West Indies - History In The Isles Quiz

Answer: Caribs and Tainos

When Columbus came to the West Indies in 1492 the Tainos were the main occupants of Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola. The Caribs (Kalinagos) lived mostly in the lesser Antilles. Historically, the Tainos and Caribs were enemies. The Caribs were a fierce, warlike set of people who would carry out raids on the Tainos who had to defend themselves although they were basically peaceful.

Answer: ubutu

The ubutu was not as powerful as the cacique except in times of war. The ubutu was a war leader. He would decide the day on which they would carry out attacks on the Tainos. The ubutu's position was not hereditary. Ubutus were chosen by village elders and the chosen one had to carry out a successful raid to earn the title. In times of peace the ubutu was not the leader of the districts.

Answer: succession from father to son

The position of cacique was hereditary. The cacique had many responsibilities. He made the law, distributed land and allocated labour. He was also responsible for all religious and social ceremonies. He was also the judge of all disputes.

Answer: Jamaica

Christopher Columbus made landfall at the Bahamas in 1492. On that voyage (his first) he also found Hispaniola and Cuba. He made contact with some of the natives and even returned to Spain with some. It was on his second voyage that he discovered Jamaica.

Answer: gold

Small amounts of gold were found in the personal adorning, belts and masks of the natives. The native population were enslaved by the wealth seeking Spanish and they were driven almost to extinction. Many of the natives were put to work in mines on the island of Hispaniola.

Answer: imported diseases

Aha! It must have been imported diseases. After all the Spanish were not known to be cannibals there were no records of natural disasters or famine that impacted the lives of the natives. The record is that the Spanish brought diseases such as flu, diphtheria, smallpox, chicken pox and a host of others to the New World.

Answer: False

Slaves were brought from Africa; the triangular trade where goods such as cloth, trinkets, guns and ammunition were traded for slaves in Africa. These slaves would be taken to the New World where they would be sold. The ships would then be cleaned and prepared for the return journey to Europe. They would be loaded with goods such as rum, tobacco and sugar for that leg of the journey.

Answer: False

The indentured servants were Europeans who were unable to pay their debts and would be sent to prison. In order to avoid going to prison they would sign contracts to work on Caribbean plantations for up to seven years in order to remit their debts. They received no pay for their work which was arduous and they were usually abused.

After they had worked for the time period required they would become a part of the general population.

Answer: They were unskilled and had no other opportunities.

Not only were the freed slaves unskilled and lacking in opportunities but there was no work in the cities. Also, the prices of products were controlled by colonial rules so they were unable to access many items. Slavery had not educated the slaves for the market economy that existed after slavery. As a result freedom came at a high price for the freed slaves.

Answer: Haiti

As a result of the Haitian Revolution Haiti became the first New World nation to after the United States to become independent. The Haitian revolution had the greatest success in the Western Hemisphere. Not only was slavery ended but also France lost control over the colonies. The revolution began in 1791 and by 1803 Haiti was an independent country.