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A Short History of Barbados

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This 167-square mile country is believed to be inhabited by Amerindians coming from Venezuela around 350-400 BC. The Arawak people were the next wave of migrants followed by the Caribs.

In around mid 1500s to 1600, the Portuguese claimed this island but did not make a colony out of it. They left the island to look for bigger territories to claim in South America.

Bridgetown Harbor 1902In 1625, British ships landed on Barbados and claimed the land in the name of King James I. The British wasted no time and in two years time constructed settlements in this paradisiacal island. No other foreign power tried to seize Barbados from the British and so British rule was basically uninterrupted.

During the 1600s up to the 1800s, Barbados was typically a slavery island. The British overlords brought in slaves from Africa who made them work the plantations. Tobacco was the first plantation crops of Barbados but was later replaced by sugar. The sugar industry developed and in a few years time became its main commercial product.

Where there is slavery, there is suppression and discontentment, pre-cursors for a rebellion. The slaves had occasional revolts but the rebellion in 1816 led by Bussa was so far the most tragic one. Bussa was able to lead twenty thousand slaves from 70 plantations. They drove off any whites off away from the plantations but no white blood was shed. The British overlords responded by killing 120 slaves in dispersing the rebellion and another 144 were executed. Most of the rebels were shipped off to some other territories.

Slavery was abolished around 1834 in the entire British Empire. Slaves in Barbados however did not get free right away as they were first indentured into an apprenticeship program for four years before being declared free. However, Barbados’ politics and economy was very much in the hands of plantation owners. It was only in 1949 when governmental controls by plantation owners were wrested from them. Sir Grantley Adams was the first Premier of Barbados that was free of undue influence from the plantation owners.

Finally, in 1966, Barbados was granted full independence. Currently, Barbados still has a strong hold in the sugar industry but has been also developed other industries like tourism and insurance (captive insurance).