslaved population was
not passive. While the island's economy,
fortune declined rapidly, its enslaved
community was undergoing significant
transformation. Freedom was being
gained, new roles were emerging, and the
(27:38):
cultural shift was beginning to take root.
Questions of, uh, freedom, identity and
resilience grew increasingly significant
as some enslaved individual carved out spaces
of autonomy and began to influence the island's
cultural and social fabric. To
understand how these changes reshaped stacia's enslaved
(28:00):
community, Mr. Tutakow continues.
>> Ms. Sutekau (28:05):
A lot was happening with them. Um, there
were a lot of slaves that were
gaining their own freedom. We know that there
were quite a few freed slaves on station.
There were some slaves that were actually
beginning to work with the government, with
the authorities. One of those
slaves, a, uh, former freed slave,
(28:28):
was actually the whipper of
our founder of our Methodist
religion. Like Harry,
the man who whipped him was A former slave.
There were slaves who were escaping. There were
slaves who were able to buy their
freedom. Um, there were slaves
that had professions. Those people
(28:51):
were often recognized for their profession.
Some of the slaves on the waterfront, many of
them evidently learned how to read and write,
because oftentimes when they had, uh, run
away, there would be advertisements directed to those
slaves in the paper saying, if you will return
home, you won't be
(29:11):
punished. So a lot was going
on. They were getting more involved in the
religions. That was the time Methodism
started here on the island, which was at the
beginning just the religion of the
slave. By, uh, the time
Methodism really was going in the early
1800s, there were white people on
(29:33):
the island who had joined that religion.
They were mostly Catholic. They were practicing
probably some of their own religion. A lot of that we don't
know. We'd love to learn more about it, and
hopefully that's going to be done.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (29:50):
As the island's social fabric shifted, the stories of
the enslaved population became intertwined
with the broader colonial struggles.
While the resilience of the enslaved people shaped
Synthesia's history, their experience
often remain hidden from the mainstream historical
narrative. We now turn
to Dr. Elaine, historian and
(30:13):
teacher, who will provide a broader regional
perspective on the experience of enslaved women and their
roles in the resistance, as well as how these
narratives played into the larger abolition movement.
>> Dr. Elaine (30:29):
And, um, because this was the 18th
century, direct allusions to sexual
violence were rare. But a lot of abolitionist
material sort of indirectly referenced the sexual
assault of enslaved women.
Abolitionists knew that homing in on the treatment
of enslaved women would provoke a lot of
outrage. Even though the British public did
(30:51):
not see black women as sort of proper
women in the sense that, you
know, bourgeois, white European women
were proper women, they did think that
assaulting women of any race was
barbaric. So all of this is to say
enslaved women featured heavily in
abolitionist material. I'll
(31:13):
also note that the movement to end Atlantic
slavery ushered in a period known as
amelioration in the British Caribbean.
British abolitionists ran a very effective campaign
to expose the horrors of slavery. And many
members of the British public, even if they didn't really believe
in the idea of racial equality, were
(31:33):
appalled by stories of sexual
torture, physical torture, et cetera, that
characterized Atlantic slavery. Um,
amelioration can largely be
conceptualized as a cluster of
legislation intended to kind of
soften and humanize slavery, a sort of
PR campaign that was ultimately intended
(31:55):
to prolong slavery.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (32:00):
As we close part two of Golden Rock Dreams and
Nightmares, we reflect on a time when
syntastacia stood at the heart of a global
conflict, the island's wealth and
strategic importance placed itself at the center
of American Revolutionary War and
European colonial rivalries. Yet
beneath the surface of these grand narratives lies
(32:21):
the untold stories of those whose lives shaped and
were shaped by these events.
In the historical records, we often encounter
women's stories only in fragments, and
they're predominantly those of the elite women like Judith and
Sarah, whose strategic marriages and
inheritance allows them to navigate the structure
(32:41):
of power. Their stories
show how privilege operated within the inequalities
of a patriarchal colonial system
where even the most privileged women faced
limitation tied to their gender.
But what about the countless enslaved and marginalized
women whose names
(33:02):
history have not preserved?
Their lives reveal another form of
resilience, one rooted in
survival, resistance, and the quiet
defiance of a system built to oppress.
