1789-Feb.-28: A Spanish royal decree authorized foreign vessels of less than 300 tons to sell enslaved people at ports in Cuba, Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico, a…

1789-Feb.-28: A Spanish royal decree authorized foreign vessels of less than 300 tons to sell enslaved people at ports in Cuba, Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico, and Caracas. The decree of comercio libre also allowed Spanish ships to travel to foreign colonies for the purpose of buying captives. Between September 1789 and June 1791, ships from Santiago de Cuba alone made 157 authorized trips abroad in search of captives. Most of these purchases were made in Jamaica, reinforcing the island’s role as a major regional transshipment hub.