Barbados History

As other Caribbean islands, Barbados' initial settlers are Amerindians and Arawaks. However, unlike the other isles which were colonized by Spanish and British nationals, Barbados was first conquered by the Caribs, the people from other Caribbean isles. These colonists caused the decline in the population of the original settlers, but were themselves gradually extinguished, for no certain reason. Some suggested grounds were enslavement, abduction, and murder by the Spanish or Portuguese settlers.

The groups that replaced the Caribs later were the British. These people claimed the island under King James I of England and put up plantations of tobacco, cotton, ginger, indigo, and sugar cane. They enslaved the locals in these farms, especially the sugar cane plantations, while they collect all revenues.

By the entry of 1800, Barbados was ushered into a new fate. The British' claim on the land slowly loosened and soon, the country was emancipated. However, liberty still remained unfelt as election was limited to high-income status individuals alone. There had only been a shift in the wind direction when the income qualification for voting was lowered. The people were finally able to choose their leaders and somehow, democracy was reached and still being enjoyed up to now.