Barbados

Barbados

Separating the Atlantic Ocean from the Caribbean Sea lays a series of islands that are among the most visited in the world. Upon looking at a map of the Caribbean one may take note that the islands are all uniformly placed in what appears to be a horseshoe shape, or more commonly known as an archipelago. A further look at the map may also reveal that sitting just outside this chain of islands to the east is a small island called Barbados. This geographically arrayed island is home to a very historical and important cultural history that still thrives today as a major Caribbean culture. Barbados was formed roughly one million years ago as a result of a volcanic eruption and the collision of the Atlantic and Caribbean crustal plates. It is generally characterized as a flat, low-lying island surrounded by coral reef. The tropical climate, gentle rolling hills, highlands, and lowlands are on average roughly 40% arable, meaning the island has been agriculturally influenced throughout its history.

Barbados was first inhabited around 400 CE by Amerindian nomads who traveled there from Venezuela in nothing more than small dugout canoes. This first group of inhabitants were of the Saladoid-Barrancoid group who were fishermen, ceramists and farmers. The second wave of Amerindian nomads was the Arawak people who arrived around 800 CE. It is believed that Barbados was originally called Ichirouganiam, because the name Barbados comes from the Portuguese in the 1500's. Around the time of the 13th century the third wave of South Americans called the Caribs arrive and upset both the Arawak and Salodiod-Barrancoid inhabitants. From this point forward to the 1500's each of the three groups live in complete isolation on the island. Around the 1500's the Spanish arrive in Barbados overtaking the Carib Indians and forcing them into slave labor. It wasn't soon after this that the rest of the Europeans arrived in the Caribbean and changed everything that the inhabitants knew it as prior.

The Spanish only held Barbados for a short time before the British arrived in the 1620's and found the island to be uninhabited. From this point all the way to 1966, the British controlled the island without any outside interruption. The British were able to maintain control for such a long time due to the fact the Barbados was a hard island to get to because of the winds and ocean currents in that area. Colonization of Barbados began almost as soon as the British arrived by ship on May 14th, 1625 under the command of Captain John Powell. It is this point in time that the English claim the island on behalf of King James I. By 1627 a ship arrives with 80 settlers and 10 slaves arrive to occupy and settle the island in Holetown. In 1639 the colonists there established a House of Assembly and people with good financial backgrounds and social connections in England were given land in Barbados. This was supposed to promote further growth of the island but ultimately by 1640 led to heavy deforestation of Barbados, with large plantations being the main part of economy forcing many small landowners off the island. Large plantations led to a need for large amounts of slaves so within approximately 20 years the black population of slaves from Africa went from 6,000 in 1645 to 40,000 in 1667. Due to large numbers of slave and small numbers of large plantations the ratio of slaves to owners began changing rapidly. Another important factor that contributed to a growing number of slaves and a dwindling number of landowners was disease. Diseases like Malaria and Yellow Fever were killing off many European settlers while most of the Africans were immune to them. Whites outnumbered the blacks by large amounts in the mid 1600's but by the 20th century blacks overwhelmingly outnumbered the whites which is how the island remains today.

Plantations of this time period were mainly made up of crops like sugar, tobacco and cotton. Once the slave population started growing the sugar industry took over and for some time Barbados dominated the Caribbean Sugar Industry. These plantation owners were successful and powerful businessmen who arrived in the early years of Barbados' British history. Once Barbados fell off as a major sugar producer in the Caribbean it stayed relatively quiet until the 1800's when slavery was being frowned upon by the rest of the world. In addition to abolishing slavery, Barbados was plagued with a series of hurricanes in this time period that devastated the island. Buildings, churches, livestock, crops and population all suffered as a result. Being the Barbados' economy was primarily based upon slavery, abolishing it would be catastrophic if not impossible for their economy. Slavery was abolished and in place of it in 1834 an apprentice system was set up in which live went on virtually the same. From this point until the beginning of the 1900's Barbados remains relatively quiet again with life moving on and not much happening until labor laws and a movement for political rights hit the black population of Barbados.

After a series of different government leaders, and different political parties and ideas, Barbados went out on its quest with governmental leader Grantley Adams to receive independence. Adams supported the working class of Barbados and set up many labor unions and work forces to help them out. Once the government leader Adams joined Barbados into several different federations and implemented different education, and labor programs to get the island on the right economical track. Finally in November of 1966 Barbados gains Independence and they are finally able to get their government and economy up and running in a more proper and orderly manner.

Today Barbados is primarily inhabited by blacks who are the direct descendents of slaves brought over from Africa during the slave trade. While European influenced culture is heavily seen