The beginning of the 19th century (1807) saw the prohibition of the transportation of stolen African people in British ships or to British colonies. In 1833 the horrific system of slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire. With the ensuing decrease in involuntary migration the Caribbean lost its economic status and its importance.
In the days of the Empire the British did not have the status of visitors in the Caribbean: they were trespassers and occupiers. British prospectors were prepared to risk their lives in order to gain wealth and status in the Caribbean and the area provided Britain with some of the first successful businessmen in the Empire as they traded in sugar, tobacco, cotton and human beings to feed the growing consumer demand for imports in Britain. The Caribbean became a multi-ethnic area as the Africans, Europeans and Asians migrated to the region. The colonisation of the Caribbean led to financial success for many British traders. British trade and the Empire grew together.