|
 According to
CountryAAH,
the first residents of the islands were the Arawak
people who came from South America. They were later
displaced by the more belligerent carribes, and
these were the ones Columbus encountered when he arrived in
the islands in 1498.
In 1783, the European great powers agreed that the island
should be a British colony, but the people opposed the
European conquest attempt. Former slaves who had revolted on
neighboring islands as well as refugees joined forces with
the native population to prevent the conquest. It was not
until 1796 that the British finally succeeded in defeating
the resistance and obliterating or deporting those
responsible.
The British created sugar cane, cotton, coffee and cocoa
plantations which were run by African slave labor. In 1960,
the island, together with the neighboring islands of
Grenadines, obtained a new constitution that gave the
country extensive internal autonomy.
|
