2. Slaves fought back against their owners and
captors in different ways. However, was this
resistance always effective?

3. Slave resistance took many
different forms.
Passive resistance included
being late for work, working
slowly or pretending to not
understand owners.
Active resistance included
attacking owners, damaging
crops or running away.

4. The success of slave
resistance was
generally based on
two issues:
• Reduced profits for
the owner
• Better treatment
for the slaves

5. Reduced profits
An owner’s main priority
was to make as much
money as possible.
By working less, running
away, damaging crops or
other actions, slave
owners would lose money.

6. Better treatment
Owners did not want to lose
money or feel unsafe.
Some owners did improve
their treatment of slaves,
based on their resistance.
Others felt it was easier to
use workers, not slaves.

7. However slave resistance
was not always effective,
for four main reasons:
• Threat of punishment
• Chance of worse
treatment
• Difficulty escaping
• Divisions between slaves

8. Threat of punishment
Many slaves would not
rebel because of the threat
of punishment.
They knew that anyone
caught rebelling faced
serious consequences,
including whipping or
even death.

9. Chance of worse treatment
Other slaves did not rebel
because they thought it
would make life worse.
They believed that even if
they were not specifically
punished, the owner
might treat all slaves
worse e.g. more work.

10. Difficulty escaping
Most slaves did not try
to escape because they
knew that most escaped
slaves were eventually
recaptured.
This meant that they
would face punishment
on their return.

11. Running away was
difficult for slaves in the
Caribbean because it was
hard to escape from the
islands.
Slave owners also offered
rewards which
encouraged groups of
slave hunters to track
escaped slaves.

12. Divisions between slaves
Slave rebellion also failed
because of divisions
between different slaves.
Some slaves had extra
privileges and did not
want to lose these, so
would support rebellion,
or even warn the owner.

13. Ultimately slave
resistance had limited
impact.
This is best shown in
the fact that the trade
continued for more
than 200 years, showing
it remained very
profitable for owners.