#irepresent HAPPY EMANCIPATION DAY #jamacia #barbados #trinidadandtobago #guyana ... #celebratethefight * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Slavery was abolished on Great Britain's island possessions in the West Indies on August 1, 1834, but slaves were not totally free until four years later, August 1, 1838. The day has been celebrated in the West Indies, South America, and some U.S. and Canadian communities. Emancipation Day is a public holiday in the former British colonies of Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana. Historical Background Like thousands of slaves in the North American colonies and states, most slaves in the British territories of the West Indies came from west African countries such as Nigeria. After decades of antislavery efforts in Great Britain, the nation banned the slave trade in 1807. But slaveholders within the British Empire still kept people in bondage. Public pressure to abolish slavery continued with more than 200 branches of the British AntiSlavery Society active by 1824. At the same time, proslavery planters in the British Caribbean and their supporters in Parliament fought to maintain the status quo. As was true in America, the controversy sometimes led to violence and slave rebellions. In 1833, the British Slavery Abolition Act, which became effective August 1, 1834, abolished slavery throughout England and all British possessions. West Indian island governments were allowed to determine whether or not emancipation would occur immediately or gradually. Only Antigua and Bermuda released their slaves in 1834... #caribbeanemancipation #westindiansunite #fortheculture #myculture #myheritage #myflava #ancestralfight Tag an Island Celebrating Today
