The History of Montserrat :: Essays Papers

The history of the island of Montserrat has been characterized by instability from the time of its discovery to its present-day status as a Dependent Overseas Territory of Great Britain. With a wide range of concerns regarding the issue of independence, the inhabitants of Montserrat remain unsure of their ability to maintain their own economic development and survive without financial assistance from Britain. The geography of Montserrat has consistently posed a threat to the people of the island, whose lives are largely dependent on the land they inhabit. The first Europeans to spot Montserrat did so on 10 November 1493, as Columbus’ ship sailed from Guadeloupe towards Hispaniola. Though he named the island, Columbus and the Spanish took little interest in Montserrat, and nothing more was written about the island by a European until July 1631. At that time, Amerindians were using the island, though perhaps not living there, and no Europeans had settled Montserrat. However, only two-and-a-half years later, in January 1634, another written account describes Montserrat as having been settled by Irish Catholics (Pulsipher 1986 7). The first settlers of Montserrat were most likely from St. Kitts and arrived there in 1632 (Rogozinski 75). By the 1650s, English and Anglo-Irish landowners formed the wealthy ruling class, and Irish indentured servants formed the bulk of the population (Pulsipher 1986 12). Many of the first Irish Catholic settlers came from Virginia, New England, and the British Isles (Pulsipher 1986 7). Of the white population in 1678, 70% were Irish indentured servants (Rogozinski 76). There were also several hundred African slaves living on Montserrat by 1654 (Pulsipher 1986 12). The British landowners used their servants and slaves to grow cash crops such as tobacco, indigo, cotton, and sugar (Pulsipher 1986 8). By the early 1680s, Montserrat was a â€Å"sugar island,† and by 1700 was shipping 29 million pounds of sugar to England and Wales annually (Pulsipher 1986 12). During this time there were a number of restrictive laws passed by the British government to regulate trade and exporting, particularly for the purpose of eliminating Dutch traders from interfering in their affairs. By the 1650s, the Dutch had established themselves as a source of connection between the Caribbean islands and the rest of the world and went so far as to build a number of warehouses for the protection of market-ready crops on Montserrat (Pulsipher 1986 8). The History of Montserrat :: Essays Papers The history of the island of Montserrat has been characterized by instability from the time of its discovery to its present-day status as a Dependent Overseas Territory of Great Britain. With a wide range of concerns regarding the issue of independence, the inhabitants of Montserrat remain unsure of their ability to maintain their own economic development and survive without financial assistance from Britain. The geography of Montserrat has consistently posed a threat to the people of the island, whose lives are largely dependent on the land they inhabit. The first Europeans to spot Montserrat did so on 10 November 1493, as Columbus’ ship sailed from Guadeloupe towards Hispaniola. Though he named the island, Columbus and the Spanish took little interest in Montserrat, and nothing more was written about the island by a European until July 1631. At that time, Amerindians were using the island, though perhaps not living there, and no Europeans had settled Montserrat. However, only two-and-a-half years later, in January 1634, another written account describes Montserrat as having been settled by Irish Catholics (Pulsipher 1986 7). The first settlers of Montserrat were most likely from St. Kitts and arrived there in 1632 (Rogozinski 75). By the 1650s, English and Anglo-Irish landowners formed the wealthy ruling class, and Irish indentured servants formed the bulk of the population (Pulsipher 1986 12). Many of the first Irish Catholic settlers came from Virginia, New England, and the British Isles (Pulsipher 1986 7). Of the white population in 1678, 70% were Irish indentured servants (Rogozinski 76). There were also several hundred African slaves living on Montserrat by 1654 (Pulsipher 1986 12). The British landowners used their servants and slaves to grow cash crops such as tobacco, indigo, cotton, and sugar (Pulsipher 1986 8). By the early 1680s, Montserrat was a â€Å"sugar island,† and by 1700 was shipping 29 million pounds of sugar to England and Wales annually (Pulsipher 1986 12). During this time there were a number of restrictive laws passed by the British government to regulate trade and exporting, particularly for the purpose of eliminating Dutch traders from interfering in their affairs. By the 1650s, the Dutch had established themselves as a source of connection between the Caribbean islands and the rest of the world and went so far as to build a number of warehouses for the protection of market-ready crops on Montserrat (Pulsipher 1986 8).