Jamaica's slave population 1734-1833

Throughout the final century of legal slavery in Jamaica, the population grew from below 87 thousand in 1734 to over 317 thousand in 1823. In the last decade, however, this number fell by 15 thousand, as many slave owners sold their slaves to other non-British colonies in anticipation of slavery's abolition. In Jamaica in August, 1834, all slaves were officially emancipated, although the majority then became "apprentices". The apprentice system saw little change for most ex-slaves, who were obligated to work 45 hours per week without pay, but with some minor improvements to their protections under law; this system was eventually scrapped in 1838.