This duality invites us to
what can we learn from the struggles and agencies of
(33:23):
these women, both privileged and
oppressed? And how does
understanding their lives inspire us to confront the
inequalities that persist in our world
today? As we move
into the 19th century, we are left with many
gaps and questions. Though our
focus has been on syntastaceas, this
(33:45):
island reflects the broader world, its
struggles, inequalities, and
transformation, mirroring global patterns.
May we stay curious, seeking to understand
the complexities of history,
so that together we can make choices that lead to, um,
a more humane world.
Abolitionists knew that homing in on the treatment of
enslaved women would provoke a lot of
outrage. Even though the British public did
not see black women as sort of proper
women, they did think that assaulting
women of any race was
barbaric. So all of this is to say
enslaved women featured heavily in
(00:20):
abolitionist material.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (00:26):
Welcome to Whispers of the Past. I'm your
host, Filo Vit. In this, part
two of Golden Rock Dreams and Nightmares, we
unravel the striking contradictions of synthastacia
during its golden rock era between
1750 and 1800. This
was a time of immense prosperity, and
(00:46):
the island thrived as a global trading hub,
connecting continents and fueling revolutions.
Yet beneath the prosperity lay a complex
reality, one of exploitation,
enslavement, and society sustained by human
suffering. These
contradictions force us to ask critical
(01:07):
how do we reconcile the celebrated wealth of a place
with the suffering that underpinned it?
Whose voices have been lost? And why does this
matter? As we examine the legacy of
colonization, the
history of Sintostatius has often been told through the
colonial lens, centering on the actions
(01:27):
of European men. Missing from this dominant
narrative are the enslaved, whose labor sustained the
island's wealth, and women, whose roles were shaped
by both resilience and compliancy.
In this episode, we seek to uncover the silence
in history and bring to light the voices that are
often overlooked. Amongst these
(01:48):
overlooked stories are those of women who navigate a system
of power and patriarchy. There
is some archival material from this time period about some of the
elite women of women like
Judith Godet, Maxwell De Grave, and Sarah
Godad Benner Don Lovick. They influence
the consolidation of wealth and power through strategic
(02:08):
marriages, inheritance, and property management.
Yet their privileges were built on a system of
exploitation that depended on the labor of the
enslaved. This
duality of resilience and complicity
challenges us to approach history with
nuance. How can we honor the strength of these
women while confronting the systems they
(02:30):
upheld? As we explore the legacies
of Sintostatius, we continue to amplify the
stories that were left in the shadows and reflect on
the shared but unequal experience of those who
lived through these transformative eras.
To begin, we revisit a pivotal moment in the
island's history with Mr. Richardson, the island's
(02:51):
heritage. Inspector.
>> Mr. Richardson (02:56):
Slavery is still not abolished. Um,
and you would see a lot of strange things later on that would
happen, especially in the early 1800s. But
before that, after the islands, um, you
know, salutes the American flag, recognizes
USA as, uh, an independent country. It
still goes kind of Pretty well, everyone is still welcome
(03:17):
on Sius. You know, you have the Jewish
community, you have the Anglican community, the Dutch
reform, you know, you have
Anabaptists, you have everyone, you have
Catholics that were worshiping in private residences. So you have
everyone is basically welcome. On
stage.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (03:35):
Within the thriving community of Sint Eustatius were
women who quietly influenced its prosperity and
social fabric. Judith
Gaudette Maxwell de Grave was born into a
wealthy planter family, solidifying her
influence through her marriage to commander Johannes de
Geff. Together, their combined
(03:55):
wealth and social standing positioned Judith as a
key figure during this era, overseeing fast
plantations and properties.
Her story challenges the notion that only men
drove synthesia's economic success,
revealing how marriages,
inheritance and strategic alliances
allowed women to navigate the constraint of colonial
(04:17):
patriarchy.
Similarly, elite, uh, women like Sarah Godett, Benner
Dunlopig played crucial roles in
consolidating wealth and power.
Born into prominence, Sarah's
influence extended far beyond her household.
Through three strategic marriages to Henry
Benner, William Donne, and Thomas Lofic,
(04:39):
she united some of the island's most lucrative
plantations under her control.
Her alliances with influential families like
Benners and Dunns ensured her
descendant inherited a vast network of wealth and
property. This
consolidation of land highlights the critical but
often overlooked contributions of women in shaping
(05:01):
the island's economic foundations.
