A Special History Forum: Cross-Campus Seminar Prof. Emerita Bridget Brereton on Race and the American Presence in Trinidad
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FOUN 1101 STUDENT BLOG: Indigenous cultures laid the foundation for the development of Caribbean Civilisation
By: Aderinsola Odueyungbo and Amiesha Persaud The topic we were required to do a group presentation on was that of indigenous peoples. This looked at indigenous cultures and how they have been preserved and maintained within Caribbean civilisation. In the presentation, five main areas were discussed in relation to indigenous cultures. These were religion, trade, agriculture, relations with Europeans and material culture. Who were indigenous people? They were the first people of the Caribbean -- the original settlers. These settlers migrated from the Orinoco and Yucatan regions in South America. Their arrival in the Caribbean dates back to 5000 B.C (Watson, 2016). They planted crops, they hunted, they craved drawings into stone. Did we think they laid the foundation for the development of the Caribbean civilization? Of course not! Initially we had quite a limited knowledge of in knew so little about these cultures; our knowledge did not go far beyond the tr...
Mr. Joseph Rachell: The Contradictions of Life as a Black Businessman, Philanthropist and Slaveowner in Mid-18th Century Bridgetown, Barbados
By, Dr. Karl Watson Joseph Rachell was undoubtedly the earliest and wealthiest black businessman of Bridgetown, described by contemporaries as ‘a capital merchant.” This was a remarkable achievement given the context of the times in which it was achieved. In the middle of the eighteenth century, the system of slavery was at its peak and non-whites were at a considerable disadvantage in every way conceivable. Slaves were chattel or disposable property and free coloureds and blacks had very limited legal standing and in a court of law, could not bear witness against whites. The first mention of Joseph Rachell in the existing documents, records his baptism on 4th May, 1726 at St Michael’s Church in Bridgetown. He is described as “a free negro boy about ten years old.” The witnesses to his baptism were John Bellarmine, Charles Mingo and Sarah Peace. We know nothing about the latter two witnesses, but the first one, John Bellarmine was a free Negro, born 1699, the son of Thomas an...
Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison: Heritage and Community in the Nelson Street Area
Recovering History: Heritage and Community in the Bay Street Area, Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison By Dr. Tara Inniss Some of the residential areas that developed along the Bay Street corridor that linked Historic Bridgetown to its Garrison, especially the Nelson Street area date to the mid- to late-19 th century. Their housing stock represents a mixture of iconic Barbadian commercial-residential properties, chattel houses and suburban villas. Historically, the area developed in response to the rapid urbanization that took place after emancipation and the continuation of a bustling transshipment point for trans-Atlantic goods distribution to neighbouring islands in the schooner trade. By this time, Bridgetown was supporting a growing population that was attracted to the employment and migration opportunities in the town’s maritime-mercantile economy. Many of the working class men and women who populated the area in the 19 th century were skilled artisans and t...