In OTL, Cuba remained part of the Spanish Empire until its independence, and government restrictions meant plantation slavery took a lot longer to develop there, unlike neighbouring Haiti and Jamaica. However, when restrictions were loosened late in the day, slaves flooded in, but the limited timescale until abolition meant even the 370,000 slaves there was much lower than potential.
What if the British kept it after the Seven Year's War, giving a thirty year headstart? The sheer size of the island relative to neighbours must have meant it had far more capacity for plantations. I'm sure someone knowledgeable than me could do a better calculation, but there maybe potential for more than a million slaves here.
It seems to me such a huge demand would have very large effects on the trade. Is there enough supply from Africa to fulfil this demand? If not, where would they be divered from relative to OTL? Sugar is far more profitable than cotton and certainly tobacco. Does this mean an earlier decline of slavery in Virginia? Does it curb the growth of the Deep South?
What if the British kept it after the Seven Year's War, giving a thirty year headstart? The sheer size of the island relative to neighbours must have meant it had far more capacity for plantations. I'm sure someone knowledgeable than me could do a better calculation, but there maybe potential for more than a million slaves here.
It seems to me such a huge demand would have very large effects on the trade. Is there enough supply from Africa to fulfil this demand? If not, where would they be divered from relative to OTL? Sugar is far more profitable than cotton and certainly tobacco. Does this mean an earlier decline of slavery in Virginia? Does it curb the growth of the Deep South?