Judith's and Sarah's stories, along with others,
demonstrate how women operated within the colonial
system to secure influence. Their
legacy revealed a complex dynamic of power,
gender and wealth in a time to dominated
by men. Amongst
(05:22):
these figures was Johannes the Grave, governor of
Syntostatius during its most transformative
years. Born into an
influential island family, the KAF's rise to
power paralleled the island's emergence as a
global trading hub. He had
immense wealth, uh, owning 10 plantations.
He was a holder of 300 enslaved people
(05:45):
and had 16 trading ships.
Yet the graft is perhaps best remembered for his
bold recognition of the American
independence. In
1776, he slew the American
warship the Andrew Doria, making
Sintostatius the first foreign power to
acknowledge the United States of America.
(06:08):
While we were being celebrated by the Americans,
this act infuriated the British,
placing synthesias at the center of a global
conflict.
These stories of wealth, revolution and
exploitations are deeply intertwined.
Elite women like Judith and Sara used their positions to
(06:28):
shape family legacies, but their privileges were
underpinned by a system of enslavement and
inequalities. As we examine these
women's agency, we must also confront the systems
they uphold, reflecting how power,
privilege and Exploitation shape the fabric of
Sintostatius and the world beyond.
(06:49):
While the wealth of Sintostatius was shaped in part by
the influential individuals, the island's
prosperity extended far beyond families like the Gaudet and
the graves. Its thriving economy
drew people from diverse backgrounds, creating a
community where culture and opportunities
intersected. This prosperity
(07:10):
wasn't limited to the elite. Free people
of color. And wealthy merchants
also carved out spaces of influence
within this independent island nation.
Yet as we delve deeper, we see that this era
of wealth and opportunity came with stark inequalities
both visible and hidden in the shadows of
(07:30):
history. With this in mind, we return to Mr.
Richardson.
>> Mr. Richardson (07:36):
It's a free for all as long as you pay it.
You even have free people of color that were
living on the island and everything is going bliss
and you're kind of like this wealthy independent nation. And
of course, synthesis was also known for even
wealthy merchants at that time printing their own
coins with their own names on it. You know, think
(07:57):
of a gosling, et cetera. So the island is just extremely
wealthy.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (08:05):
This wealth wasn't coincidental.
Syntostacia's open roadstead made it one
of the busiest ports in the world. By the
1780s, we were attracting ships from Europe,
Africa, the Americans and beyond.
But this prosperity came at a profound human
cost. To understand the scale of the
economic engine, we turned to archaeologists,
(08:27):
Dr. Stelton, who shares with us the island
maritime history.
>> Dr. Stelton (08:35):
So in the 1770s and the 1780s, there
were between three and three and a half thousand ships that dropped
anchor and Stacia each year. And
those are the only the ones that are recorded. Right. So there were probably
interlopers and people who were trading illegally
as well, probably in the remote base to the north, like
Tamilandig Bay and Jenkins Bay, but the recorded ones, between
three and three and a half thousand every year. So that's,
(08:57):
yeah, that's a significant number of ships. And they were coming
from all over the world. They were coming from Europe,
from North America, from throughout the Caribbean, from West
Africa, South America. And all of
that was possible because
Staesia has such a large open roadstead where all these ships can
anchor. So that is by far, I think, the most
important and defining feature if you look at the maritime
(09:19):
history of the island and especially in the 18th century.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (09:25):
November 16, 1776,
marked a pivotal moment in Syntostatia's history.
On this day, the island saluted the Andrea Doria,
an American warship that, ah, played a key role in the
naval efforts during the American Revolution.
The Andrew Doria's arrival in Sint Eustacea's
harbor was symbolic as it was part of a broader
(09:46):
movement of American vessels seeking
international recognition and support from their struggles
against Britain. For some, this salute was a
bold gesture of freedom and revolution. But
for other colonial powers, it was seen as a direct
challenge to their authority.
Governor Johannes Zhaerf's decision to recognize the
(10:06):
United States wasn't a mistake. At
the time, Synthesias almost acted like an
independent nation with the slow communication between
the Hague and Oranjestad, leaving the island to
make its own decisions. However, this
recognition came at a heavy cost. It transforms
Interstacia from a neutral trade haven into a target
(10:26):
for British revenge, dragging the island into a
global conflict. Mr.
Richardson will now walk us through this pivotal historical
moment.
>> Mr. Richardson (10:37):
And of course the American independence is being
heavily supported by Saint Eustatius.
