The Caribbean, known as a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea that curve southward from the bottom tip of Florida to the Northwest of Venezuela; Is inhabited by a melting pot of people of diverse races, cultures, personalities and beliefs; the end result of slavery and oppression. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, oppression can be defined as “Prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control; or the state of being subject to such treatment or control.” Throughout history, it is evident that Caribbean People experienced many types of oppression, and as a result caused such people to give various responses
In order to understand the true depth of the oppression experienced by Caribbean People, it is vital that slavery, which is believed to be at the helm of oppression, be addressed. Europeans first came into contact with the Caribbean after Columbus's journeys in 1492, 1496 and 1498. The desire for expansion and trade led to the settlement of the colonies. The indigenous peoples, mostly peaceful Tainos and warlike Caribs, proved to be unsuitable for slave labor in the newly formed plantations, and they were quickly and brutally annihilated. The slave trade which had already begun on the West Coast of Africa provided the labor needed for the sugar, coffee cotton and cocoa plantations in the Caribbean to thrive; and the period from 1496 to 1838 saw Africans flogged and tortured in an effort to assimilate them into the plantation economy. The British were the first to attempt to abolish slavery in the Caribbean during the early 19th century, but complete emancipation was not achieved until the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 (effective 1834). Despite the population's freedom from slavery, living conditions on the islands did not improve much over the next several decades