Simplicity, Equality, and Slavery ─ An Archaeology of Quakerism in the British Virgin Islands 1740-1780

“A significant empirical contribution to the transdisciplinary study of eighteenth-century 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

“An insightful analysis of a fascinating topic.”—James A. Delle, author of The Colonial Caribbean: Landscapes of Power in Jamaica's 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 the web of connections behind the community’s establishment, the ways Quaker religious practices intersected with other aspects of daily life in the Caribbean, how these practices were altered to fit a slavery-based economy and society, and how the eventual development of dissent and schism brought about the end of the community after just one generation. He uses this story as a fascinating example 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

John M. Chenoweth is assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.