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Gooden. "Definitions Of The Caribbean". Slideshare.Net, 2018, https://www.slideshare.net/egfred/definitions-of-the-caribbean. Accessed 2 Mar 2018.

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Benefits Of Indians' Arrival In T&T. 2018, http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Benefits_of_Indians__arrival_in_T_T-156873375.html. Accessed 2 Mar 2018.

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Bolland, O. Nigel. The Birth Of Caribbean Civilisation. Ian Randle Publishers, 2004.

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The Dutch -

On Christopher Columbus's 2nd voyage in 1493 he discovered the island St. Maarten. When he failed to make landfall and set up a settlement the Dutch and French ceased the opportunity. This resulted in them splitting the island in half. Taking note of the island's salt trade; the Spanish took note and once again took back control of the islands. They took the wars between the Netherlands  and Spain (80 years' war) as a further incentive to attack. Fifteen years later as they no longer needed a base in the Caribbean when the war ended they decided to leave which once again led to Dutch and French taking back the territory. The treaty of Concordia 1648 was signed legally sharing the island between the two countries. Cotton, Tobacco and Sugar Plantations were set up as they imported a massive number of slaves. Eventually the slave numbers quickly outnumbered the plantation owners which then led to the French abolishing slavery and soon after the Dutch. After the abolition of slavery the island saw an influx in tourist from many different countries which t this day renders it a tourist destination for many. In 1983 St Maarten became an island territory of the Netherlands Antilles and in 2010 a constituent country of the Netherlands.

The French -

In the middle of the Caribbean but still part of France ; Martinique is one of the oversees departments of France. Martinique was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493 but Spain had little interest in the country. Decades later the first set of French settlers arrived on the island led by

Pierre Belain d’Esnambuc a French governor. The quickly began colonizing the land with the help of slave labor. Martinique briefly changed hands to the British, this saved them from the effects of the French revolution. Not long after the French regained ownership in 1815.  Victor Schoelcher, the French cabinet minister responsible for overseas possessions, convinced the provisional government to sign the 1848 Emancipation Proclamation, which brought an end to slavery in the French West Indies. Schoelcher is now regarded as one of Martinique’s heroes. In 1946 Martinique became an Overseas Department of France, with a status similar to those of metropolitan departments. In 1974 it was further assimilated into the political fold as a Department of France.

The Spanish-

Though Spain currently does not own or play a major part in the politics of any Caribbean country their influences are still seen throughout. Countries like Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Puerto Rico still use Spanish as their official language. Spain can also be credited with bringing the religion of Catholicism to the Caribbean through the encomienda system.

The English-

There are still parts of the Caribbean that have not been granted independence by the British ; they are Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos and Montserrat. In these countries Queen Elizabeth 2 appoints a representative in each territory to exercise her power. They also have the benefit of being British Citizens.

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Nebula.Wsimg.Com, 1930, http://nebula.wsimg.com/020f35714896890d72f191a9fa8329c0?AccessKeyId=2198493294F8F5078821&disposition=0&alloworigin=1. Accessed 2 Mar 2018.

The Incorporated Trustees of Mount St Benedict. (2018). Mount St Benedict Abbey - Online. [online] Available at: http://www.mountstbenedictabbey.org/ [Accessed 1 Mar. 2018].

The Catholic doctrine of non-Christian religions according to the Second Vatican Council. (1992). Choice Reviews Online, 30(03), pp.30-1471-30-1471.

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The Caribbean can be defined in more ways than one. There is the geographical, geological, political and historical definition. The geological definition is defined using plate tectonics, only countries that are on the Caribbean plate will be considered part of the Caribbean using this definition. The geographical definition talks about all the countries that are washed by the Caribbean sea, this is often described as the Caribbean basin. When talking about the political definition ; the Caribbean has 3 forms of government systems, they are independent states who were former colonies but are now self governed, Associated states are countries who are not independent but obtain all the benefits of the countries that govern it and colonial dependencies are countries who are governed by another country but do not have the same benefits as associated states. The historical definition talks about countries that saw the impact of colonization, slavery, indentureship and the plantation system from the Dutch, British, Spanish and French ; these countries all share the same cultural and historical experiences.

1. Mexico will not be considered part of the Caribbean if we look at the  geological definition of the Caribbean because it does not fall on the Caribbean plate but if we consider the geographical definition then it does form part of the Caribbean due to the Yucatan peninsula being washed by the Caribbean sea.

2. Guyana will be considered part of the Caribbean because of the historical definition they were once ruled by the Dutch in 1667 and then by the British in 1814 however geographically they are not in the Caribbean basin therefore if we are to look at the geographical definition they will not be considered part of the Caribbean.

3. Suriname is part of the Caribbean if we look at the historical definition, they were once ruled by the Dutch and gained independence in 1987 but is not in the Caribbean basin thus they do not satisfy the geographical definition to be considered part of the Caribbean. They also are not on the Caribbean plate so will not satisfy the geological definition.

