History teaches us that following the passing of the Emancipation Act in 1833, European sugar planters in Guyana were faced with a labor shortage. As a result, between 1835 and 1838, large numbers of laborers were recruited from Barbados, St. Kitts, Antigua, Montserrat and Nevis. In 1841 the British government became involved in the migration scheme, but it discontinued the system after it faced opposition from West Indian planters. Hence, the planters in Guyana looked to Africa to obtain additional labor force after 1834. In the periods that followed, slaves from Africa were shipped to the United States, Cuba, and Brazil, whist some of them were taken to Guyana and the West Indies to work in sugar plantations. Historians generally agree that between 1838 and 1865, a total of 13,355 Africans came to Guyana as contract laborers.

 

For more information on immigration records visit