Saint M. Eustatius at that time kind of acts like an
independent nation because correspondence between the Hague and
Oranjesat would have taken months. What
you see is interesting is that, you know, November 16th
comes around and we have a governor called
(10:58):
Johannes de Graaf who salutes the Andrew
Doria. Actually the Brig of War sails in and
fires shots and um,
Johannes de Graaf, who's the governor at the time,
replies to these shots, also kind of
solidifying that first salute as they call
it, and recognizing America as an
independent nation. But what's interesting is any people thought and
(11:20):
think it was a mistake. It was not a
mistake because you know, Johannes de Graaf, who's the governor
at the time, he was born into this role. The
governorship of these islands were kind of a dynasty. They
were royalty outside of royalty in Europe.
Johannes de Grafs, his father was governor at the time,
so he should have known this. And his father was governor
at the time when America was already fighting the war of
(11:43):
Independence against the British. So Yohannes as a
young boy, he should have known this. And Johannes
grandfather was governor of Stusatius. And
if you go further, his great grandfather was
governor of St. That's already like five generations
down the line of governorship. How could you not
know the rules of engagement? So these things were no mistake.
They fully well knew what they were doing.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (12:08):
While, uh, the American Revolution reshaped global power
dynamics, Sintostasia faced a different kind of
upheaval. In October of
1780, one of the deadliest hurricane
in recorded history struck the Caribbean. The
hurricane left a trail of devastation
profoundly impacting Sintostatius. Homes
were destroyed, lives were lost and
(12:30):
livelihoods were Disrupted.
This catastrophe marked a crucial turning point for the
island. As it began to rebuild, synthesis became
increasingly vulnerable, both economically and
politically. Misasutukao, a long term
island resident and one of the founders of the island center
of Archaeology and Research,
recounts the history of this period of growth
(12:52):
and struggle that shaped the island's
future.
>> Ms. Sutekau (12:59):
And our agreement here on Station was
to trade with the American colonies,
um, and provide them their arms, their
ammunition, their other things that they needed during the war.
But this was the biggest period of
Seius growth.
Then with the hurricane of 1780
(13:19):
which had greatly affected the population during
the 20 over 78, a uh,
lot of people died during that hurricane and
a lot of houses were destroyed and Station had to
rebuild. Unfortunately, February of
1781, English Boundary had
enough of our trade with uh, the
colonies and the Rodney captured the island.
(13:42):
Then this was a period where Eustacea went
downhill and we were, the
warehouses were closed and we were in bad
shape from 17 uh to
1784.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (13:59):
In December of 1781, Syntostatius
became the focus of British frustration.
Officially declaring war on the island, King George
III and his government targeted its vital
trade network, accusing
Sintostatius of aiding in the American
Revolution. This marked the beginning of one of the most
turbulent periods in the island's history.
(14:22):
The British invasion wasn't just a military
act. It was a calculated effort to dismantle
the economic engine that had been supporting their
rivals. Mr. Richardson
continues.
>> Mr. Richardson (14:36):
So you see that's already going to go downhill from
here economically, but also
socially this is going to lead to
1781, where the British actually are now
coming in. And in an official decree
actually that I saw, uh, original of
26 December
1781, the British
(14:57):
declares war.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (15:03):
The British invasion led by Admiral
Rodney was marked by paranoia and
cruelty. Rodney's suspicion of the island's
inhabitants, merchants, Jewish families and
free people of color, spiraled into harsh
and devastating measures.
Entire communities were uprooted, assets
were seized, and the once thriving social
(15:24):
fabric began to unravel fast.
Rodney's occupation wasn't just a military
campaign. It was a direct assault on the
diverse interconnected communities that made
Synthesius so unique.
>> Mr. Richardson (15:42):
King George iii, who is supposedly
mad at this time, uh, he
declares war on St. Eustatius.
And to this day it is said to be one
of the longest deliberations ever of the House of
Parliament in Westminster. And you see that
it's a long declaration of war. It's more
(16:03):
than 10 pages where they go into the extent
of what is to be done. To St.
Eustatius. And then there's this
admiral, this Lord Burke is his name.
And he closes off this session just before, like the
gavel goes down. So you can kind of reimagine
it as being in the House of Commons in the
uk and, you know, all of these crossbenches are
(16:24):
screaming at each other. And then here is this Edmund Burke is
like, you know, and before we end, I just want you to say
this, like, sink the island, sink it, sink.
