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history:barbados |
 The
first evidence of Barbados inhabitants are the Arawak Indians from
South America. In the 1200s, this group was driven away by the warrior-like
Carib Indians who left the island about the time of the arrival of
the first Europeans. In 1625, Captain John Powell claimed the island
for England and two years later his brother, Henry, established |
| the island's first settlement
at what is now Holetown. By 1630, the colony's population had grown
to over 2,000 people and farms for growing tobacco and cotton were opened.
A decade later these farms were replanted with sugarcane and large numbers
of African slaves were imported. During the late 1600s, the island formed a Legislative Assembly and yet maintained loyatly to the Crown during England's civil wars. An agreement signed with Oliver Cromwell, the Articles of Capitulation, would eventually grant the island a greater measure of independence. In 1834, slavery was abolished, but many black workers continued to work on the large plantations. Due to horrendous living conditions during the economic depression of the early 1900s, the British established a welfare program on the island. In 1966, Barbados became an independent nation and has since then remained a stable democracy taking a leading role in the Caribbean Community. |