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Colonists were highly dependent upon slave labour, and were hugely resistant to anything which threatened their livelihood. Many plantation owners assumed that the Amelioration Act was a step on the road to total abolition.
The provisions of the Act which required food and education for slaves represented a cost to slave owners that they were unwilling to undertake.
Although the Act purported to give slaves certain rights, very few slaves were aware of these rights, and even if they were, they were in no meaningful position to enforce them. Many of the judicial authorities were plantation owners themselves, and had no enthusiasm to pursue those who broke the law.
It is important to remember that the Amelioration Act was not wholly beneficial to slaves; it also included restrictions on them; including, curiously, prohibiting them from engaging in a Christian marriage.
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What is amelioration?
An amelioration is an act of ameliorating - of making better or improving.
What were the coercive acts and why did they fail?
why did the coercive act fail
What does amelioration mean in terms of slavery?
Amelioration in terms of slavery is the policy of improving slave conditions.
Why the amelioration proposal was interduce?
To improve the condition of the slaves also it was a means of delaying emancipation
How successful were the Amelioration Acts?
No, creating a law is one thing, enforcing it, quite another. The laws were made in an effort to improve the treatment of slaves, but the downside was that they weren't enforced. As a result, the condition of slaves didn't change under the Amelioration Acts.
