The descendants of African slaves make up the majority of the population in most Anglo-Caribbean countries.

Slavery became established in the British colonies from the 1640s when Dutch merchants from Brazil introduced sugar cane to Barbados. Sugar farming created a monoculture , which was physically demanding and labour intensive. Africans, who were used to tropical climates, diseases and food, were considered more suitable that white indentured servants. It has been estimated that some 1.6 million slaves were transported to the British West Indies between 1640 and 1808, when the British slave trade was abolished.

Read more about records of slavery and the slave trade.

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