https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w Caribbean Unity? en-us 2016-11-28 21:07:29 UTC 2026-02-25 01:33:11 UTC hello@padlet.com erica_nurse https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140347578 The Caribbean has had a tumultuous past with the advent of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade which saw the enslavement of Africans by European nations such as England, Spain, France and the Netherlands. These Africans were captured and sold to slave owners in the Caribbean and America to work on plantations. ]]> 2016-11-28 21:29:19 UTC https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140347578 erica_nurse https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140350778 2016-11-28 21:46:04 UTC https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140350778 erica_nurse https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140353664 2016-11-28 22:02:21 UTC https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140353664 erica_nurse https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140355337 2016-11-28 22:11:25 UTC https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140355337 erica_nurse https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140355616 Slaves greatly outnumbers their white slave masters on plantations, yet their compliance was produced by both overt and subtle forms of control. Plantation owners used many forms of cruelty in order to gain slave submission. They were whipped, or flogged for not working fast or hard enough, placed in stockades for frivilous infractions, dogs were set loose on runaway slaves, death by hanging or burning to death was the norm for rebellious slaves. (Hatt 31-32).
Hatt, Christine. Slavery From Africa to the Americas. Evans Brothers 2006


]]> 2016-11-28 22:12:55 UTC https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140355616 erica_nurse https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140366220 Division was a common factor of life on the plantation. Plantation owners used this as a means of control, the more slaves were divided, the less likely they would be able to cause a rebellion or revolt.
Initially there was the the division of slaves according to their labour. Field slaves were those that worked out planting , weeding, reaping crops. Artisan slaves such as carpenters and sugar boilers were skilled slaves who worked in the mills and with machinery. Domestic or house slaves worked in the plantation great house of the plantation owner and cleaned, cooked and even so much as rearing the owner's children. These divisions caused friction between the slaves as domestic slaves felt superior to field slaves given that they did not have to endure the back breaking work out in the fields. Also due to their proximity to the the slave owners they recieved more food and clothing than the other slaves. Artisan slaves also received their share of resentment due to the fact that as skilled slaves they were often loaned to other plantantion owners and thus were allowed to travel between neighboring plantations for work. (Doumerc 27)
Slaves were also separeted by their skin color as well whereby mixed slaves, or colored were genereally the ones favoured to work in the great house. Some colored slaves took great pride in their ability to look Caucasian and used it to great advantage.

Doumerc, Eric. Caribbean Civilisation. Presses Univ. du Mirail, 2003]]> 2016-11-28 23:35:39 UTC https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140366220 erica_nurse https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140370652
 In modern Caribbean society we still see the traces of our colonial past in every aspect of Caribbean life. Many former colonies still speak some form of the the language spoken by their old mother countries, for example patois in French ruled islands like St. Lucia and Martinque. Also plural societies such as Trinidad and Guyana are a direct result of the mass importation of Asian immigrants to bolster production after the abolition of the the slave trade. (Kieley 33)
Along with these things from our past it can be argued that we as Caribbean people have internalised negative attitudes left over from slavery.
 Throughout our times as slaves plantation owners made steps to keep their slaves divided and in some ways it can be argued that Caribbean people remain divided after all of these years of emanciaption and indepedence. Caribbean integration has always posed a problem for modern political leaders, the failure of federation is a prime example.
 On the heels of the end of WWII , the Caribbean territories of Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, St.Vincent, Antigua, Montserrat, Grenada, St. Lucia, St.Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla and Dominica agreed to form a federation which was signed in 1956 as a means of gaining greater independence form Great Britain. However, due to growing dissatisfaction by some member states over things such as restriction caused by federal control and a fear that the smaller island were not receiving enough represnetation, Jamaica left the federation 1961 which in turn led to the dissolution of the referendum. (Berry 18-19)
 This dissolution is often seen as the catalyst for independence for many Caribbean territories given that most islands gained independence soon afterwards. It can be argued that this may  be the cause for some of the integration problems faced in the region today
given that islands tend to put sovereignty and independence over Caribbean unity. The same arguments put forward during federarion against regional integration arise contiously in other integration schemes such as CSME, which proposed things such as increased trade between CARICOM member states, and the free movement of 6 categories of persons, musicians, media persons, sport persons, artists, managers and supervisors and graduate students. (Hall and Chuck-A-Sang 44)

Kiely, Riely. The Politics of Labour and Development in Trinidad. Press University of the West Indies, 1996

Berry, David S. Caribbean Integration Law. OUP Oxford, 2014

Hall, Kenneth, and Myrtle Chuk-A-Sang. Caricom Single Market and Economy: Challenges, Benefits and Prospects

]]> 2016-11-29 00:29:48 UTC https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140370652 erica_nurse https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140371563 2016-11-29 00:39:51 UTC https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140371563 erica_nurse https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140372541 2016-11-29 00:51:28 UTC https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140372541 erica_nurse https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140373465 2016-11-29 01:00:24 UTC https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140373465 erica_nurse https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140378001 2016-11-29 01:41:06 UTC https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140378001 erica_nurse https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140390178   Stephen Vasciannie in an articale titled 'Reflections on the Caribbean Court of Justice' in the Jamaican Observer made mention of the many strengths of the CCJ and the benefits of using it as the final court of a appeal in comparison to using the UK based Privy Council. He outlined that the Privy Council is very costly, and maintained that it is a risk to take matters to this court given that such a venture is expensive and there is a chance that it may not end in your favour. Also he advocated that as a Caribbean based court it has a better understanding of regional issues and is able to look at matters in a very Caribbean context in terms of having a grasp of the culture and attitudes of Caribbean people in comparison to the the remote Privy Council which would only have a eurocentric lens when addressing Caribbean matters. 
Despite the various benefits, Jamaica still refuses to be vote to recognise the CCJ as its final court of appeal and is somehow unable to cut the proverbial umbilical cord and sever ties with England. One can argue that this is not the only aspect where some Caribbean countries seem to be dragging their feet in the quest to true sovereignty. For example islands such as Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines still recognise the queen as sovereign despite attaining their independence in 1966 1979 respectively. The position of the Queen's Representative i.e. a Governor's General though in modern times may be seen as merely symbolic it 'theoretically' remains as a representation of dominion our former colonial masters.]]> 2016-11-29 02:19:39 UTC https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140390178 erica_nurse https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140390896 2016-11-29 02:28:29 UTC https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140390896 erica_nurse https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140391003 2016-11-29 02:30:02 UTC https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140391003 erica_nurse https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140393868 This course was not only interesting but eye opening on many levels given that there were many aspects of Caribbean history that not only I was unaware of but in some instances were grossly inacurate. For example the untruths that we as Caribbean students learned about cannibalism among the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean. This untruth was something that I had learned at an level at school and was only corrected now after taking this course in university. That fact alone shows the importance of taking a course such as Caribbean Civilisation whereby it helps to expand the knowledge Caribbean History and culture.  
  This course did provide some difficulty given that I am not the most technologically person and I had some challenge navigating the online lectures.]]> 2016-11-29 03:03:42 UTC https://padlet.com/erica_nurse/nqd414fydj6w/wish/140393868