Essay on History of Slavery in the Caribbean - 720 Words

History of Slavery in the Caribbean The institution of slavery has played a major role in the history, and the shaping of the Caribbean. Therefore, in order to truly understand the Caribbean one must completely understand slavery itself. Slavery can be defined as belonging to a person, or being treated like a piece of property, and not having any individual freedom This was essentially the life many Africans lived for many centuries in the Caribbean . The master’s had total freedom and control over his or her slaves. As a result of this behavior they were able to run successful sugar plantations that resembled modern day factories. Until the end of the 18th century many sugar estates used the gang system. The owner treated hundreds†¦show more content†¦Milling had to be done within 24 hours of the cane being cut, otherwise it would spoil. At first there was just a main mill in the center of the country, but by the 1800’s many planters owned there own individual mills. Laws regarding the well being of the slave were as follows; it was strictly up to the discretion of the master the amount of control he chose to exercise over his slaves. For the most part, it seems as if laws were the worst on islands where slaves outnumbered the masters, and less severe on the islands without sugar plantations. With so little control over there own lives it was truly difficult for slaves to achieve anything. This especially included freedom. The French Code Noir and the Spanish laws did not make it easy for a slave to gain freedom, but it was certainly easier for one to become free on these islands than those owned by the British. The British made it almost impossible for the slaves to gain freedom. In the Spanish and the French colonies, slaves were given a few legal privileges. The courts on these islands permitted slaves to own personal property, make contracts, and buy their freedom with their meager savings. These laws did not exist in the British colonies. Without the labor of the slaves on the sugar plantations, the sugarcane estates could not have succeeded the way they did. The slave in turn, became the back bone of the sugar plantation in the Caribbean. During the rainy season theShow MoreRelatedâ€Å"the History of the Caribbean Is the History of the Exploitation of Labour† - with Reference to Slavery and the Encomienda Labour System†1045 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The history of the Caribbean is the history of the exploitation of labour† - with reference to slavery and the Encomienda labour system† In the above statement â€Å"the history of the Caribbean is the history of the exploitation of labour,† it simply states that the Caribbean’s history is basically the history of its exploitation of labour. The definitions of keywords exploitation and labour must be considered. 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