What Did Slaves In The Caribbean Eat?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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The slaves’ diet consisted of a mix of traditional African foods brought over to the Caribbean (including

okra, blackeyed peas, saltfish, ackee, mangos, kidney beans and rice

), vegetables and fruits native to the Caribbean (such as papaya, yams, guavas and cassava).

What crops did slaves?

Most favoured by slave owners were commercial crops such as

olives, grapes, sugar, cotton, tobacco, coffee, and certain forms of rice

that demanded intense labour to plant, considerable tending throughout the growing season, and significant labour for harvesting.

What was slavery like in the Caribbean?

Once they arrived in the Caribbean islands, the

Africans were prepared for sale

. They were washed and their skin was oiled. Finally they were sold to local buyers. Often parents were separated from children, and husbands from wives.

Who was the worst plantation owner?


Stephen Duncan
Education Dickinson College Occupation Plantation owner, banker

How long did Caribbean slavery last?

It was not

until 1 August 1834

that slavery ended in the British Caribbean following legislation passed the previous year. This was followed by a period of apprenticeship with freedom coming in 1838. Even after the end of slavery and apprenticeship the Caribbean was not totally free.

How much did slaves get paid?

Wages varied across time and place but self-hire slaves could command between

$100 a year

(for unskilled labour in the early 19th century) to as much as $500 (for skilled work in the Lower South in the late 1850s).

At what age did slaves start working?

Generally, in the U.S. South, children entered field work

between the ages of eight and 12

. Slave children received harsh punishments, not dissimilar from those meted out to adults. They might be whipped or even required to swallow worms they failed to pick off of cotton or tobacco plants.

How long did slaves live?

A broad and common measure of the health of a population is its life expectancy. The life expectancy in 1850 of a white person in the United States was forty; for

a slave, thirty-six

.

What state owned the most slaves?


New York

had the greatest number, with just over 20,000. New Jersey had close to 12,000 slaves.

Is slavery still legal in some countries?

In the 21st Century,

almost every country has legally abolished chattel slavery

, but the number of people currently enslaved around the world is far greater than the number of slaves during the historical Atlantic slave trade. … It is estimated that around 90,000 people (over 2% of Mauritania’s population) are slaves.

How many lashes did slaves get?


Thirty-nine

was the number of lashes ordinarily inflicted for the most trifling offence.

Are Jamaicans originally from Africa?

Jamaicans are the citizens of Jamaica and their descendants in the Jamaican diaspora. The vast majority of Jamaicans are of

African descent

, with minorities of Europeans, East Indians, Chinese, Middle Eastern, and others of mixed ancestry.

Where did most Jamaican slaves come from?

Jamaican enslaved peoples came from

West/Central Africa and South-East Africa

. Many of their customs survived based on memory and myths.

Which Caribbean country abolished slavery first?

The progressive abolition of slavery across the Caribbean region extends over a whole century, the first abolition being in

Haiti

in 1793 and the last in Cuba in 1886.

How much did slaves make a week?

For that time, the slave earned $0.80 per day, 6 days per week. This equals

$4.80 per week

, times 52 weeks per year, which equals pay of $249.60 per year.

How often did slaves eat?


Weekly food rations

— usually corn meal, lard, some meat, molasses, peas, greens, and flour — were distributed every Saturday. Vegetable patches or gardens, if permitted by the owner, supplied fresh produce to add to the rations. Morning meals were prepared and consumed at daybreak in the slaves’ cabins.

Maria LaPaige
Author
Maria LaPaige
Maria is a parenting expert and mother of three. She has written several books on parenting and child development, and has been featured in various parenting magazines. Maria's practical approach to family life has helped many parents navigate the ups and downs of raising children.