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The Landscape of the 1733 St. Jan Slave Rebellion

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The Landscape of the 1733 St. Jan Slave Rebellion Syracuse University SURFACE Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Anthropology - Dissertations Affairs 5-2013 Estate by Estate: The Landscape of the 1733 St. Jan Slave Rebellion Holly Kathryn Norton Syracuse University Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/ant_etd Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Norton, Holly Kathryn, "Estate by Estate: The Landscape of the 1733 St. Jan Slave Rebellion" (2013). Anthropology - Dissertations. 102. https://surface.syr.edu/ant_etd/102 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in Anthropology - Dissertations by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract This historical archaeological investigation looks at the 1733 St. Jan Slave Rebellion in the Danish West Indies. This rebellion, which lasted for eight months, was approached via “Archaeology of Event” and was investigated using the archaeological survey, historical documentary analysis, and Geographic Information Systems. Among the topics discussed are the conditions for rebellion, the social structure of the island in the years leading up to the event, how the built environment reflected this social structure, and the consequences of rebellion for the island. Estate by Estate: The Landscape of the 1733 St. Jan Slave Rebellion by Holly Kathryn Norton B.A. University of South Carolina, 2002 M.A. Syracuse University, 2009 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology in the Graduate School of Syracuse University May 2013 Copyright 2013 Holly Kathryn Norton All Rights Reserved Acknowledgements As with any research, this dissertation was a work of collaboration that was built on a foundation of support from many people and institutions. This research was generously funded by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs through Roscoe Martin Scholarship and the Goekjian Grants for Summer Research program, as well as the National Park Service and the Friends of the Virgin Island National Park. I would like to thank my committee: my advisor, Dr. Douglas Armstrong, who encouraged the research of a topic that is not traditionally archaeological, and who provided insights into an island that is deeply complex; Dr. Shannon Novak, for pushing my theoretical vision and providing important criticism of my writing; Dr. Robert Rubinstein, who continually pushes me to think in new directions and who has provided support when I have most needed it; Dr. Anne Mosher, who opened up avenues of collaboration discussion beyond the confines of my discipline; and Dr. Theresa Singleton who continually challenges me to make broader connections. I would also like to express my deepest thanks to Christopher Espenshade who has served as a friend and mentor, and Joe Joseph, both of whom have provided wonderful professional opportunities. This dissertation would not have been completed without my island family. First and foremost I would like to thank St. John historian Chuck Pishko and his wife, Terry. Chuck was my friend, mentor, and fictive kin; I was honored to be considered his “niece” at the Commemorative Walk. Chuck and Terry opened their home to me, and Chuck generously shared his infinite knowledge about the history and people of the island, and allowed me access to his immense archive. I can only hope that someday I have a fraction of the knowledge about St. John that Chuck possesses. Living on a small island creates close friendships, and I am grateful for the support and friendship of my other St. John “family”: Ken Wild, who holds the archaeology of the island together (I wouldn’t want to argue about historical interpretation with anyone else); Susanna Pershern, my comrade in arms at VINP; Jessica Hornbeck, the only roommate I ever liked, and John Griffin, who allowed me to tag along on all their outings; Tim Hanley and Kevin Chipman, who grew up one town over from me and knew my Nana, but I had to go all the way to St. John to meet; and Chirag Vyas, “Cheech,” who became a really close friend, got me to, and accompanied me on, the Commemorative Walk when my plane and ferry refused to cooperate, and who showed me a side of St. John I would have otherwise missed. The Tap Room became my home away from home, and large portions of this dissertation were written with a pint of Kevin and Cheech’s VI Pale Ale in one hand. I am also grateful for the late night conversations, after the bar closed, about the islands history and current politics that helped shape my perceptions. I iv would also like to thank Katie Bhillip who scanned all my maps; and Rose Puntillo and Mandara Takowsky, who served as my field assistants and discovered