CUBA SLAVERY BRIEF HISTORY.
Spaniards Weren’t the Ones Who Introduced Cuba to Large-Scale Slave Trading
While Spaniards kept slavery thriving in Cuba, they actually weren’t the ones who introduced it on a major scale. Small groups of enslaved people had already been brought to Cuba before the British took control of the island in the 1760s, but it wasn’t until the British imported thousands of enslaved people to Cuba that it became a major part of their economic foundation. At the end of the Seven Years War, Britain agreed to return Cuba to Spanish rule, and by then the Spaniards decided to keep the system of slavery that had already been established. Slavery in Cuba was associated with the sugar cane plantations and existed on the territory of the island of Cuba from the 16th century until it was abolished by royal decree on October 7, 1886. More than a million African slaves were brought to Cuba as part of the Atlantic slave trade Cuba did not end its participation in the slave trade until 1867. As the slaves outnumbered the European Cubans, a large proportion of Cubans are descended from these African slaves, perhaps as many as 60% of the population.
Slavery in Cuba was particularly profitable for its slave owners after the Haitian Revolution; after 1804 the newly independent state of Haiti retreated from the global sugar market as its residents chose to focus on subsistence farming, and Cuba took its place as the largest sugar producer. By the mid-19th century, due to the British pressure to abolish slavery, plantation owners transported more than 100,000 Chinese workers. But they were held in conditions not very different from the ones of the African slaves.
TO NOTE: The end of legal slavery, however, did not bring racial harmony within Cuba, and for the Spanish “thinkers” continued to warn against the potential “evils” of a racially mixed society.
At the time of emancipation, most slaves were employed on plantations, and most free black Cubans were women who lived in the cities. Cuban society didn’t exactly welcome the free slaves. Most were not able to read and write and still was taken advantage of because of this.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS NOW PREPARE YOUR MINDS FOR ENTERING CUBA SLAVE HISTORY.
Black People Were Enslaved Specifically for Their Superior Strength
Both Africans and Chinese people were enslaved in Cuba, but Black people were chosen specifically for their superior strength over other races. According to CubaHistory.org, Black people were often considered to be in much better physical condition than white people, which made them a target for those involved in the slave trade. the slaveowners did not protest against all the measures of the codex, many of which they argued were already common practices. They objected to efforts to set limits on their ability to apply physical punishment. For instance, the Black Codex limited whippings to 25 and required the whippings “not to cause serious bruises or bleeding”.The slave-owners thought that the slaves would interpret these limits as weaknesses, ultimately leading to resistance. Another contested issue was the work hours that were restricted “from sunrise to sunset”; plantation owners responded by explaining that cutting and processing of cane needed 20-hour days during the harvest season
Enslaved Pregnant Women Were Often Beaten in the Stomach
Cuban slave masters were particularly cruel when it came to pregnant women. While the owners of enslaved people in the Americas tended to punish women without any regards to their pregnancies, in Cuba their pregnancies were used as part of their punishment. According to “Freedom on My Mind: A History of African Americans,” when enslaved women were being punished, some Cuban masters would beat them in the stomach, which often caused miscarriages.
Life Expectancy of Enslaved People in Sugar Mills Was No Greater than Eight Years
Working in sugar mills and on sugar plantations was incredibly hard work, and it often slashed the life expectancy of enslaved people dramatically. Based on harsh working conditions, deplorable living quarters, insufficient hours for rest and a variety of other factors, enslaved people who worked in the sugar mills were only expected to live for another eight years at most, according to materials provided by the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at NYU. Once they passed away, their masters were quick to replace them without thinking twice about the life that was lost. The slaves were forced to reside in barracoons, where they were crammed in and locked in by a padlock at night, getting about three and four hours of sleep. The conditions of the barracoons were harsh; they were highly unsanitary and extremely hot. Typically there was no ventilation; the only window was a small barred hole in the wal
Slavery Continued On Well After It Had Been ‘Abolished’ in 1817
According to the 1817 treaty that Cuba made with England, slave trade into Cuba was abolished. Unfortunately, this didn’t put an end to enslaved Black people being brought to the foreign land. Between 1821 and 1831, more than 300 expeditions continued to kidnap Africans for chattel slavery in Cuba. It is believed that these expeditions were responsible for forcing more than 60,000 Black people into captivity in Cuba.
Slavery in Cuba Was Gendered
Unlike slavery in America, Cuba’s slavery system was gendered, according to “General History of the Caribbean,” Vol III. Enslaved women often had a different set of tasks The female slaves that resided in the city of Havana, from the sixteenth century onwards, performed duties such as operating the town taverns, eating houses, and lodges, as well as being laundresses and domestic laborers and servants. Female slaves also served as the town prostitutes. (General History of the Caribbean, Vol III, p. 141). This was different from the slavery system in America where both men and women were required to carry the same workload, especially in the fields. Women were still worked just as hard as men were and often did work in the fields, but many enslaved women had the task of operating town taverns or taking on more domestic labor
The Haitian Revolution Boosted Demand to Enslave Black People in Cuba
After the Haitian Revolution, slavery became even more profitable for slave traders and masters in Cuba. Without a huge population of enslaved people, Haiti backed out of the sugar market, leaving Cuba to be the only major global force dominating the space. This encouraged more people to get involved in the trading of enslaved people so they could make even more profits from their sugar mills now that all eyes were on Cuba as the major exporter of sugar.
Enslaved People Started to Outnumber the White Population in Cuba
The population of enslaved people in Cuba started to grow so quickly that there was a serious fear that the number of enslaved people would outnumber the white population in the country. According to “A Companion to Latin American History,” enslaved people comprised nearly 40 percent of the Cuban population. When this number was combined with the number of freed Black people in the country, they easily outnumbered the white population. Eventually, the Cuban government started lying about the actual population figures to prevent people from fearing a serious uprising.
There Was a Spanish Flavor of ‘Slave Codes’ in Cuba
Spanish rule actually created laws that would regulate the treatment of enslaved people. There were guidelines on everything from how many times an enslaved person could be whipped to how many hours they could be worked every day. Unfortunately, this set of rules, known as the Código Negro Español or the Spanish Black Code, was largely ignored by those who enslaved people. Sugar mill owners insisted that enslaved people had to work at least 20 hours for a reasonable output and claimed that regulations on physical punishment would result in a massive uprising.
Women, men and children Endured Rape by SLAVE OWNERS
There were actually policies in place that would allow enslaved people to obtain their freedom, but they certainly weren’t easy. Enslaved people had the option of buying their freedom, but it was a hefty price that many couldn’t afford. Women, on the other hand, had another option. According to “General History of the Caribbean” Vol III, enslaved women who were raped by white men hoped that they would at least become pregnant after dealing with the traumatic experience because Cuban policies would grant freedom to some enslaved Black women who had a child by a white man.