Historical: Woman paid to castrate 42 rebellious slaves
Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 1:35 am
This is some good material for the story board. It talks about slavery in early New World, and discusses castration used as a punishment for runaway slaves. There is mention of one woman who was paid to castrate 42 slaves.
http://www.isj.org.uk/index.php4?id=260&issue=112
In Peru absence for more than six days was punished by castration. As Thompson points out, castration was not unique to Peru, but was used as a punishment in many other slave societiesBrazil, Mexico, the British Caribbean and the US. In Barbados in 1692 the authorities paid a certain Alice Mills ten guineas for castrating 42 slaves implicated in a revolutionary conspiracy. In 1697 three runaways were castrated in South Carolina and in 1722 that colonys legislature prescribed castration for a fourth offence. As late as 1831 a Louisiana jailor advertised that he had in custody a runaway who was recently castrated and not quite healed.
http://www.isj.org.uk/index.php4?id=260&issue=112
In Peru absence for more than six days was punished by castration. As Thompson points out, castration was not unique to Peru, but was used as a punishment in many other slave societiesBrazil, Mexico, the British Caribbean and the US. In Barbados in 1692 the authorities paid a certain Alice Mills ten guineas for castrating 42 slaves implicated in a revolutionary conspiracy. In 1697 three runaways were castrated in South Carolina and in 1722 that colonys legislature prescribed castration for a fourth offence. As late as 1831 a Louisiana jailor advertised that he had in custody a runaway who was recently castrated and not quite healed.