It’s Caribbean Heritage Month! This June, we will explore Alexander Hamilton’s connection to his birthplace, and Caribbean history and culture.The Caribbean is home today to over 45 million people. Millions of Caribbean-born and descended people have immigrated to other regions of the world, bringing with them the rich culture and history of the Caribbean. New York City contains the largest population of Caribbean people outside of the Caribbean region.
When Alexander Hamilton was born in the mid 18th century, the economy of the Caribbean was controlled by the major western powers such as Spain, England, France and the Netherlands. This economy centered around the production and distribution of sugar, a very in-demand and profitable product. Slave labor was used in every facet of this production.
Approximately half of the enslaved Africans brought to the Americas in the Transatlantic Slave Trade were brought to the Caribbean to perform labor. The conditions of labor in the Caribbean were brutal: cruel enslavers, disease, and overexertion led to high mortality rate among the enslaved. This, along with a low fertility rate, caused the enslaved population of the Caribbean to decline up to 5% each year. To maintain this population, enslavers regularly brought new generations of West Africans to the Caribbean as enslaved people.
Despite being forcibly relocated to the Caribbean, the peoples of West African origin did not forget their culture. The spiritual beliefs, customs, traditions and languages influenced the development of various Caribbean cultures that exist today. The influences on Caribbean culture are many-the cultures of the colonists, introduction of foods, stories, and customs through the mercantile economy, and the various landscapes of the many islands shape the cultures of the Caribbean islands.
Join us next week as we celebrate the Caribbean through song and dance!
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
