The End to Slavery in the Caribbean Essay -- Slavery Slave Racial Essa

The End to Slavery in the Caribbean The Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) was the first successful slave revolt in the Caribbean, and it was one of the most important events in the history of the Americas. Along with the obvious human rights benefits that the Haitian Revolution achieved, there were some serious setbacks for the nation as well. Between 1783 and 1789, Saint Domingue was the foremost sugar producer in the region, but by the end of the war the economy was completely destroyed, and to this day Haiti has not come anywhere close to reattaining its once prominent economic status in the Caribbean. The results of the revolution sent fear through the European consciousness as well as strengthened the growing idea that slavery may be an immoral practice. In the United Kingdom, slavery lost popularity quickly and an antislavery movement was initiated. After May 1807, no British ship was permitted to leave with a cargo of slaves, and by March 1808, it was made illegal for a slave to be landed in any British colony. The law became even stricter in 1811 when the trafficking of slaves was made into a felony. Despite the attempts to end the slave trade, plantation slavery continued in the British Caribbean. Slavery was not officially abolished in the Caribbean until 1834. The termination bill which abolished it called for twelve years of apprenticeship for the â€Å"ex-slaves†, which was not very different from slavery. This system was abolished in 1838. During and after all of this vacillating lawmaking, a serious labor problem developed in the Caribbean. The key to the production of the Caribbean’s produce, mainly sugar, was the system of slavery. Slavery practically eliminated labor costs, and all... ...s felt as though they were being undercut by this new type of cheap labor. The blacks resented that their slavery had come to an end, but in order to compete with the new labor force, slave-like conditions were once again the only option. The "coolies† in Jamaica, as well as the Asians on the other islands began their journeys as outsiders living in terrible conditions. Today, a sort of blend has taken place in these cultures. A good example of the blending that has taken place can be seen in the music of the region. In rural Trinidad there is a popular form of music that mixes classical Indian singing with a soca beat. Soca is a music that combines the insistent tempos of calypso with the energy of hip hop and the quatrain-like structures of traditional north Indian folk songs. Tinker, Hugh. A New System of Slavery. Oxford University Press, 1974.