4. Puerto Rico would not be considered part of the Caribbean because it is governed by the United States of America therefore does not satisfy the criteria under the Political definition. However, they satisfy the geographical, geological and historical definition because the were once ruled by the Spanish

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The indentured laborers from India  took what was seen to be a ' NEW TYPE OF SLAVERY ' and attempted to turn it into a positive situation. Systems like the 'muster roll' which meant non attendance to work and failure to complete tasks allocated to them resulted in deduction of fines. They were also subject to restriction of movements and had to obtain passes to visit other places; this was done so that they would not have figured out about different and unfair wages being offered among them. The indentured laborers rioted and protested their working conditions, one such occurrence was the riot that took place in Plantation Leonora, West Coast Demerara in July 1869 which resulted in the ringleaders being persecuted severely. These protest continued until the abolishing of the immigration scheme.

When compared to India's caste system ; the indentured laborers had a better chance of improving their lives after the end of the indentureship system  and being something more than a field worker. Though they were faced with a language barrier they adjusted to a western society and indulged in education as a means of upward social mobility. This resulted in many of them becoming skilled workers like bankers, teachers and even tailors. In Trinidad some of them were given land and money instead of returning back home. These are some of the things most of them could not have achieved had they stayed in their home country as they were most likely deemed untouchables according to the caste system and no mobility between caste were permitted.

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One can argue that all the monks wanted to do when they arrived in Trinidad was to preach the gospel and nothing else but upon observing several artifacts at Mount St. Benedict ; it appears to me that they were not all about spreading the word of the lord and providing education. The Pax Guest House and Abbey Shop is another source of income for the monks. This in my opinion made the church seem like a business. The Abbey Shop sells provides variety of religious items, books, pictures, rosaries, candles and even medals, there is also a cafeteria ; this opens seven days a week catering to visitors and or church goers. The location of the church also attracts several religious and non religious visitors for the spectacular views of the city below and by extension the Caroni plains. One can also take a hike further up into the hills if he/she wishes.

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Two documents written In the late 20th century The "Second Vatican Council's Declaration on the relation of the Church to non-Christian religions" issued in 1976 and

"Dominus Iesus" written by Pope Benedict XVI in the year 2000 when, as Cardinal Ratzinger, he was the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Talks about the historical teachings of the Roman Catholics, states that Jesus created a single church now comprising the Roman Catholic Church and that outside the church there is no salvation. This can be labeled as Religious Ethnocentrism. 'Christ the Liberator' is almost a replica of the 'Christ the Redeemer' statue in Brazil which was erected to counteract Godlessness which came after the creation of the Brazilian republic in 1889 (separation between church and state) I believe this statue was erected on Mt St Benedict for similar reasons. When considering that the monks which first started the church on Mt. St Benedict came from Brazil I believe they saw it fit to erect a similar statue to counteract the same issue the one in Brazil was set up, to counteract Godlessness. Based on Roman Catholics teachings they believe that all others who practice different religions are destined for hell.

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. Secularism(separation between church and state) does not exist in Trinidad and Tobago as there is a clear indication of the impact of Roman Catholics in the nation. There are many schools run by the catholic board e.g. St Benedict's College La Romaine A school ran by the Benedictine monk at the time in 1953 - 1968, Dom Basil Matthews. The school fostered a handful of football players who were chosen to play for the national football team ; Jon Steadman, Warren Archibald and Leroy Deleon. The church played a pivotal role in the school as their motto was {NIHIL OMINO CHRISTO} Christ Above All

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Trinidad and Tobago are two islands that grace the southern exit of the Caribbean. The Abbey of Our Lady of Exile, one of many historical sites on the island is nestled in the lush hills of the northern range in the town of Tunapuna. Monks from the ancient Abbey of Sao Bento Brazil in the year 1912 of Sao Bento Brazil in the year 1912 were fleeing religious persecution and purchased the land from an east Indian man who was employed as an over seer by the former owner of the property. They were told it was impossible to live there because the land was 'cursed'. Nevertheless, the fathers took it over and gradually erected the buildings now standing on the mountains.

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One feature of a civilized society is their government, they make and enforce laws and provide public with basic amenities in some cases. From inception the plot of land was only accessible by foot and with the help of the Public works department(Government) roads were built to make it easily accessible to the monks and public.

Another feature of a civilized society is it provides all citizens with an equal chance to pursue an education. After the Benedictine monks arrived in Trinidad there were over 100 schools attached to Benedictine monasteries worldwide attending to approximately 15,000 pupils. The monks saw a great need to establish a secondary school in south Trinidad as most families could not have afforded to send their children to catholic schools in Port Of Spain. This resulted in them setting up their first school Presentation College and later St Benedict's College in 1953. Religion played a pivotal role in the school as their motto was {NIHIL OMINO CHRISTO} Christ Above All