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100
First settlements (4500 B.C.E)
The Casirimoid peoples were amoung the first to have colonized in the Caribbean Islands. Although they never permenantly settled, they lived within the confines of the islands. Carvings on stones have been found dating back to their existence. -
100
The Ortoiroid (1500-200 B.C.E.)
The Ortoiroid were settlers primarily from Central America in 500 B.C.E. The Ortoiroid had been settling in places both in and around the Caribbean but the height of their cultural living was in the early and mid hundreds B.C.E. As of January, 27 Ortoiroid archeological sites have been discovered so far with potentially many more to be found. -
100
(200 B.C.E) First use of decorational ceramics
Historians believe that remnants of pottery found in archeological digs that dated back to around 200 B.C.E. were some of the first to be used for the sole purpose of just pure recreation. The reason to believe this is because the ceramics believed to be for recreatonal use were heavily decorated with etchings and paint compared to the plain and dull look of storage or work related ceramics. -
Period: 100 to
History of the Caribbean
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May 6, 600
Agriculturaly based villages begin popping up. (600 A.D.)
With the domestication of crops such as corn, squash, potatoes, rice, etc, tribes began settling down into permenant villages. One of the reasons that this date preceeds the "old" world agricultural revolution is because the Caribbean islands were split off from the "old" world by thousands of miles of oceans. -
May 6, 1300
The Mayoid
During the 1300's, historians believe that a tribe of people known as the Mayoid and dominated as the main culture of the area until the Spainards arrived. -
Jan 1, 1492
Columbus Lands in the Bahamas
Christopher Columbus' ships land on an island in the bahamas which was originally thought to be an island outside of India. When Columbus returned to back to Europe he announced his discovery and lead a second voyage back to the islands hoping to, this time, colonize the islands. -
May 6, 1500
The begining of the Triangular Trade Route
At the start of the 1500's, with the discovery of the New World, trade to the foerign places became extremely profitable. With exports such as sugar, tabacco, cotton, potatoes, and etc. being shipped out in large quantities. To produce these products, however, there had to be a work force which is where slaves were introduced. This trade brought with it what made the Triangular trade route so notorious. -
Jan 1, 1508
Spanish Conquest
Spanish Conquistadors begin to take control of the islands of the Caribbean by taking the lands from the native tribes. This was the begining of a quest for power that took place over a period of more than 20 years. -
Sugar trade and production
Sugar, which was the Caribbean's best selling cash crop, was becoming a majorly demanded product. This increased the amount of sugar that would be produced overall needed workers thereby promoting the slave trade in the area. -
The 30 years war
Although the war itself was faught in Europe mainly between Spain and the Netherlands, It was a fued sparked by religious disagreements and eventually land in the Caribbean became involved as well. The war ended in 1648 and was one of the bloodiest and most destructive wars in human history. -
The settlement of Tortuga
The King of Britain decided to establish a settlement for in which his (and other) buccaneers could stop to sell items and buy supplies to continue raids. The settlement was so strong that it survived every attack that the spaniards attempted. -
Piracy
Rampid piracy spread throughout the Caribbean which resulted in a higher populace of European military ships and troops. -
Britain and France began to colonize the Caribbean
With the next most powerful (as compared to the Spainards) countries colonizing the Caribbean, it brought up more oppertunities for the community to grow, but also more oppertunities for violence and war. -
Coffee is introduced to Cuba
In the year 1748, coffee beans were introduced to the country of Cuba. Coffee beans were (and still are) used to -
The American Revolution
During the conflict between Britain and Rebellion in the now United States, Britain had also expierienced the hardships of war in the Caribbean too. French warships fought against British warships with the French usually coming out victorious. -
American slave trade
Life in the United States, having won the Revolution, was settling down in the colonies. But soon after its victory in 1782, the United States had to fend for itself. Production on farms quickly skyrocketed labourers were needed on the plantations and the slave trade with the Caribbean renewed itself. The slaves were often times sent to auction houses where many times families were split apart. With its new business partner, the economic success in the Caribbean was at an all time high. -
Number of slaves imported to the Caribbean by 1810
By the year of 1810, there had been nearly 4 million slaves imported to the Caribbean for both use on plantations and for redistribution to the United States and Latin American countries. -
The Spainish-American War
The United States decided to step into the conflict ivolving Cuba's independance in 1898 due to the desire for land in the Caribbean as well as to avenge those lost in the "attack" of the USS Maine. The goal was to push the Spainish out of the Caribbean islands and in 1902 Cuba was recognized as a country and had won its independance. -
Bay of Pigs invasion
A secret invasion created mainly from within the C.I.A. the Bay of Pigs invasion was supposed to be a valient attempt to overthrow the dictator, Castro. The reason this attack is so important is because of the brutality to which the United States was defeated. The failed invasion brought shame and embarrasment to the white house, president Nixon, and the C.I.A. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
For two weeks in October of 1962, there was a confrontation between the United States, Soviet Union, and Cuba and is regarded as the closest time mankind ever came to nuclear warfare. The United states had nuclear missiles in turkey aimed at the Soviet Union, and soon after they retaliated by positioning 2 nuclear missiles in Cuba. Stressful negotiations proceeded for the following weeks and ultimatly both nations dismantled their nukes and sent them back to their respective countries. -
Revolutions in the 70's
During the 1970's, the Caribben saw that many of its home countries were starting to become self independant and even the peoples of the countries wanting massive governmental changes. A few countries that won their independence were the Bahamas, Grenada, and Dominica. -
7.0 earthquake in Haiti
In 2010 there was an earthquake on the island of Haiti that reached a magnitude of 7.0 on the Rickter Scale. The amount of damage reached into the billions of dollars worth and more than 220,000 people lost their lives -
The Caribbean population (as of 2013)
In a poll taken in 2013, it found that the total population of the citizens living in the Caribbean was around 39 million people.
