Simplicity, Equality, and Slavery

An Archaeology of Quakerism in the British Virgin Islands, 1740-1780

John M. Chenoweth

• Publisher: University of Florida Press
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781683400110
• eBook ISBN: 9781683400165
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations
• Index: Social Sciences

"A significant empirical contribution to the transdisciplinary study of eighteenthcentury Atlantic history and the colonial history of the Christian Church."--Dan Hicks, author of The Garden of the World: An Historical Archaeology of Sugar Landscapes in the Eastern Caribbean "Thoughtfully applies practice theory to the concept of Quakerism as a religion, while simultaneously examining how Quaker practices shaped the lives not only of practitioners but those they enslaved."--James A. Delle, author of The Colonial Caribbean: Landscapes of Power in the Plantation System "A nuanced look at Quakerism and its relationship with slavery."--Patricia M. Samford, author of Subfloor Pits and the Archaeology of Slavery in Colonial Virginia

Inspired by the Quaker ideals of simplicity, equality, and peace, a group of white planters formed a community in the British Virgin Islands during the eighteenth century. Yet they lived in a slave society, and nearly all their members held enslaved people. In this book, John Chenoweth examines how the community navigated the contradictions of Quakerism and plantation ownership.

Using archaeological and archival information, Chenoweth reveals how a web of connections led to the community's establishment, how Quaker religious practices intersected with other aspects of daily life in the Caribbean, and how these practices were altered to fit a slavery-based economy and society. He also examines how dissent and schism eventually brought about the end of the community after just one generation. This is a fascinating study of the ways religious ideals can be interpreted in everyday practice to adapt to different local contexts.

A volume in the Florida Museum of Natural History: Ripley P. Bullen Series

Table of contents

• Cover
• Simplicity, Equality, and Slavery
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• List of Abbreviations for Archival Sources
• 1. Introduction: “In the Bowels of Our Lord”
• 2. Contexts: The History and Archaeology of the British Virgin Islands and Their Meeting
• 3. “Two Plantations” on the Plantation: Simplicity, Wealth, and Status
• 4. “Furnished with Convenience for a Meeting House”: Simplicity and Meetinghouses
• 5. Peace and Weaponry on BVI Quaker Sites
• 6. Discipline, Community, and Conformity
• 7. Equality, Race, and Slavery in BVI Communities
• 8. Reconsidering Simplicity, Equality, Peace, and the End of the Meeting
• Appendix A. Statistical Tables for the British Virgin Islands in 1815 and 1823
• Appendix B. Artifacts from Excavated Contexts
• Notes
• Works Cited
• Index