A Review of Chapters Seven and Nine of “from Columbus to Castro” by Eric Williams.

Williams support his thesis by diverging into the exchange between Christopher Columbus and the Spanish royalty, Williams educates readers about the misrepresentations about the institutionalization of slavery.

With the defeat of the Spanish armada in 1588, Spain began a steady decline to a second rate power. Consequently shifting their original goal of exploring to maintaining or colonizing what lands they still possess.

The study of the Atlantic as an interwoven community is a relatively new theory. Historians are beginning to see Atlantic History as “a sudden and harsh encounter between two old worlds that transformed both and integrated them into a single New World” , and not just separate entities with detached pasts. Atlantic History: Concept and Contours by Bernard Bailyn lays the framework for what Atlantic History is and how it should be studied. Bailyn states that the reasoning behind writing the book is that previous historians focus too much on the imperial history of the Atlantic world, when in fact the colonized areas had just as much of an effect on European powers as Europe had on their colonies. In this concise two part book, Bailyn’s main argument is that the concept of Atlantic History was inevitable because it is impossible to look at any major event of this time period without seeing its effects ripple throughout the entire Atlantic world.

Throughout history, race, social development, politics and colonization have played a major role in the indoctrination of modern day Caribbean peoples mind subconsciously. Haiti and the Dominican Republic are two countries that were once one nation, however, the long-lasting effects of colonialism have separated the island which the nations sit into two independent Caribbean countries. Numerous events have led to the modern day conflicts and issues between these great nations, which include violations of civil rights, deportation and violence. To illustrate, relations that developed after the Parsley Massacre and the independence of these nations played a major role in their current social and racial battles. While the nations hatred for each other is clear today, it is important to note that the feud between Haiti and the Dominica Republic has been going on for more than 400 years.

Among the more notorious dimensions of the age of exploration and colonization is the impact which this massive wave of maritime transmigration would have on the indigenous populations of those locations where European settlers made landfall. And perhaps no historical figure is as emblematic of this impact than Christopher Columbus, who in his ambition to bring gold, spices and cotton home from the lands he believed to be the West Indies, would help to set off one of the most complete genocides in human history. As the text by McKay et al (2003) demonstrates, Columbus approached the natives that he encountered in the Caribbean with a sense of European superiority that would come to define colonialism and to justify its attendant ethnic cleansing. Indeed, the perspective offered by Columbus is that of a conqueror establishing dominance over a people quite vulnerable to subordination.

In the text Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years by Bigelow and Pearson the authors of the book try to offer an alternative narrative of the story of Columbus. Many schools describe Columbus’s story as the “Discovery of America” and that this critical work make a profound impact in schools. The authors mention how in typical children’s book on Columbus see: Christopher talk, grow up, have ideas, feelings, see Chris plant the flag, but in the books native peoples of the Caribbean, the “discovered,” are portrayed without thoughts or feelings. I feel that this book fits in with a couple of our 5 dimensions that Banks brings up and that we discussed in class according to the books introduction of the text. This text shows why we must implement these Dimensions into our classroom. Using the first topic I discussed about how our text and schools discuss Columbus and the “Discover of America”, the book goes on to explain that their goal “is not to idealize native people, demonize Europeans, or present a depressing litany of victimization, but to encourage deeper thinking and understanding of the European Invasion’s consequences, to honor the rich legacy of resistance to the injustices it created, to convey some appreciation for the diverse indigenous cultures of the hemisphere, and to reflect on what this all means for us today.

Proof of the great impact of Eric Williams' book, Capitalism & Slavery, lays in the fact that after his death in 1981, till this day, historians are still debating and analyzing his work. Williams inspired the next generation of writers on Caribbean history, within the Caribbean. Although his work is criticized in European and North American academic circles, it is still revered within West Indian academics

The English victory over the Spanish Armada marked the beginning of the British naval dominance in the Atlantic. England and Spain had been enjoying a

Spanish Armada - Spanish fleet led by Philip II that attempted to attack England but failed.

The Caribbean region in the late eighteenth century was exploited in many ways: plantations altering any financial potential and cruel oppressors exploiting natives and slaves to keep the “Old World” linked to the “New World.” Full of pirates, slave rebellions, and involved in multiple wars including the Nine Years’ War and the Seven Years’ War. They were home to many plays for profit, the easiest of which was smuggling. The causes and responses to smuggling were all around the same, all that matters was whom the smugglers were working for, and whose funds were being subverted by said smuggling.

Europeans dared to the New World for an assortment of reasons–religious flexibility, another begin, to extend the domain of their homeland–but a standout amongst the most well-known reasons was to concentrate assets from the land and take them back to Europe so as to profit. One nation that was exceptionally spurred to investigate the potential outcomes of fiscal pick up in the New World was Spain, and two of Spain's most critical pioneers were Christopher Columbus and Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca. Considering the similitudes between the two, it is very fascinating to note one error in their works and recordings of their outings to the new world: their view towards the scene and nature of the New World. When one takes a gander at the works of

Packet 2 (Vocabulary) Queen Elizabeth - (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) Queen Elizabeth was the queen of Ireland. She made Britain (England) a world power by defeating the Spanish Armada and starting a program for British exploration and colonization, and she also sponsored exploration voyages, and the establishment of colonies overseas. She made the Church of England the middle way between Catholics, and Protestants. Spanish Armada - Spanish Armada is also known as the “Great and Most Fortunate Navy” or the “Invincible Fleet”. It was a fleet of 130 Spanish ships under the command of Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588.

Several of short stories were read in this English class and opened my mind up substantially towards literature. The main text I can relate my self with in this class is, Goodbye, Columbus. The story consists of human experiences in different forms I can relate to. One of the prime human experiences that occurred in this text is love. Moreover, discrimination was focused on as well. Even more, the human experience that is vital in this story is moving on from an unfortunate experience rather than allowing it to interfere with their future. The main character in Goodbye Columbus is Neil Klugman. The experiences Neil accomplished were wise. Second, Brenda Patimkin was Neil’s love. She also went through a vast amount of experiences. Finally, the young black Boy is an important character with populous experiences. There are various more characters in the text. The bountiful experiences of Goodbye, Columbus revealed the characters’ actions towards each other.

As a result, Mintz completely transformed my ideas on industrial capitalism. As a consumer and lover of sugar, I have now given a considerable amount of thought to the sugar that I consumed so often. The extent to which the Caribbean people and land were exploited is unfathomable. When speaking of a “plantation”, Americans usually think and refer to the cotton plantations in the South. Even those Americans with roots in the Caribbean are completely unaware of the exploitation of their land and people. The long-term effects of this exploitation led to the underdevelopment of these Caribbean countries. These effects are still evident today as most of the Caribbean islands are labeled as “Third World Countries”.

“To what extent can it be argued that genocide and revolution are central themes in Caribbean History?”