What were slaves used for in the West Indies?

Answer 1

to become slaves on the sugar plantations :)

Answer 2

The British West Indies Labor Program. Following the precedent of the Mexican Labor Program, the U.S. government established a similar nonimmigrant program to recruit workers from the British West Indies (Jamaican, the Bahamas, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Dominica, and Barbados). An intergovernmental agreement was signed in April 1943 pertaining to the supply of agricultural workers. The agreement became the British West Indies (BWI) Program. The BWI program was established in response to concerns voiced by employers along the U.S. East Coast that they , too, were experiencing wartime manpower shortages. Because many of the potential BWI workers spoke English, they offered an advantage to employers over the Mexican workers recruited for the bracero program. Like the bracero program, BWI was formalized on the basis of P.L. 45 and was operative from 1943 through 1947. In terms of aggregate number - about 19,000 workers a year - the BWI program was small compared to the bracero program. But its impact was substantial in the particular agricultural labor markets where these workers were employed. Of the eleven East Coast states that participated in the program, Florida was by far the largest recipient. During the actual war years, BWI recruits were also permitted to work in the nonagricultural sector. Source: http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/briggstestimony020504.html

Answer 3

One reason slaves were brought from Africa because it was thought that as they came from a hot climate they would not be affected by the heat and diseases found in the West Indies.

Many Europeans who moved to the area often died due to the conditions.

More British soldiers died there than were killed in battle in the Napoleonic Wars.

There was also the financial factor. Slaves were cheaper than paid employees for work on the sugar plantations even when large numbers died on the voyage and in the plantations.

Answer 4

Slaves were brought to the West Indies. Then the were sent to the 13 Colonies. Why? Why not just go straight to the 13 Colonies?

Because the West Indies was a stop, to get supplies such as molasses and sugar. After that the slaves, molasses and sugar was all sent to the 13 colonies.

Answer 5

Oracles messengers from gods sometimes masonary brick layers

Answer 6

The slaves were treated badly because they were a different colour

Answer 7

It was cheap labor for a profitable business