What do you know the history of the island state in the Caribbean, called St. Lucia? St. Lucia is only 27 miles long and has a width of a short 14 miles and the capital and major port is Castries, but who lived on the island and why were Europeans interested in it? What was life like for the people on St. Lucia before, during, and after the British empire had ruled and how indigenous systems have changed since the island won its independence from the British. The Arawak were the earliest know people on St. Lucia. It is believed that the Arawak had travelled to St. Lucia, by boat, from South America somewhere between 200-400 AD (iexplore.com). The Arawak had lived on the island until the Caribs started to take over the island around 800
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The British had launch its first attack on the island at the Battle of Cul de Sac. The Battle of Cul de Sac was a naval battle that the French had lost, even though they had more ships than the British. The French and the British continued to fight over the island for the next 150 years. They had fourteen battles and the island had changed flags fourteen times, until the British finally in 1814, the Treaty of Paris was signed. With the signing of the treaty; “France was restored the majority of its foreign colonies, but Tobago and St. Lucia in the West Indies and the lle-de-France (now Mauritius) in the Indian Ocean were ceded to Great Britain” (britannica.com) and that it ended the war between France and the Sixth Coalition in part of the Napoleonic wars. Even though the European’s settlements were small and all the fourteen battles were naval battles, there is not any information on how the indigenous people feel about all of the fighting amongst the British and the French and where they stood. However, St. Lucia had many plantations that were worked by slaves from Africa. Once the British had taken control of the island, they had emancipated the slaves, in 1838. A total of 10,328 slaves were freed, when slavery was abolished (St. Lucia, Gall and Gleason, 2012). To replace the slave labor; “More satisfactory and long-term replacements were found in the form of Indian and …show more content…
Lucia begin its road to democracy in 1924, by starting to have a few elected positions on a legislative council. St. Lucia, in 1838, became part of the Windward Islands government, that was set up by the British. However, “in 1959, St. Lucia joined the West Indies Federation, under which it was proposed that the British Caribbean countries should proceed to independence as a federation” (thecommonwealth.org). The federation dissolved in 1962, due too many disagreements among its members. By 1967, St. Lucia was becoming a full internal self-government by receiving a new constitution. John Compton was the Prime Minister at the time of independence and being part of the Commonwealth, in 1979. Parliament has two houses, House of Assembly and Senate. The House of Assembly is elected by universal adult suffrage and the Senate, with members appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, on the advice of the opposition leader in the House, and by the governor-General (britannica.com). By being part of the Commonwealth, today, the Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State and is represented by the Governor-General, Dame Pearlette Louisy and the Head of Government is Prime Minister Allen
The British had launch its first attack on the island at the Battle of Cul de Sac. The Battle of Cul de Sac was a naval battle that the French had lost, even though they had more ships than the British. The French and the British continued to fight over the island for the next 150 years. They had fourteen battles and the island had changed flags fourteen times, until the British finally in 1814, the Treaty of Paris was signed. With the signing of the treaty; “France was restored the majority of its foreign colonies, but Tobago and St. Lucia in the West Indies and the lle-de-France (now Mauritius) in the Indian Ocean were ceded to Great Britain” (britannica.com) and that it ended the war between France and the Sixth Coalition in part of the Napoleonic wars. Even though the European’s settlements were small and all the fourteen battles were naval battles, there is not any information on how the indigenous people feel about all of the fighting amongst the British and the French and where they stood. However, St. Lucia had many plantations that were worked by slaves from Africa. Once the British had taken control of the island, they had emancipated the slaves, in 1838. A total of 10,328 slaves were freed, when slavery was abolished (St. Lucia, Gall and Gleason, 2012). To replace the slave labor; “More satisfactory and long-term replacements were found in the form of Indian and …show more content…
Lucia begin its road to democracy in 1924, by starting to have a few elected positions on a legislative council. St. Lucia, in 1838, became part of the Windward Islands government, that was set up by the British. However, “in 1959, St. Lucia joined the West Indies Federation, under which it was proposed that the British Caribbean countries should proceed to independence as a federation” (thecommonwealth.org). The federation dissolved in 1962, due too many disagreements among its members. By 1967, St. Lucia was becoming a full internal self-government by receiving a new constitution. John Compton was the Prime Minister at the time of independence and being part of the Commonwealth, in 1979. Parliament has two houses, House of Assembly and Senate. The House of Assembly is elected by universal adult suffrage and the Senate, with members appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, on the advice of the opposition leader in the House, and by the governor-General (britannica.com). By being part of the Commonwealth, today, the Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State and is represented by the Governor-General, Dame Pearlette Louisy and the Head of Government is Prime Minister Allen