You know, I want to see Syntustatius at,
ah, the bottom of the sea where it belongs.
It has no defenses and its only
glory has been its location and its
(16:45):
trade. And you really get the
essence of Lord Burke's anger
at Centius for helping them aid the
usa. And one can only think the
tantrums they must have had knowing that 2
Statius was like a bad word for the British.
So then the fourth Dutch Anglo war
(17:06):
that comes between the English and the
Dutch was actually declared on
St Eustatius and dependencies.
Many people don't know this, but when
the British were sailing down and the British were
gathering from other islands, they actually distracted
St. Martin. I, um, St. Martin was also
(17:27):
part of this destruction.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (17:35):
The British attack on Sint Eustaceous was
carefully planned before focusing on the island itself.
They first targeted neighboring islands like St.
Martin, knowing it would be difficult for anyone to help if
the island fell. With
St. Martin captured, they then turned their attention to
Sint Eustace. The result was a devastating blow to
(17:56):
the island's trade economy. But the British occupation
didn't end there.
>> Mr. Richardson (18:03):
They knew there was nothing much on Ceiba. It was high, it was
isolated, it was much smaller. But they actually
sailed into St. Martin first and knew if
they burned Fort Amsterdam and
they kind of captured St. Martin, there
was no one else to help because that was the last Dutch
island in that corner. So
(18:23):
they did that. So it was carefully planned. And then Rodney
came in and then what they call the
plundering, not technically, because the trade,
Rodney kind of allows the trade to continue
during his period because he's kind of fooling everyone off,
you know, and then Rodney stays on the island.
And what's interesting is many of the things that
(18:44):
Rodney would have account for in his
journals, in his diary while being on the
island, eventually. Fast forward now in parts
of Stacia's collective memory
in a lot of plays and the way a lot of people behave
and even in the funerary customs of how
people still bury people, it all comes
from the British occupation of the Island.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (19:11):
Rodney's occupation left a profound impact on the
island. The trauma of his actions
influenced not only the immediate residents, but also
the cultural fabric of synthesis,
particularly in customs like burial practices.
His paranoia and control tactics shaped
social behaviors that endured for generations.
>> Mr. Richardson (19:34):
So you see that it's so traumatic that it's
still part of society today. The way people bury
people, for example. I've read one of his documentation
of it. So one morning there's a funeral, and
Rodney is now staying in the present day
museum. And from the balcony he looks
out the window and in the direction of the
(19:54):
Jewish synagogue, he sees there's a funeral going
on and there's everyone in black and everyone is
crying. But also, Rodney noted that there were quite
a lot of funerals on the island. It's like everyone was
dying. Like it was a trend. If you weren't
dead, you weren't part of the trend,
and everyone was just dying. And Rodney decides, you
(20:14):
know what, I'm going to get dressed. And he
fetches, um, to get a horse and
he mounts himself on the horse and he goes to pay
his respects to this funeral.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (20:29):
Rodney's curiosity led to a chilling
moment that mirrored the growing tension of the
occupation. His decision to attend
a funeral, observing it from a distance
would mark a strange chapter in history of
syncestatius, where paranoia and
fear were at the heart of everyday life.
>> Mr. Richardson (20:50):
And Rodney drilled down in
his journal after that, when the
casket was passing, you know, he wanted to pay his
respects. And they weren't the caskets with the lids like we know
them today. It was just a cover that would go on.
And Rodney kind of,
you know, out of curiosity
(21:10):
wanted to look in, and he
kind of, you know, looked in
from his horse and also, you know, like realized something was
off here. And when the person in
the casket saw, of course, the sword edging
towards them, he jumped out
of the coffin and ran up the road that we call
(21:31):
Fort Oran Yisrael. He ran up that road and
Rodney recorded this in his journal. So it's insane that
something like this actually happened. And people
ran with fright, not because the dead was awake,
but because they know bust they were busted.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (21:48):
This incident symbolizes Rodney's growing
distrust of the island's inhabitants.
His paranoia spiraled, leading to a widespread
social disruption. As
Rodney tightened the grip, entire
communities, Jewish families,
merchants, and even free people of color
face brutal measures, forever
(22:10):
altering the fabric of synthesia.
>> Mr. Richardson (22:17):
And that's when they saw that under the coffin there were a
lot of valuable documents, papers and deeds.
