Slavery in West Africa and the Caribbean

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Many people around the world believe that slavery was only held in North America with Africans being the only type to face punishment. This widely spread stereotype is actually false. The Caribbean and West Africa were large affected by the transatlantic slave trade in 1450 to1750. While wrong and immoral, the slavery in both places have similarities and differences. The Caribbean was one of the worst slave trading operations in the world. European ships sailed from Africa, where they picked up slaves, to the Caribbean. The slaves who were to weak to travel to the US or were proved to cause trouble, were dropped off in the Caribbean. Once there, the slaves harshly worked the sugar cane and tobacco plantations. This sudden flux of black slaves in the Caribbean changed the population greatly. According to Jerome Handler of the International Slavery Museum, “By the early 18th century when sugar production was fully established, nearly 80% of the population was African.” This population change affected the conditions of the slaves because the owners feared rebellion. The Africans in ...

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