Caribbean
The Caribbean is known for its complex and unique history. The first inhabitants of the region were Native and Indigenous people. However, when Europeans arrived, they brought in slaves from Africa to the Caribbean to work on the plantations. As more slaves were being brought in to the Caribbean, the African population began to increase. This worried the Europeans, so they established a social hierarchical classification system to group people based on their race. Because many Africans and slaves faced the harsh conditions of their labor, they decided to fight for their rights and independence.
Jamaica consisted of several resistant slaves who quit and ran away from their owners. They stayed in forests and other isolated areas, and their group became known as the Maroons. They created their own communities and governments. The British forces wanted to put an end to that, but they were unsuccessful. There were two Maroon wars that the British were involved in. The First war was between British and Maroon population because the Maroons were escaping the plantations to seek independence. Later on in 1740, the Maroons received independence, but they were to obey a list of commands from the British government, which were to defend and support the Crown. A second Maroon war erupted in 1795 because the Maroons felt that the peace treaty between them and the British were violated. This resulted in the Maroons leaving Jamaica to exile because the British were worried that they would revolt more frequently. Eventually, the Maroons moved to Canada to seek freedom.
The Haitian Revolution is one of the well known examples of seeking independence. Led by Toussaint L’Ouverture, slaves revolted and eventually were successful in abolishing slavery. In 1804, the Haitains created their own republic.
The 20th century marked a new era of nationalism. Marcus Garvey was one of the well known individuals who spread the philosophy of African nationalism. This philosophy gained traction because some individuals wanted more representation and made sure that Black Caribbeans had their rights protected, such as the right to vote. Caribbean also became the central region for new music. Reggae and calypso are some of the musical trends that originated from this century with the fusion of Afro-Caribbean and European musical styles. The Trini Tech, a musical band, helped shape the new era of music by introducing steel drums.
Today, the Caribbean is known for its tourist attractions, which is the base for the economy.
Jamaica consisted of several resistant slaves who quit and ran away from their owners. They stayed in forests and other isolated areas, and their group became known as the Maroons. They created their own communities and governments. The British forces wanted to put an end to that, but they were unsuccessful. There were two Maroon wars that the British were involved in. The First war was between British and Maroon population because the Maroons were escaping the plantations to seek independence. Later on in 1740, the Maroons received independence, but they were to obey a list of commands from the British government, which were to defend and support the Crown. A second Maroon war erupted in 1795 because the Maroons felt that the peace treaty between them and the British were violated. This resulted in the Maroons leaving Jamaica to exile because the British were worried that they would revolt more frequently. Eventually, the Maroons moved to Canada to seek freedom.
The Haitian Revolution is one of the well known examples of seeking independence. Led by Toussaint L’Ouverture, slaves revolted and eventually were successful in abolishing slavery. In 1804, the Haitains created their own republic.
The 20th century marked a new era of nationalism. Marcus Garvey was one of the well known individuals who spread the philosophy of African nationalism. This philosophy gained traction because some individuals wanted more representation and made sure that Black Caribbeans had their rights protected, such as the right to vote. Caribbean also became the central region for new music. Reggae and calypso are some of the musical trends that originated from this century with the fusion of Afro-Caribbean and European musical styles. The Trini Tech, a musical band, helped shape the new era of music by introducing steel drums.
Today, the Caribbean is known for its tourist attractions, which is the base for the economy.
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