The ‘Better Sort’ and the ‘Poorer Sort’: Wealth Inequalities, Family Formation and the Economy of Energy on British Caribbean Sugar Plantations, 1750–1800

Abstract

This article examines wealth inequalities and social hierarchies that appeared among slave communities on sugar plantations in the British Caribbean. These inequalities in status and in material conditions among the enslaved were the product of the privileges that planters granted elite slaves, the collective survival strategies of smaller family groups and the energy demands of different working roles. Elite creole families emerged on sugar plantations and these slaves lived more privileged lives than the rest. African-born slaves and women were particularly disadvantaged. Inequalities in status and material conditions could create oppressive and discordant community dynamics within the slave community.