Slavery. The concept of a people being treated and viewed as property to be traded and controlled. Slavery was seen as the most efficient way of getting things done and a booster of the economy during the Atlantic Slave trade. The first peoples to work as slaves for the Spanish in Santo Domingo were the Taino natives and Europeans many of whom had committed crimes. Once Christopher Columbus witnessed the gold and riches of the Caribbean island, the Spanish raced to establish gold mines and needed laborers to work in these mines. Therefore they turned to poor Europeans and the Taino, who were natives of Santo Domingo. At first the time that these people had to work in these mines was temporary, but eventually they became slaves. 
The Spanish soon realized that the mortality rate of the Tainos was rapidly increasing, therefore they needed to find an alternative thus turning toward the Atlantic Slave Trade and made Santo Domingo the first country in the Americas to have African slaves. In 1551, 5,000 slaves were sent to Santo Domingo to replace the Taino slaves who were dying at drastic amounts from disease, starvation, and the harsh conditions of working in the gold mines. The African slaves were seen as more apt to withstand the harsh conditions of slavery and the environment of the island. According to Anti- Slavery.org, “the African slaves played a central role in the construction of the Santo Domingo. The buildings developed off the back of African enslavement included the Americas oldest Cathedral, its first nunnery, first hospital and the Alcazar.” Although Santo Domingo was not a plantation driven country there were still many slaves that worked on sugar plantations. Thus slaves were a vital part of Santo Domingo’s development and economy. 
Being the first country in the Americas to have slaves one would think that Santo Domingo would have been the most active participant, leading innovator, and great beneficiary from the Atlantic slave trade; however this was not the case. Whether it was because of their idealism or Catholicism, the Spanish codes in the treatment of slaves and the proposed rights of slaves were very different in contrast to the British and French colonies, resulting in a smaller slave population in comparison to the other colonies. Although the Spanish saw the Africans as slaves, buying and selling them they still saw them more as moral beings, as humans rather than just cargo or assets. Therefore slaves in Spanish colonies could go to court against their masters if they were too cruel and they could eventually buy their freedom resulting in a larger freed population than many other European colonies. Therefore slavery did not become as prominent in Santo Domingo as it was in the other colonies. Any benefits Santo Domingo gained from slavery immediately ceased when the slaves in Haiti revolted causing Haitian revolution took place. Even though it had happened in Haiti, with its close proximity to Santo Domingo the ending of slavery swept the entire island of Hispaniola. 
In conclusion, although Santo Domingo was the first island to have African slaves its correlation with the Atlantic slave trade slowly started to diminish over time. Also, slaves in Santo Domingo had rights which were not granted to slaves in other European colonies. Nonetheless slavery is still an ugly blemish stained on the history of Santo Domingo and included Europeans, Tainos, and Africans alike.
"Slave Routes - Americas and Carabbean." Anti-Slavery Homepage. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. http://old.antislavery.org/breakingthesilence/slave_routes/slave_routes_dominicanrepublic.shtml.
"Dominican Republic History: 1492-1821." Dominican Republic News & Travel Information Service. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. <http://dr1.com/articles/history.shtml>.
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