When did slavery start in Jamaica?

The island of Jamaica was colonized by the Taino tribes prior to the arrival of Columbus in 1494. The Spanish enslaved the Tainos, who were so ravaged by their conflict with the Europeans and by foreign diseases that nearly the entire native population was extinct by 1600. read more

The landowners acquired more slaves to do the work on the estates, and in 1734 there were 86,546 slaves. In 1775 there were 192,787. The 19th century Almanacs on this site show the numbers of slaves on each property, until slavery was finally abolished. In the meantime, there were movements in England pushing for the abolition of slavery. read more