Latest / The Atlantic Slave Trade: Empire Built on Human Suffering — Fexingo History / The Sacking of Havana 1762: British Cuba and 1000 Slaves
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to. I'm Lucas, and as always, I'm here with Luna. Luna: Hey Lucas. So we've covered a lot of ground — revolts, abolition, the Middle Passage, different regions. What's today's angle? Lucas: Today we're looking at a pivotal moment in the Seven Years' War — the British capture of Havana in 1762. It's a story of military ambition, but also of how the British poured enslaved Africans into Cuba, setting the stage for its sugar boom. Luna: Wait, the British invaded Cuba? I thought the British were mostly in Jamaica and the eastern Caribbean. Lucas: Exactly. Havana was the crown jewel of the Spanish Caribbean — the hub for their treasure fleets. In 1762, Britain sent a massive expedition: over 12,000 men, including regulars, marines, and colonial militia, plus a fleet of 50 warships and 100 transports. They landed east of Havana, besieged the Morro Castle, and after a brutal two-month siege, the city surrendered on August 13, 1762. Lucas: But here's where the slave trade angle kicks in. The British didn't just occupy Havana — they brought in thousands of enslaved Africans. Some were already on British ships, others were captured Spanish slaves, and many were fresh imports from Jamaica and Africa. Over the next ten months of occupation, they funneled at least 1,000 slaves into the city. Luna: Was that to work on fortifications or plantations? Lucas: Both. The British needed to repair and strengthen the Morro and other defenses. But they also saw an opportunity. Spanish Cuba had a small sugar industry — only about a hundred sugar mills in the whole island, compared to Jamaica's thousand. The British merchants who accompanied the expedition — men like Alexander Grant and John Kennion — realized that if they could bring in more slaves and sugar technology, they could turn Cuba into a sugar powerhouse. Luna: So they were basically jumpstarting the Cuban sugar industry under British rule? Lucas: Exactly. And they did it fast. During the occupation, British merchants imported slaves directly from Jamaica, from the Royal African Company's old supply lines, and even from new sources in West Africa. They also seized Spanish slave ships in the harbor. One estimate says they introduced about 1,500 slaves in total. But more importantly, they sold them to Cuban planters on credit, often in exchange for future sugar crops. Lucas: This created a whole new class of Cuban sugar barons. Men like Pedro Agustín, who had been a modest landowner, suddenly became wealthy by buying dozens of slaves from the British. The occupation also brought in advanced milling equipment from Jamaica — the horizontal roller mills that were far more efficient than the old Spanish vertical ones. Luna: What happened when the British left? Did the Spanish just reverse everything? Lucas: That's the twist. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 ended the war, and Britain gave Havana back to Spain in exchange for Florida. But the Spanish didn't kick out the British merchants or confiscate the slaves. They actually allowed many British traders to stay, and the new slaves became permanent fixtures. Within a decade, Cuban sugar production had doubled. By the 1790s — especially after the Haitian Revolution — Cuba became the world's leading sugar producer, and that slave-based economy had its roots right here, in 1762. Luna: So the British occupation was like a sugar and slave revolution for Cuba. Lucas: Exactly. It's a classic example of how war and empire could reshape the slave trade. The British military expedition was a kind of Trojan horse for a commercial invasion. And it wasn't just about numbers — it was about infrastructure. The British left behind detailed surveys of the harbor, maps of the fortifications, and a network of slave-trading contacts. Even after they left, Cuban planters kept ordering slaves through Jamaica, now using British shipping routes. Lucas: One key figure was a Scottish merchant named Alexander Grant, who had been a supplier to the British army. After the occupation, he stayed in Havana and became a major slave trader, importing hundreds of Africans annually. He even married into a Cuban planter family. Luna: So the British didn't just invade — they integrated themselves into the local slave economy. Lucas: Exactly. And the Spanish crown, once it realized the potential, actually encouraged it. In the 1780s, Spain opened Cuba to the slave trade more broadly, and the number of slaves in Cuba went from about 40,000 in 1763 to over 200,000 by 1800. The British occupation had essentially shown them the blueprint. Luna: I had no idea the British were responsible for kickstarting Cuba's slave economy. I always thought it was entirely Spanish. Lucas: Most people do. But this is a great example of how the Atlantic slave trade was a multinational enterprise. British capital, British ships, British technology, and British merchants all played a crucial role in building the Cuban sugar industry — even while Spain officially controlled the island. And it all started with a war that most people today barely remember. Luna: Were there any revolts or resistance during the occupation? Lucas: Not a major uprising, but there were constant small-scale resistance. Enslaved people ran away into the mountains, forming — runaway communities. The British military also used slaves as laborers for the siege, and many died from disease or exhaustion. But the most lasting impact was demographic. The Africans brought in during those ten months — many from the Gold Coast and the Bight of Benin — became the ancestors of generations of Cubans. Lucas: Interestingly, the British also brought in slaves from their own colonies, like the 'Coromantee' from Ghana, who were known for their military culture. Some of those slaves later participated in the First Maroon War in Cuba in the 1790s. Luna: So the British occupation planted seeds not just for sugar, but for resistance movements as well. Lucas: Exactly. And when the British finally left in July 1763, they took with them some of the wealth they had generated, but they left behind a transformed island. The slave trade to Cuba never stopped — it only grew. By the 19th century, Cuba was importing more slaves than any other Spanish colony, and it was one of the last to abolish slavery, in 1886. Luna: It's humbling to think how a single military campaign could have such long-lasting consequences. Lucas: It really is. And it's a reminder that the history of the slave trade isn't just about ships and plantations — it's about wars, treaties, and the relentless pursuit of profit. The British capture of Havana in 1762 is a perfect microcosm of how empire and slavery fed each other. Lucas: We'll be back next time with another story from the Atlantic world. Until then, keep questioning history. Luna: Thanks, Lucas. That was eye-opening.