EMANCIPATION WAS DELAYED FOR MANY UNTIL AUGUST 1-1838

On this day (July 31) 183 years ago my ancestors were anticipating being freed from chattel slavery. It was Thursday July 31, 1834 and Africans had been enslaved, first by the Dutch beginning in the 1500s in Essequibo and then, Berbice and Demerara. Later they were enslaved by the British (which included the English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh) we have the names to prove that all of them enslaved our ancestors (Jonas/Irish name, Hughes/Welsh name, McLeod/Scottish name, Bennet and Henry/English names.) Unfortunately the news was not so good next day on August 1, 1834 when my enslaved African ancestors thought they would at last be free. Instead they were informed that although on paper they were free, they had to remain on the estates, plantations and houses of their "former" enslavers for another four years (skilled and domestic "workers" and six years for field "workers.") While they remained on the estates/plantations/houses of their former enslavers they would have to work for free 40 hours a week and "paid" a pittance for any work they did after working for free the 40 hours. Not only that, they would have to pay rent for the little hovels in which they were forced to exist. This new system (slavery by another name) was called the "apprenticeship system" and was just made for more exploitation of Africans. There were protests from the beleaguered Africans which included the protest led by Damon in n Essequibo. Although it was a peaceful protest against the “apprenticeship system” where all the Africans did was refuse to work for a few days and flew their own flag as they marched, they were all arrested. Damon recognized as the leader was hanged on Monday October 13, 1834. Damon was hanged in Georgetown on a scaffold specially erected in front of the new (opened April 3, 1834) Public Buildings (now the Guyana National Assembly building.) Protests in other places including Jamaica and Port of Spain, Trinidad eventually forced the British to end slavery on August5 1, 1838.
Meanwhile the white people who had enslaved received 20 million pounds (17 billion pounds in today’s currency) for the loss of their “property.” To this day the descendants of enslaved Africans have not received a cent in compensation. James Blair an MP who owned homes in Marylebone, central London and Scotland received £83,530, the equivalent of £65m today, for 1,598 Africans enslaved on the plantation he had inherited in British Guiana (Blairmont Estate). Nick Draper a White British professor and Director of the “Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slave-ownership” at University College London, says as many as 1/5 of wealthy “Victorian Britons” derived all or part of their fortunes from the “slave economy.” That was the unpaid labour of enslaved Africans. Many Africans were worked to death during their enslavement.
To add insult to injury during the four years of apprenticeship” the British government made an extra 47 million pounds. These people who still benefit from the unpaid coerced labour of my ancestors now owe me Reparations. Reparations now!!