The Africans

The Africans
Africans were brought to the Caribbean to work as slaves on sugar plantations which were set up first by the Spaniards and then the English, French and Portuguese.  Most of the Africans were brought to the Caribbean from West Africa.
The Africans were captured and taken on ships to the West Indies to work as slaves.  The ships were very crowded as they were packed close to each other.  Many of them died before reaching their destinations. Some even killed themselves by jumping overboard.
The ships travelled from England to West Africa with manufactured goods. These goods were exchanged for the Africans. The Europeans then bought rum, sugar, molasses in the Caribbean and returned to England.  This was called the Triangular Trade.  The journey from Africa to the Caribbean was called the Middle Passage.
The slaves were treated very badly and as a result they often planned rebellions.  Eventually many English colonies granted slaves full freedom in 1838.  In Jamaica the slave trade ended in 1834 after the Sam Sharpe Rebellion in 1831. 1834 to 1838 was a period of Apprenticeship until full abolition in 1838.