Island Hopping Antigua History

ISLAND HPPING

A Brief History of Antigua

Antigua was first settled by The Ciboney Indians some 4,000 years ago until they mysteriously vacated the island leaving Antigua unpopulated for almost 1,000 years until the Arawaks arrived from South America and later the Caribs who it seems were always hot on the heels of the peaceful Arawaks. The first European to sight Antigua was Christopher Columbus who never landed on the island, but named while sailing past in 1493. Columbus named the island after a miracle-working saint in Seville, Spain, Santa Maria de Antigua.

The local Caribs discourages European settlers from setting up shop on Antigua until 1632, when a group of Brits from St. Kitts, led by Sir Thomas Warner, colonized the island and created what were to become rich sugar plantations. After 30 years of bloody battles with the Caribs, the Dutch, and the French, the island became an official British Colony in 1667 and unlike many of her neighbors, Antigua did not have a see-saw battle for control, she remained British until her independence in 1981.

Antigua was once a strategic naval base during the struggle between Britain and France in the Caribbean. In 1784, Captain Horatio Nelson was based here as Commander of the Northern Division of the Leeward Islands Station. Nelson married a widow from nearby Nevis, Fanny Nesbit, and pursued his duties, primarily to ensure that sanctions against Britain’s enemies remained intact. This made Nelson quite unpopular with the locals as they their profits depended on trade with some of the various peoples that were on Nelson’s blacklist. Later Nelson went on to victory and glory as Admiral Lord Nelson.

With the abolition of slavery in 1834, the economy took a nose dive and the living conditions for the newly freed slaves could best be described as deplorable, which let to much unrest and violence in the early 20th century. In the 1940s, V.C. Bird (the airport is named after him) founded the Antigua Labour Party to alleviate the plight of the Antiguans and the party successfully negotiated self-government from Britain n 1967 and independence (along with a reluctant Barbados) in 1981.

Tourism continues to be by far the dominant activity in the economy accounting directly or indirectly to more than half of GDP. Increased tourist arrivals have helped spur growth in the construction and transport sectors. The dual island nation’s agricultural production is mainly directed to the domestic market; the sector is constrained by the limited water supply and labor shortages that reflect the pull of higher wages in tourism and construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on income growth in the industrialized world, especially in the US, which accounts for about half of all tourist arrivals.