A presentation by Flannery, Jo-el,

Caitlin, Olivia

Geography

•Climate – tropical, hot and humid; lots of rainfall

•Soil – very thick for growing sugar cane

•Crop – Sugar cane

•Resources – very limited amount of resources

• Major Towns – Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Barbuda, Montserrat, Antigua, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Martinique, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent, The Grenadines, Grenada, Tobago, Trinidad

•Major Cities – Kingston, Bridgetown, Pitons

Founding• Original islanders Tainos (Arawaks), Caribs, Lucayans• Tainos believed in an afterlife called “Coyaba”– “A hallowed land of dancing that was free of sickness, hurricanes, or hunger” (Caribbean-guide.info) •“Cannibal” is derived from the Carib word “karibna” (Person)• Spanish Conquistadors mined gold from the Islands•Dutch, English and French formed colonies

Political Structure

• The Dutch introduced the “Sugar Cane” system after leaving Brazil in 1640• In 1640 Barbados had 10,000 settlers• In 1680– 175 plant owners owned 54% of the land!• Total import of slaves: 263,700 • Sugar plantations produced 80%-90% of sugar consumed in Western Europe

Primary Source:Cutting the Sugar Cane on the Island of Antigua

Jean Jacques Dessalines

•A Revolutionary for Haiti• Declared independence•Renamed Saint-Domingues•Tried to keep sugar plantations running without slaves- a harsh work regimen• Changed education

Economy• Exported sugar cane• African slaves – were used to produce the sugar cane crop•Major cities – kingstone, Santo Domingo

Society • Spain, France, Britain, and some of the Dutch ruled the Caribbean (Africans were enslaved)• Natives lived by hunting, fishing, and gathering• Caribs: warlike and fierce• Arawaks: enslaved with the Africans and were originally peaceful• Caribs resisted Spaniards rule and named chiefs based on their ability to fight

Religion• Spain: Devoted Roman Catholicism• France: Roman Catholicism• Britain: Protestant • Africa: traditional African Religions • Arawaks (natives): Catholic by Spaniards • Caribs (natives): (not religious) Nature worshippers – EXTREMELY SUPERSTITIOUS• Dutch: Dutch reform religious beliefs

Bibliography• Unknown, Author. “From High Seas to High Life.” Caribbean-guide.info. Interactive Websites, Inc, Segisys. 2 October 2008. <http://caribbean-guide.info/past.and.present/history/>• Sandra W. Meditz and Dennis M. Hanratty, editors. “The Colonial Period.” Caribbean Islands: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1987. 2 October 2008. <http://countrystudies.us/caribbean-islands/>• "Slave Imports to the Americas, 17th Century." American History. 2008. ABC-CLIO. 5 Oct. 2008 <http://www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com>.• Unknown, Author. “Caribbean.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 2 October 2008. <Wikipedia.org>• Phillips, Mike. “Cutting the Sugar Cane.” British Library. 5 October 2008. <http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/carviewsvirtex/persjour/sugarcane/012zzz0001786c9u00004000.html> • "Jean-Jacques Dessalines." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 19 Sep 2008. 3 Oct 2008. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jean-Jacques_Dessalines&oldid=239523634• Wikipedia Contributors."History of the Caribbean." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 17 Sep 2008, 14:54 UTC. 6 Oct 2008 <

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_the_Caribbean&oldid=239035438>.•

Knight, Franklin W. Geographic Setting. Commonwealth of the Caribbean Islands. Eds. Meditz, Sandra W. and Dennis M. Hanratty. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1987. http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/. The Library of Congress. 2 October 2008. <http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+cx0006)>.

• Hudson, Rex, A and Daniel J. Seyler. Geography. Commonwealth of the Caribbean Islands. Eds. Meditz, Sandra W. and Dennis M. Hanratty. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1987. http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/. The Library of Congress. 2 October 2008. <http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+cx0023)>.

• Map of the Caribbean Islands. • http://davidderrick.wordpress.com/category/americas/. 6 October 2008.

<http://davidderrick.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/caribbean.png>.