One way the Spanish used to make money like the British in New York was to rent slaves which was called Half Slavery to Freedom. In New York, the master would allow the slave to be free as long as the slave paid a yearly fee to the master. In the Spanish possessions, a slave master would rent his slaves to people who had need of their labor. This means the master did not have to be accountable, or responsible for the upkeep of the slave or the actions of the slave. Either way it was dehumanizing for the slave.
African American Research Center, Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Notes:
433 p., Based on Spanish and Maya language documents from the 16th through 19th centuries, examines the lives of black African slaves and others of African descent, exploring topics such as slavery and freedom, militia service, family life, witchcraft, and other ways in which Afro-Yucantecans interacted with Mayas and Spaniards.