Base Hill Slave Village on their “vacation”. I would like to thank Jonas Pedersen, Andreas Latif and Casper Toftgard, colleagues at the University of Copenhagen, for sharing their insights on Danish history. Jonas in particular was generous with historic documents. I am especially grateful for the friendship and camaraderie of Vibe Martens, a brilliant historian and good friend. I could not have slogged my way through the gothic Danish without her. My friends and colleagues at Syracuse University deserve more credit than almost anyone else. Helen Blouet, who adventured on island with me; Meredith Ellis, Rachel Horlings, Cathy Lavoy, Steve Lenik, Connie Etter, Caterina Anderson and Amy Roache all read numerous drafts of chapters and offered constructive criticism and improvements. They also offered informal conversations and debates, along with colleagues such as Francois Richard, Jonathan Jackson, Brent Olson, Nicole Wilson, and Zach Beier that have forced me to grow as a scholar and person. I would also like to thank Ian Price and Ken Anderson, each of whom provided support, advice and their vast knowledge of ArcGis when I got stuck in the software. I appreciate the encouragement of my family. My Mom, Kim Read, who was my buffer to Anderson and offered me her keen insights on the novel; my Dad, Jeff Read, who never let me feel sorry for myself; my little brother, Justus, who inherited all the quick wit; my grandparents, Kay Nodine, Jim Read and Geri Read, each of whom I lost during the course of this research; and Janet Leiger, who has always provided unconditional encouragement. I would also like to acknowledge my in-laws, Dale and Nancy Theiling, who are consummate optimists and great copy-editors. I would also like to thank Jordan Bruna for the bottomless supply of encouragement and vino. Finally, I would like to thank my husband, Dale Theiling, who has been there along every step of this research, including helping conduct field work in uncomfortable conditions, serving as my IT guy, and supporting marathon writing sessions. This is as much his work as it is mine. And I would like to thank my sister, Courtney Norton, who has kept me fed since I was an undergrad. This is for you guys. v Table of Contents Acknowledgments iv List of Figures vii List of Tables viii Introduction 1 Chapter 1. Slave Rebellions and the trans-Atlantic Trade Era 15 Chapter 2. The St. Jan Slave Rebellion: A Sequence of the Event 44 Chapter 3. Theoretical Foundations 96 Chapter 4. Field Methods and Data Collection 126 Chapter 5. Rum Stills and Water Pots: The Spatiality of Rebellion 149 Chapter 6. Ruptures and Conjunctures 229 Chapter 7. Conclusion 285 Appendix I: Inhabitants of St. Jan and Participants in the Rebellion 299 Appendix IIA: GIS Attribute Table- Description of Fields 306 Appendix IIB: GIS Attribute Table- 1733/36 Landlister 308 Appendix III: Slave Rebellions in the New World, 1522-1865 318 References Cited 323 Curriculum Vitae 339 vi List of Figures Figure 1. Locational Map of St. John, USVI. ................................................................................ 43 Figure 2. Danish West Indies and significant locations of rebellion events .................................. 59 Figure 3. Significant locations in the Lesser Antilles .................................................................... 60 Figure 4. 1733 St. Jan plantations designated by Quarter as indicated in the 1733/36 landlister. ..................................................................................................................................................... 152 Figure 5. Years in which individual plantations were established…………………….………...154 Figure 6. Plantation boundaries illustrating primary crop type as registered in the landlister. ... 155 Figure 7. USDA (1994) St. John Soil Map .................................................................................. 157 Figure 8. The Plantations of Coral Bay Quarter .......................................................................... 158 Figure 9. Detail of the 1719 Van Keulen map illustrating Coral Bay. ......................................... 162 Figure 10. Company Plantation factory. ...................................................................................... 166 Figure 11. The Plantations of French Quarter.............................................................................. 167 Figure 12. Brown's Bay Site Plan. ............................................................................................... 172 Figure 13. The Plantations of Caneel Bay Quarter ...................................................................... 175 Figure 14. Rustenberg Plantage. .................................................................................................
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