Slave women and reproduction in Jamaica, c.1776-1834

Abstract

This article explains the failure of the Jamaica slaves to reproduce naturally in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It argues that the explanation for the failure stemmed from dietary inadequacies and the harsh working routines of sugar cultivation, which compounded epidemiological and whatever social, cultural and political factors may have motivated Jamaican slave women concerning their own reproductive capabilities. © 2006 The Historical Association and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.