Scott, explains what people did to claim their freedom and what freedom meant to them. Slavery ended in Cuba in 1886, but plantations still needed labor. There were ways for a former slave to avoid having to work on the plantation again. Scott says, “A former slave could attempt to undertake small-scale farming on his own, and thus avoid having to do year-round wage labor on a plantation.” A former slave could also have joint custody of land if he owned a mule. Obtaining a mule was difficult, as former slave owners took charge of the mule and did not allow former slaves to own such an animal. However, it was difficult for a former slave to avoid these circumstances which forced many people to begin rebelling against colonial rule. However, this did not stop the Cuban people from demanding justice and they began to find ways to get closer to