Jamaica was once a leading sugar producer, but the 1833 abolition of slavery there along with unfavorable British tax reforms led to the industry’s decline. The resulting economic hardship was one of the prime motives behind the Morant Bay rebellion, which began as a gathering of several hundred black protesters but became a violent riot after a volunteer militia fired upon them. The British ruthlessly quelled the uprising and forced the legislature to surrender its powers, making Jamaica what? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary