Following the Maroon Wars, opposing threats from outside countries became a problem for the island of Jamaica. A French fleet, with Spanish assistance, decided to invade Jamaica in 1782, but British admirals George Rodney and Samuel Hood stopped the process in the Battle of the Saintes off Dominica.(A) Then, following this joyful defeat, Admiral Sir John Duckworth defeated the last French brigade that would threaten Jamaica in 1806.
Following these triumphs, new laws were set in place by British Parliament changing the slave trade.(C) The slave trade was officially abolished in 1807, increasing many plantation owner's costs. Then in 1837, the Emancipatory Act freed all slaves in Jamaica. Other than a small compensation for Jamaican farmers, financial resources dropped and labor forces reduced. The final outcome resulted with the removal of the protective tariffs in 1846.(A) This caused a huge drop in the price of sugar, effecting Jamaica's economy greatly over the next few years.
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