From the Middle Passage to the maltreatment of slaves after reaching the Caribbean, slavery has left a brutal mark on the development and advancement of the Caribbean in many areas. Some may see this as history that has ultimately shaped what a “Caribbean” consists of today, others may see this as a stepping stone, a place they have overcome to reach their own serenity. This paper will explore how slavery, although abolished more than a century ago, has on-going relevance in the modern day Caribbean society and people largely through the development of immunity, economy, identity, and faith.
To begin, with the introduction of varying ethnicities coming to the Caribbean, there is no doubt that disease may have travelled. Both Hernandez-Ramdwar …show more content…
154). With aid from the process of cultural and racial mixing, many slaves were adapting to ways of Christianity indoctrinated. Many of the slaves within Barbados and Antigua held a secular role and were easily attracted to the Anglican Church (Craton, 1997, p.154). From 1800s, there was an influx of baptised Christians, from both the English and the Loyalists, leading to majority of English Caribbean slaves becoming baptised Christians (Craton, 1997, p. 154). From Craton (1997)’s point of view, it seems as Christianity was adopted almost too easily. However, Hernandez-Ramdwar (2014) raises the issue where religions, such as Orisha or Vodou, allow all supernatural entities to impersonate as someone else. In a way, the enslaved individuals who were thought to be ‘converting’ to Christianity had only been worshipping their own religion and religious deities. Also, as a means of protecting their religion, the enslaved people would subvert their own traditions and rituals under a Christian veneer (Hernandez-Ramdwar, 2014). Thus, it is clear religion has made its way throughout the Caribbean through exposure, especially during times of slavery, but it is unclear whether it is Christianity itself or African religions that has really powered the
To begin, with the introduction of varying ethnicities coming to the Caribbean, there is no doubt that disease may have travelled. Both Hernandez-Ramdwar …show more content…
154). With aid from the process of cultural and racial mixing, many slaves were adapting to ways of Christianity indoctrinated. Many of the slaves within Barbados and Antigua held a secular role and were easily attracted to the Anglican Church (Craton, 1997, p.154). From 1800s, there was an influx of baptised Christians, from both the English and the Loyalists, leading to majority of English Caribbean slaves becoming baptised Christians (Craton, 1997, p. 154). From Craton (1997)’s point of view, it seems as Christianity was adopted almost too easily. However, Hernandez-Ramdwar (2014) raises the issue where religions, such as Orisha or Vodou, allow all supernatural entities to impersonate as someone else. In a way, the enslaved individuals who were thought to be ‘converting’ to Christianity had only been worshipping their own religion and religious deities. Also, as a means of protecting their religion, the enslaved people would subvert their own traditions and rituals under a Christian veneer (Hernandez-Ramdwar, 2014). Thus, it is clear religion has made its way throughout the Caribbean through exposure, especially during times of slavery, but it is unclear whether it is Christianity itself or African religions that has really powered the