More stories about slaves and slavery in Aruba are now being uncovered. This unique letter, which caught the attention of Peter Scholing, defends the human rights of a slave girl. The author of the letter, Mr. Capriles, writes to the Gezaghebber (Luitenant Governor) to reprimand the behavior of a local slave owner, accusing him of mistreatment of his slaves and of cruelty. Capriles argues that there is a human law towards our conduct in relation to our fellowmen which sets out a correct manner of conduct regarding slaves as well. This is the first text found in Aruba, which talks about human rights, and openly defends the rights of a slave. Situated in an era of paradigmatic change, just 6 years before the abolition of slavery, it is interesting to consider whether this letter illustrated a shift in thinking in relation to human rights.

“The democratization of information ensued from digitization of old documents allows for the layered content of this letter to resonate to this day”

Scholing, who directs the digitization department at the National library in Aruba noted that there were certain commonalities between the people who signed the letter. Most of them were wealthy, Aruban elite, in their 20-30s, and whose families owned slaves themselves. Peter also notes an interesting fact that may contribute to the defense of this storyline, which is the fact that many marriages took place in Aruba in 1863, the year that slavery was abolished. Furthermore, the generation after abolishment, many more marriages occurred between the children of previous slave owners and the children of liberated slaves. Perhaps because of the small size of the island, there was a much closer and more humane relationship between slaves and owners in Aruba. Considering that this letter was written and signed in a time when slavery was legally accepted, by people who themselves took part in this practice, what we can conclude is that there was a growing consciousness regarding human rights and how these ideas were in direct contradiction with the slave system.