The other countries languished under colonialism, and there are still some colonies in the Caribbean today: Martinique and Guadeloupe (French) Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire (Dutch) and the British Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, and Bermuda (actually in the Atlantic Ocean). Haiti was the only country in which political independence and abolition were intrinsically connected.
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Even in independence the former British colonies maintained that connection through organizations such as the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) and the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), which has recently expanded to include Suriname and Haiti.Īfter slavery was abolished most of the Caribbean remained under the shackles of colonialism. These areas were colonized by the British, Dutch, or French and share a similar history. The history of those islands also embraces the South American countries of Guyana, Suriname, and French Guyana, and the Central American country of Belize. This rich medley is the dominant characteristic of the contemporary Caribbean.Īlthough the terms Caribbean and West Indies are used interchangeably, today West Indies generally refers to the non-Hispanic countries of the region. This term, in this context, refers to the new civilization based on African, Asian, and European culture. By the twentieth century Caribbean society was mostly Creole. Most of the latter arrived from India after the abolition of slavery to replace the black workers, many of whom had left the plantations. Caribbean people are now mainly African, with a minority of whites and East Asians. They brought oppressed Europeans to serve as their indentured servants, in addition to the millions of enslaved Africans. Soon after their arrival, Europeans destroyed the civilizations created by the aboriginal Carib, Arawak, and Ciboney. Caribbean history unfolds like a drama and is a continuing saga of wars of various types, conquest of different sorts, and above all, resistance.
It was in this region that one could perceive the worst aspects of inhumanity juxtaposed with a story of survival and triumph of the human spirit. The meeting of Africans, Europeans, and the indigenous people in the Caribbean is arguably one of the most interesting and important aspects of world history. From the time Europeans ventured into the so-called New World in the late fifteenth century, the Caribbean has played a most important role in the unfolding of events that would subsequently shake the entire foundation of the world. The modern history of the Americas actually begins with the modern history of the Caribbean. The Contemporary Caribbean Joyce Toney – Hunter College
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