“We Cannot Trust Black Slaves Anymore”: Contestation and Negotiation between Whites and People of African Descent in Venezuela, 1791–1800

The revolutionary events of Haiti and the rumors of “chaos and atrocities” in the French Islands that repeatedly arrived in the Province of Venezuela, made local white elites reconsider their relationship with their slaves and with free people of African descent. “Rumors of Revolution” made the elite suspicious about people of African descent, not only increasing their fear of them - because they knew what they were capable of doing - but undermining a sense of confidence that appeared to have existed before 1791.  For Venezuela, the response by whites to “black insurrection” was fear, control, and repression in proportional doses. However, they also showed their willingness to make concessions that could calm the “spirits of blacks” who expressed their discontent in a number of uprisings throughout the last decade of the eighteenth century. This paper explores the diverse strategies developed by the white elite and colonial authorities in order to offset the possibility of black insurrections and movements in the region during the last decade of the Eighteenth century, it also shows how people of African descent, including runaways, used the “fear of Revolution” to speak up and make clear demands that allowed them to win better living conditions. The Haitian Revolution brought more attention in part of the whites to slaves and the people of African descent, who did not lose any opportunity to express their discontent.  For the elites, the events made them reconsider their relations with subordinated groups, heightening their suspicions and undermining their confidence in their slaves. The colonial authorities became more aware of the need of keeping blacks of the region contented. This concern led them to pay more attention to the relationship between masters and slaves, and especially to any complaints brought about by the latter.