SLAVERY IN THE CARIBBEAN

Often when we talk about slavery, we focus on slavery in the United States. However, slavery was widespread not just in North America but also in the Caribbean and South America. African heritage has greatly impacted the Caribbean as we see it today.

Slave trade

From the 16th to the 19th century about 12 million Africans were taken from their land and transported to the New World as slaves. Caribbean colonies received about 5 million Africans, compared to the nearly 400,000 brought to the United States. The slaves, many of them from West Africa, were sold at auctions upon arrival in Caribbean colonies. To present the slaves in the best possible condition to potential buyers, the slaves were scrubbed, and their wounds filled with hot tar before auction.

Sugar plantations

The European colonizers bought the slaves to work on the sugar plantations in the Caribbean. They believed that because the Africans came from a hot and tropical climate similar to the Caribbean, they had a better chance of surviving there.

Sugar was an increasingly popular and valuable product and sugar cane was the main crop in the Caribbean during this time. The Caribbean plantations produced 80–90 per cent of the sugar consumed in Western Europe. Slaves were held in very large units and most plantations had approximately 150 slaves or more. Producing sugar was hard, labor-intensive work and every slave was expected to work, including women, children and the elderly. It was common for slaves to work 18-hour days during harvest time, while some slaves worked for as long as 48 hours without a break. As a result of the dreadful working conditions the slave death rate in the Caribbean was extremely high.

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Slave revolts

One of the earliest slave revolts in the New World took place in Jamaica. The rebels, called the Maroons, rose against the plantation owners. They destroyed plantations, freed other slaves and then fled to the mountains for safety. The Maroons ambushed British military from their mountain hideaways. One of their leaders was a female warrior named Nanny, who was known as an outstanding military leader. After decades of trying to control the Maroons, the British finally granted them land and freedom. Nanny was later named a Jamaican National Hero, and was the first woman to be awarded the honor. Her face appears on the Jamaican $500 banknote.

End of slavery

In the early 19th century, the movement to abolish slavery grew in Britain. The British slave trade officially ended in 1807 and this made the selling and buying of slaves from Africa illegal. In 1834 slavery was abolished in the British Caribbean.

Reading comprehension

1. How many slaves were taken to the Caribbean?

2. Where did the slaves mainly come from?

3. What happened when the slaves came to the Caribbean?

4. Why did the European colonizers grow sugar cane?

5. What was life like for the slaves on the plantations?

6. What did the Maroons do?

7. Who was Nanny?

8. What happened in 1807 and 1834?

9. What other examples of slavery throughout history do you know about?

10. Does slavery still exist today? Explain your answer.

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