Key Terms
Indigenous groups
Arawak, Tainos, and Caribs.
Cause of population collapse
Disease (no immunity to European illness), warfare, and enslavement. Populations were virtually wiped out.
Colonial strategy
Claim island, transform land into plantation agriculture; grow cash crops (sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, fruit) for export
Four main colonial powers
Spanish, English, Dutch, and French.
Others who held islands at various times
Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, United States.
Puerto Rico
Remains under US jurisdiction — neither independent nor a US state, though residents are US citizens.
After independence
White and lighter-skinned elites retained power. Patriarchal gender roles were often strengthened because governing elit
Matrifocal definition
Household structure where mothers and their children form the family unit; women rely on female relatives for support.
Today
Female-headed households remain significant, especially among poorer populations. Women in these households have conside
Post-revolution reforms
Improvements in health care, education, and housing reduced inequality broadly.
Federation of Cuban Women (FMC)
State organization to incorporate women into the Communist Party, workforce, and state.
Wealthy examples
Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Virgin Islands (offshore banking/finance).
Poorer examples
Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica.
Emigration
Well-established Caribbean communities exist in England, Canada, and the United States.
Windrush Generation
Caribbean migrants who came to Britain 1948–1971 to address post-WWII labor shortages.