The Caribbean is one of the mostbeautiful regions of the world and also one of the most ethnically diverse. Itis home to different races, religions, and languages that emerged from its richhistory.
The Caribbean’s story begins with the Amerindians who left Mongolia in Asia over 40,000 years ago. They passed through Alaska and South America before settling in the Caribbean. The Amerindians include the Tainos who went to areas like Hispaniola and the Kalinagos (Caribs) who settled mainly in the Lesser Antilles. Other groups like the Mayans settled in mainland territories like Guatemala and Belize. In 1492, the first Spanish colonisers headed by Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus, arrived in the region. This marked the beginning of European colonisation in the Caribbean.
The Spanish who sought wealth andpower abused and overworked the Natives which led to their decline. The firstgroup of African slaves were brought from Spain to replace the decliningnumbers of Amerindians. The large numbers of slaves started to arrive in the17th century to work on plantations. The slaves who were brought to theCaribbean since the arrival of the Europeans would forever alter thedemographics of the region. Today, the Garifuna or Black Caribs which aredescendants of Caribs and African slaves can be found in St.Vincent and Belize.They are the last representations of Amerindians in the Caribbean.
European colonisation made the Caribbean into a globalised space and initiated the interconnectivity among the economies, cultures, and populations between the ‘New World’ and ‘Old World’. The Spanish who were the first colonisers to the region settled in areas like Hispaniola, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica. They brought foods such as oranges and animals like horses. They also introduced the Roman Catholic Church to their colonies. The Spanish created a powerful empire in the Caribbean and the Americas until the 17th century when they were challenged by the French, British, Dutch and Danish who also wanted to profit from the region’s resources. The Spanish eventually lost its dominance in the region and by the beginning of the 19th century, they were left with only Cuba and Puerto Rico.
The British and the French colonisedthe region at a similar period and competed for territories in the Leeward andWindward islands. The French or Francophone Caribbean refers to areas likeMartinique and Guadeloupe. During the early days of colonialism, the French hadsettled in other areas like St. Kitts and St. Lucia until they were eventuallytaken over by the British. St. Domingue was an important French colony untilthe Haitian Revolution. The Haitian Revolution refers to the period 1791-1804where several events led to the transformation of the French colony of St.Domingue to the independent nation of Haiti in 1804. After the Haitianrevolution, Britain became the major imperial power in the region. Initially,Britain was one of Spain’s biggest rivals in the region as seen in 1655 whereBritain captured Jamaica from the Spanish. The British Caribbean includesislands like Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Trinidad as well as mainland territorieslike Belize and British Guiana (present-day Guyana). The British brought the AnglicanChurch to the region as well as elements of their cuisine like puddings andtea.
The Dutch Caribbean refers tocountries like Aruba and Curacao. Suriname is also a major Dutch territory inthe region, but like Guyana, it is located in South America. The early Dutchcolonisers in the Caribbean during the 17th century were more interested intrade and created commercial bases to trade with other European settlers in theregion. Another group of colonists wasthe Danish who colonised areas like St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John whichare today known as the US Virgin Islands. The Danish settlers occupied theseregions starting in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries where they were involvedmostly in trading but St. Croix was used to develop sugar plantations.
Slavery and the plantation economy are significant aspects of Caribbean history. Thousands of African slaves were brought across the Atlantic to work on sugar, coffee and cotton plantations across the different territories. Some successful sugar-producing colonies included Barbados which was one of the earliest territories to develop a successful sugar industry. Cuba’s sugar industry also thrived where it became the most successful sugar-producing Caribbean territory during the 19th century.
The enslaved people came from theWest African coast and were forced to work without pay under harsh conditions.They staged rebellions as seen with the Sam Sharpe rebellion of 1831 and the1791 slave rebellion in St. Domingue. Some slaves also ran away from estatesand settled in the interior of the colonies. The Jamaica Maroons aredescendants of runaway slaves who defied the harsh nature of slavery andestablished their own villages. The runaway slaves who lived in the wet marshesand thick jungles of Suriname are called Bush Negroes.
In most colonies, the plantation sector came to a decline in the 19th century and the slaves became emancipated. Slaves in the British Caribbean received full emancipation in 1838, while Cuba was one of the last colonies to emancipate its slaves in 1886. After slavery ended, indentured labourers came from Madeira to work on the estates in the British, French and Dutch Caribbean for small wages. Significant numbers of labourers also came from China and India to the British and French Caribbean. Today, large numbers of Indians and Chinese can be found in Jamaica, Trinidad, and Guyana. Some Chinese labourers also settled in Cuba. The Javanese labourers who came to the region went specifically to Suriname.
The 19th and 20th centuries involved the dismantling of colonial rule. Spain lost its hold on its territories and the United States became a dominant power in the Spanish islands. This is seen where Puerto Rico was sold to the US in 1898 and Cuba’s political and economic structures were significantly influenced by the United States after the introduction of the Platt Amendment in 1901 which was later removed from the Cuban constitution in 1934. The US lost its dominance in Cuba after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 led by Fidel Castro. The French Caribbean and Dutch Caribbean are still heavily influenced by the European metropole. This is seen where Martinique and Guadeloupe became overseas departments of France in 1946 and in 1954 the Dutch Islands became the Netherlands Antilles and became a constituent country of the Kingdom of Netherlands until 2010. Most territories in the British Caribbean gained Independence from Britain in the latter part of the 20th century.
Danish Colonisation came to an endin the early 20th century after the Danish islands were sold to the US for 25million dollars on March 31, 1917. They have since been referred to as the USVirgin Islands. The early 20th century is also significant as it involved manyattempts by Caribbean nationals like Marcus Garvey to promote Black Nationalismand pride.
Today the Caribbean is characterisedby a melting pot of skin tones, musical genres, and dishes which underscoremulticulturalism. The Caribbean boasts an interesting story which validates ouridentity and reminds us that we are rooted in greatness.
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Nateshia Crawford
Nateshia Crawford grew up in Manchester, Jamaica. She has been doing freelance writing for three years. She has written various articles for Wealth Magazine, a Jamaican finance and lifestyle magazine. She has also done content creation for organisations in Jamaica such as Talk Up Yout which is a TV show targeting the youth. Nateshia recently concluded her studies at the University of the West Indies, Mona where she majored in Journalism and minored in History. She loves learning new things and meeting new people. Her passion lies in empowering others and she hopes to do so through the fields of Media and Communication and Education. Nateshia is inspired by the beauty of life and plans to study, work and travel the world. To send Nateshia an email click Here