So people were Trying to bury, um, their
valuables as well. And then Rodney goes basically
ballistic because now it's like all of these
funerals, were they real, were they fake? He
becomes almost paranoid here. He becomes kind of
(22:37):
this evil deviant. You know, he's like, exporting the
Jews. The Jews are all rounded up, and I think their place
in the building that's currently the dive shop, I think it's that
particular building was the weighing house. And you see that the
Jews are all put in that building, um,
separated. The men from the women are put in another cellar. The men
are in another building. Free people of color are free
(22:57):
no more. All enslaved people that were free at
the time or reinstated into slavery. Rodney is becoming
extremely paranoid and he starts to
auction off the stuff that out of the synagogue.
And the Jews are being expelled at high rates.
Something that would have been labeled
anti Semitic, you know, under today's standards.
(23:18):
Rodney didn't only do that to the Jews, but also to
the Catholics, the rich merchants, the Dutch
merchants, free people of color. So he
attacks every part of Stacia
society in his paranoia. It's about
1783 now, I think. 1782,
1783.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (23:38):
Rodney's actions during this period revealed a brutal
attempt to control every aspect of the island
society. His measures left deep
scars, marking a turning point in the lives
of Cintastasia's diverse communities. The
legacy of Rodney's tactics lasted far beyond the
18th century, disrupting cultural norms
and leading to superstitions that influenced
(24:00):
Synastasia's burial practices and collective memory
for generations. This enduring
impact is a testament how deeply historical
events shape communities not only
through their immediate consequences, but through the
echoes they leave in cultural traditions and shared
history.
>> Mr. Richardson (24:21):
So, of course, out of that, a lot of superstition
developed. Many plays that were written
by Ellis Lopes. They were all funeral plays,
and every play, someone jumps out of a coffin.
In Europe, it's normal to put your favorite thing in the
casket, et cetera. But you see that people begin to
not do that for a long time on Stacia, out of, like,
(24:41):
oh, if you do it, then, you know Rodney's gonna still
come. So you see that people stop, like, for a very
long time, colloquially, like, out of
superstition. People no longer wanna bury someone
with coins or with anything of value
because, you know, it keeps the spirit awake. They
will not rest out of fear of Rodney coming back. And you
see all of these weird kind of mythical
(25:03):
stories then develop out of something that actually
happened. So you see how that kind of a
historical fact trickled down 200
years later into superstition of station
society. And I think that is, you know, again, really
interesting how history kind of shapes
society. Whether it's a big place or a small place,
you always kind of connect it to something that
(25:26):
happened.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (25:30):
As Mr. Richardson illustrates, the trauma of
Rodney's occupation left an incredible mark on the
cultural and social fabric of Sintostatius,
creating superstition and traditions that endured
for centuries. But even as these legacies
took root, the island itself faced continual
upheaval. Sintostatius, once
a thriving hub of trade, became a pawn in a
(25:52):
larger geopolitical chess game of colonial
powers. The era following
Rodney's occupation was marked by a relentless back
and forth struggle for control. We now return
to Mrs. M. Soutikau, who continues the timeline of
Syntostacia's history.
>> Ms. Sutekau (26:12):
The French came in and rescued us, uh, in
1784. By 1790,
we had built all of that back
1790 Stacia
population, as well as the
amount of trade, was the highest it ever
was. Unfortunately, in
1794, the French were to capture
(26:34):
us again, close the warehouses
down. From 1794 to
1816, Stacia was
played volleyball back and forth between the English
and the French, with the Dutch only being able to rule a
few years. Prosperity
died.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (26:54):
Rodney's occupation wasn't the end of Sintostatia's
struggles. Between 1781 and
1816, the island became a pawn in a larger
geopolitical battle of Europe. Repeating
invasions by British and French, coupled with
declining trade, marked the beginning of the island's
economic and social decline. Once
celebrated as the golden Rock,
(27:15):
Sintostatius faced a grim future as its
prosperity faded into memory.
Amongst this turbulence, the enslaved population was
not passive. While the island's economy,
fortune declined rapidly, its enslaved
community was undergoing significant
transformation. Freedom was being
gained, new roles were emerging, and the
(27:38):
cultural shift was beginning to take root.
Questions of, uh, freedom, identity and
resilience grew increasingly significant
as some enslaved individual carved out spaces
of autonomy and began to influence the island's
cultural and social fabric. To
understand how these changes reshaped stacia's enslaved
(28:00):
community, Mr. Tutakow continues.
