1789-Feb.: The Council of the Indies enacted a far-reaching reform in February 1789, allowing free trade in slaves to selected ports in the Spanish Americas.

1789-Feb.: The Council of the Indies enacted a far-reaching reform in February 1789, allowing free trade in slaves to selected ports in the Spanish Americas. By loosening age-old restrictions on foreign trafficking, Bourbon reformers aimed to replicate the massive economic success seen in French Saint-Domingue. This policy transition was intended to stimulate the growth of plantation economies in regions like Venezuela, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. However, the Spanish cabinet recognized the security risks posed by a rapidly expanding black population and planned restrictive governance measures. This commercial shift set the stage for a new and more intensive era of human trafficking within the Spanish empire.