1834 - Barbados Abolishes the Slave Code

On June 1, 1834, the British colony of Barbados formally abolished its infamous slave code in anticipation of full emancipation. The Barbados Slave Code, introduced in 1661, was one of the most brutal legal frameworks governing the treatment of enslaved Africans and served as a model for other Caribbean and American colonies. Its repeal symbolized the collapse of legally sanctioned racial terror in one of Britain\’s wealthiest sugar economies. Though freedom would technically come with the Emancipation Act in August, June 1 marked a legal turning point. The code’s abolition was not only a domestic shift but also influenced global abolitionist momentum. Barbados’ step signaled the beginning of the end for a centuries-long plantation economy based on Black labor. The moment is honored in Caribbean legal history as a day when unjust laws began to give way to human rights and dignity.