40 Fascinating Facts About Saint Lucia | Page 20

Photo Credit: The British Library ENSLAVAGE FINI | SLAVERY IS ABOLISHED 13 The Lesser Antilles islands of Saint Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitts, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua, Martinique,  Guadeloupe and Dominica were the first important slave societies of the Caribbean. In 1807, the British abolished the African slave trade. But it wasn't until 1834 that they abolished the institution of slavery. Even after the abolition, all former slaves were required to serve a four-year free “apprenticeship,” for their former masters for at least three-quarters of the work week and could face punishment if they did not. They achieved full freedom in 1838. But the Caribbean still was not totally free and only achieved total freedom in the early 20th century. http://www.stlucia-history.com/castries.html http://saintluciamissionun.org/about-saint-lucia/