Skip to main content

The timeline can be navigated with the “Scroll Left” and “Scroll Right” buttons or by dragging the pointer to a date on the timeline waveform (located at the bottom of the screen on the desktop version and on the left of the screen on mobile). To filter by a particular topic and see a smaller section of the data, make a selection on the dropdown “Filters” menu or click “Search” to do a keyword search. Hover over the abbreviated filter tags in the blue boxes to see the complete name of the filter, or click a filter to display all the data with this tag. If you want to take a deeper dive into a specific topic by viewing a narrative essay page and a curated timeline, click on “Stories.”

Read More

The Real Cédula prohibits all cultivation of tobacco in the Caribbean.

Date: 1606

TOB
COL
SLA

As tobacco is the primary cash crop for colonizers in the Spanish colonies, there is widespread protest when the Real Cédula is passed. Alongside protests of economic hardship, one of the primary complaints is the perceived necessity of tobacco for pacifying enslaved Africans. Protesters argue that enslaved workers become restless without access to tobacco. The protests will end the prohibition in 1614.