The West Indies, Guiana and Surinam, 1732-1800
European Competition and Expansion
17 December, 2003
I. The Moravians
The Moravians were a Protestant sect that, under the leadership of
The West Indies, Guiana and Surinam, 1732-1800
European Competition and Expansion
17 December, 2003
I. The Moravians
The Moravians were a Protestant sect that, under the leadership of
Count Nikolas Ludwig von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf, experienced a strong
revival in the 1720s. The doctrine of the Moravians centered on the
sufferings of Christ on the cross and involved much contemplation of the
various wounds he received therein. Zinzendorf began the practice of
sending Brethren to minister among the heathens in the New World and
Africa, and potential missionaries underwent extensive indoctrination:
These missionaries, both men and women, envisioned themselves as
“brides of Christ” whose father was God and whose mother the Holy
Ghost. In this imagery, the church was born in the savior’s side
wound, betrothed to Christ in Holy Communion, making it the daughter-
in-law of both God the Father and the Holy Ghost (Price, 57).
Missionaries were taught to not involve themselves with politics or
commerce in the colonies, although this did not always hold true. They
also accepted slavery as the status quo, and in some cases, became slave
II. The West Indies
The Moravian presence in the New World began with the death of
Frederick IV of Denmark and Norway. Count Zinzendorf, wishing to
relinquish his secular title and gain some office within the Danish court,
traveled to Copenhagen to gain contacts within the court of the new king,
Christian VI. This protracted visit failed to gain the Count any appointed
office, but his new connections within the court shed light on a problem
that fell well within his realm as spiritual leader of the Moravian
Brethren. A slave named Anthony, the body servant of an acquaintance of
Zinzendorf’s, told the Count of “the dark moral and intellectual and
religious condition of the slaves in the Danish West Indies” (Hamilton 50).
His plans for recognition within the court of the new king quashed, the
Count immediately began to plan missions to the Danish holding in the New
Zinzendorf returned to Herrnhut, followed shortly after by Anthony,
who gave his same testimony to the Brethren that the Count had heard in
Copenhagen. Two young men, Leonard Dober and Tobias Leopold volunteered
themselves to travel to the West Indies and serve as missionaries. The
Brethren decided that Dober would travel, and Leopold would remain in
Herrnhut for awhile longer.
After undergoing extensive training Dober and David Nitschmann, a
carpenter, set out on foot for Copenhagen in August of 1732. They set sail
in October of that year, Nitschmann employed as ship’s carpenter, and
landed in St Thomas in early December.
Upon their arrival in St Thomas, the two Moravians were the guests of
a planter. Two slaves served as contacts among the potential congregation;
Anna and Abraham, the sister and brother of Anthony. Nitschmann supported
the pair for four months with his carpentry skills. Dober was unable to
find the clay of the necessary quality to employ himself as a potter. When
Nitschmann, as planned, returned to Europe, Dober was employed as steward
of Governor Gardelin’s household and tutor of his children. Although the
income was steady and sufficient for his needs, Dober found his duties
occupied too much of his time to allow him to minister to the slaves. He
resigned and found work as a watchman in town and on surrounding
Dober’s religious work among the slaves was hardly appreciated by the
planters. There were extremely strict regulations monitoring the movements
of slaves, and subsequently harsh punishments for relatively minor
infractions. Rebellions among the slaves of St Thomas and St John were
bloody and often resulted in the deaths of white planters. Mistrust and
general wariness were extreme, and Dober’s association with the slaves
earned him much of the same treatment from the planters.
In 1734, the French sold the island of St Croix to the Dutch West
India Company. Count von Pless, the Chamberlain of the Danish court, and
new owner of six New World plantations, petitioned the Moravian Brethren
for men to act as overseers of the land and the religious welfare of the
natives