Compare and contrast the social structures on plantations in two of the following: West Indies, Brazil or the southern colonies of British America.

The question requires that candidates give an account of the similarities and differences between the social structures on plantations, referring to two of the examples given. Candidates may compare and contrast the nature of labour, products, role of women and the organization of plantations. Candidates may also consider the type of owners the plantations had, many of them being absent owners who lived in the cities. Candidates may also consider the treatment given to slaves. Usually, their families were split and their members sent to different plantations. Many women who were appointed as house slaves often gave birth to children of mixed race, who usually inherited their mothers’ status as slaves. They may also refer to the social stratification between wealthy white plantation owners and poor white and black labourers, a characteristic present in the southern British colonies, the West Indies and Brazil. Also, different kinds of labour were required on the plantations, creating a hierarchy between field slaves, craftsmen, house slaves, etc. Candidates may also compare and contrast the power gained by the owners of plantations that in some cases were free from the interference of colonial powers, like the fazendeiros in Brazil. Both similarities and differences must be clearly indicated but there does not need to be an equal number of each.

No responses were recorded for this question that required the comparison between the social structures on plantations referring to two of the examples given.