Free+Whites+and+Free+Blacks

In the late 1700’s, there was only a small minority of free people, and their lives differed greatly from the lives of slaves. ===In the French colony of Saint Domingue, which is now modern-day Haiti, all of the free people fell into 3 specific groups. The first group was mainly owners of large sugar plantations, and they dominated the society and economy of the island. The second group was made up of the Europeans that were not as well off, and the majority of them owned slaves. Most of these people served as colonial officers or retail merchants, or they raised the necessary provisions for the local consumption and crops, such as coffee and cotton. The third group of free people was the free blacks, and they were almost as populous as the free whites. Although they had similar occupations as free whites, they were still ranked below them socially. Some free blacks who were artisans or land owners owned slaves as well.===
 * Free Whites and Free Blacks**

Sugar was half of Saint Domingue’s exports, as well as 80%of Jamaica’s exports. This concentration of sugar production did not leave a lot of room for small cultivators, and also confined most landholding to a few larger owners.



===One-third of the money that planters invested to buy Jamaican plantations was used for the land to grow the sugar and crops, to pasture the animals, and to cut firewood. West Indian planters usually translated their wealth into political power, and the richest planters hired managers who would direct their plantations. The British plantocracy controlled colonial assemblies, and in most of the European plantation colonies, you could grant freedom to a particular slave or slave group.===

===Manumission, which was the legal grant of freedom by an owner, was not as common in the English colonies as it was in the Spanish, Brazilian, and French colonies. Manumission also led to the development of a larger population of free blacks. In Spain, Portugal, and France, the right of self-purchase was protected, so many of the freed slaves had purchased their own freedom. However, it was very hard for slave families to free the women who were in their childbearing years because that meant that their children would be free, too. It was common for a slave owner to father a child whose mother was a slave, and then the father would free both the mother and the child.===

===Some slaves tried to escape, and these runaway slaves were called “maroons”. There were many communities of maroons, and they were most common in the mountainous areas of Jamaica, Hispaniola, and the Guianas. In the late 18th century, free blacks became more numerous than slaves in the Spanish colonies.=== One-third of the money planters invested to buy Jamaican plantations was used for the land to grow the sugar and crops, to pasture the animals, and to cut firewood. West Indian planters usually translated their wealth into political power, and the richest planters hired managers who would direct their plantations. The British plantocracy controlled colonial assemblies, and in most of the European plantation colonies, you could grant freedom to a particular slave or slave group. Manumission, which was the legal grant of freedom by an owner, was not as common in the English colonies as it was in the Spanish, Brazilian, and French colonies. Manumission also led to the development of a larger population of free blacks. In Spain, Portugal, and France, the right of self-purchase was protected, so many of the freed slaves had purchased their own freedom. However, it was very difficult for slave families to free women who were in their childbearing years because that meant that their children would be free as well. It was not uncommon for a slave owner to father a child whose mother was a slave, and then the father would free both the mother and the child. Some slaves tried to escape, and these runaway slaves were called “maroons”. There were many communities of maroons, and they were most common in the mountainous areas of Jamaica, Hispaniola, and the Guianas. In the late 18th century, free blacks became more numerous than slaves in the Spanish colonies.
 * By Katie Cordasco **
 * By Katie Cordasco **