Port Royal

Early English settlement policies in Jamaica aimed to establish patriarchal households, but the colony's entrepreneurial focus and lax enforcement of sexual behavior led to a diverse group of women—including wives, widows, indentured servants, and prisoners—seizing economic opportunities. These women played pivotal roles in turning Port Royal into a hub for both licit and illicit trade, while also investing in Atlantic slavery, thereby ensuring the participation of future generations of female islanders in slaveholding.

Walker, C. (2020). Port Royal. Jamaica Ladies, 25–65. https://doi.org/10.5149/northcarolina/9781469658797.003.0002