>> Ms. Sutekau (28:05):
A lot was happening with them. Um, there
were a lot of slaves that were
gaining their own freedom. We know that there
were quite a few freed slaves on station.
There were some slaves that were actually
beginning to work with the government, with
the authorities. One of those
slaves, a, uh, former freed slave,
(28:28):
was actually the whipper of
our founder of our Methodist
religion. Like Harry,
the man who whipped him was A former slave.
There were slaves who were escaping. There were
slaves who were able to buy their
freedom. Um, there were slaves
that had professions. Those people
(28:51):
were often recognized for their profession.
Some of the slaves on the waterfront, many of
them evidently learned how to read and write,
because oftentimes when they had, uh, run
away, there would be advertisements directed to those
slaves in the paper saying, if you will return
home, you won't be
(29:11):
punished. So a lot was going
on. They were getting more involved in the
religions. That was the time Methodism
started here on the island, which was at the
beginning just the religion of the
slave. By, uh, the time
Methodism really was going in the early
1800s, there were white people on
(29:33):
the island who had joined that religion.
They were mostly Catholic. They were practicing
probably some of their own religion. A lot of that we don't
know. We'd love to learn more about it, and
hopefully that's going to be done.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (29:50):
As the island's social fabric shifted, the stories of
the enslaved population became intertwined
with the broader colonial struggles.
While the resilience of the enslaved people shaped
Synthesia's history, their experience
often remain hidden from the mainstream historical
narrative. We now turn
to Dr. Elaine, historian and
(30:13):
teacher, who will provide a broader regional
perspective on the experience of enslaved women and their
roles in the resistance, as well as how these
narratives played into the larger abolition movement.
>> Dr. Elaine (30:29):
And, um, because this was the 18th
century, direct allusions to sexual
violence were rare. But a lot of abolitionist
material sort of indirectly referenced the sexual
assault of enslaved women.
Abolitionists knew that homing in on the treatment
of enslaved women would provoke a lot of
outrage. Even though the British public did
(30:51):
not see black women as sort of proper
women in the sense that, you
know, bourgeois, white European women
were proper women, they did think that
assaulting women of any race was
barbaric. So all of this is to say
enslaved women featured heavily in
abolitionist material. I'll
(31:13):
also note that the movement to end Atlantic
slavery ushered in a period known as
amelioration in the British Caribbean.
British abolitionists ran a very effective campaign
to expose the horrors of slavery. And many
members of the British public, even if they didn't really believe
in the idea of racial equality, were
(31:33):
appalled by stories of sexual
torture, physical torture, et cetera, that
characterized Atlantic slavery. Um,
amelioration can largely be
conceptualized as a cluster of
legislation intended to kind of
soften and humanize slavery, a sort of
PR campaign that was ultimately intended
(31:55):
to prolong slavery.
>> Unidentified (Podcast Host) (32:00):
As we close part two of Golden Rock Dreams and
Nightmares, we reflect on a time when
syntastacia stood at the heart of a global
conflict, the island's wealth and
strategic importance placed itself at the center
of American Revolutionary War and
European colonial rivalries. Yet
beneath the surface of these grand narratives lies
(32:21):
the untold stories of those whose lives shaped and
were shaped by these events.
In the historical records, we often encounter
women's stories only in fragments, and
they're predominantly those of the elite women like Judith and
Sarah, whose strategic marriages and
inheritance allows them to navigate the structure
(32:41):
of power. Their stories
show how privilege operated within the inequalities
of a patriarchal colonial system
where even the most privileged women faced
limitation tied to their gender.
But what about the countless enslaved and marginalized
women whose names
(33:02):
history have not preserved?
Their lives reveal another form of
resilience, one rooted in
survival, resistance, and the quiet
defiance of a system built to oppress.
This duality invites us to
what can we learn from the struggles and agencies of
(33:23):
these women, both privileged and
oppressed? And how does
understanding their lives inspire us to confront the
inequalities that persist in our world
today? As we move
into the 19th century, we are left with many
gaps and questions. Though our
focus has been on syntastaceas, this
(33:45):
island reflects the broader world, its
struggles, inequalities, and
transformation, mirroring global patterns.
May we stay curious, seeking to understand
the complexities of history,
so that together we can make choices that lead to, um,
a more humane world.
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