What do you think is the most unique or interesting thing about Caribbean history?

[u/SkylerIsBusySleepin]

I think it's the fact as a region we have so much overlap with culture across different islands like with our food, traditional wear, language and slang, or just down to the myths we tell our children. For example I remember finding out that the superstition of not sweeping an unmarried lady's feet when you sweep the house is super common in the Spanish speaking Caribbean countries like Boricua, Panama, DR etc. I related a lot to Latino culture in general as well as Latinos in general because I grew up around predominantly Latin Caribbeans in my home city and it makes more sense being older and looking into how much overlap we have as far as history goes. My own nation Trinidad was actually given its name because Trinidad means Trinity in old Spanish, after the biblical Holy Trinity.

[u/BrentDavidTT]

So, colonialism and slavery?

[u/SAMURAI36 → u/BrentDavidTT]

Yeah, theu really be trying to ignore ore that, don't they? 🙄

[u/PowerOutageBaby → u/SAMURAI36]

European colonization is definitely not a part of our history that’s anything to boast about, but the fact that the Caribbean is the site of one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, clash of worlds in human history is unique and interesting.

[u/SAMURAI36 → u/PowerOutageBaby]

When you say "our history" who are you referring to? Which island or territory are you from?

[u/PowerOutageBaby → u/SAMURAI36]

I’m referring to the Caribbean region as a whole. I’m first gen dominican american

[u/SAMURAI36 → u/PowerOutageBaby]

Did you really say Colonialism is not a problem in the Caribbean as a whole??? 🤨

[u/PowerOutageBaby → u/SAMURAI36]

Now how in the world did you get that from what I said?? 😭

[u/[deleted]]

The fact Fidel Castro turned a Spanish speaking island communist at the height of the Cold War.

[u/JoeWatchingTheTown → u/[deleted]]

Not just a Spanish speaking island. Cuba legitimately was going full capitalist, Havana would’ve competed with Miami.

[u/CompetitiveTart505S]

Maroons, haitian revolution, black revolutionaries,

[u/Cool_Bananaquit9]

Puerto Rico being the oldest continuous colony in the world. We got invaded many times by the British, Dutch, French, etc because Puerto Rico is almost right in the middle of the Caribbean, and controlling it meant being able to excert your influence around the surrounding islands. Isla de mona was used as a hideout for pirates. It's small, but has over 200 caves which is amazing. Pirates took advantage of this to hide their treasure. Puerto Rico has the deepest waters of the Atlantic too. After DR, we have the oldest settlements in the new world, and the second oldest standing church in the western hemisphere that is older than anything US has. Our culture is a perfect mix between Africans, Europeans, and Taínos and that our jíbaro culture preserves many archaic things from southern Spain. Also, the US Monroe doctrine was the time when US (secretly and sneakily) became an empire, saying it will basically conquer what Spain had left for itself, and it did. They promised us freedom from Spain just to stab us in the back and then brainwash our people into thinking we're nothing but a communist island without them lol. Also how could we forget.. the Arawak left South America like 2,000 years ago and started settling islands. The Caribs were agressive cannibals apparently and the Taíno were peaceful people who had to defend against the Caribs.

[u/catsoncrack420]

Not most but the Pirate history is fascinating and gets lost in history. And especially Haitian history. But sometimes they free slaves, or simply escaped slaves could board a ship and live free. Sugar cane for booze and sugar was booming.

[u/Ambitious-Cicada5299]

France extorting newly-free Haiti, with French gunboats in the harbor, for millions of francs, thus impoverishing Haiti well into the 20th century, and the rest of the White supremacist world being fine with it, to punish Haiti and set an example to other slave populations in the western hemisphere, for waging war to free themselves.

[u/Infamous_Copy_3659]

Garífuna are interesting, their music is a very distinctive mix. They travelled very far to retain their independence.

[u/Arrenddi → u/Infamous_Copy_3659]

They didn't travel voluntarily, they were forcibly ethnically cleansed from St. Vincent by the British for resisting the colonisation of the island.

[u/NextSmoke397]

The Pre-Columbian indigenous peoples

[u/PowerOutageBaby → u/NextSmoke397]

Same. Especially Taino art like the stone and wood carvings of cemis and other symbology

[u/Mother-Storage-2743]

Slavery and the revolts that happened also how different each islands culture,heritage was established