Opression of Caribbean Peole
Question: Using examples from the Caribbean, explain how Caribbean people throughout history has responded to oppression.
The Caribbean, known as a group of islands located in the Caribbean Sea, is inhabited by a mixture of people of diverse races, cultures, personalities and beliefs; the end result of slavery and oppression. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, oppression can be defined as “Prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control; or the state of being subject to such treatment or control.” Throughout history, it is evident that Caribbean people experienced many types of oppression, and as a result caused such people to give various responses. In order to understand the true depth of the oppression experienced by Caribbean People, it is vital that slavery and the plantation system, which is believed to be the major cause of oppression, be addressed. Europeans first came into contact with the Caribbean after Columbus's journeys in 1492, 1496 and 1498. The desire for expansion and trade led to the settlement of the colonies. The indigenous peoples, mostly serene Tainos and hostile Caribs, proved to be unsuitable for slave labor in the newly formed plantations, and they were quickly and brutally defeated. The slave trade which had already begun on the West Coast of Africa provided the labor needed for the sugar, coffee, cotton and cocoa plantations in the Caribbean to thrive; and the period from 1496 to 1838 saw Africans flogged and tortured in an effort to assimilate them into the plantation economy. Upon arrival to the Caribbean the slaves were robbed of their identity, and their culture. However, the enslaved Africans in the Caribbean showed a remarkable adaptability to the violence carried out on them. Like any forced migrant group, Africans had to conquer their environment to build a life in a relocated society. They openly resisted when the opportunity provided itself, and accommodated when it suited them,
The Caribbean, known as a group of islands located in the Caribbean Sea, is inhabited by a mixture of people of diverse races, cultures, personalities and beliefs; the end result of slavery and oppression. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, oppression can be defined as “Prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control; or the state of being subject to such treatment or control.” Throughout history, it is evident that Caribbean people experienced many types of oppression, and as a result caused such people to give various responses. In order to understand the true depth of the oppression experienced by Caribbean People, it is vital that slavery and the plantation system, which is believed to be the major cause of oppression, be addressed. Europeans first came into contact with the Caribbean after Columbus's journeys in 1492, 1496 and 1498. The desire for expansion and trade led to the settlement of the colonies. The indigenous peoples, mostly serene Tainos and hostile Caribs, proved to be unsuitable for slave labor in the newly formed plantations, and they were quickly and brutally defeated. The slave trade which had already begun on the West Coast of Africa provided the labor needed for the sugar, coffee, cotton and cocoa plantations in the Caribbean to thrive; and the period from 1496 to 1838 saw Africans flogged and tortured in an effort to assimilate them into the plantation economy. Upon arrival to the Caribbean the slaves were robbed of their identity, and their culture. However, the enslaved Africans in the Caribbean showed a remarkable adaptability to the violence carried out on them. Like any forced migrant group, Africans had to conquer their environment to build a life in a relocated society. They openly resisted when the opportunity provided itself, and accommodated when it suited them,
Bibliography: * Books Oxford English Dictionay * Internet Sources http://www.slideshare.net/aubynjm/caribbean-studies