After Columbus discovered the new world and showed the way to reach it, the Spanish people colonized the West Indies and parts of America. But they avoided such of the islands where there was no gold or where the native Indians were hard to subdue. Thus choosing the path of least resistance, the Spaniards conquered island after island forced the native to work in their mines or on the plantations. Within 50 years of Columbus’ discovery of the islands, the native population in the colonies of the Spaniards became extinct; some of them because of overwork; a few others, who were let off, were killed by the Spaniards when they staged a revolt. Now the settlers needed new labour force for work in the place of the dead natives; and Spain sent Negro slaves, at first in small numbers to work in cattle ranches but later, French slaves in the 18th century, in large numbers to work in their new sugar plantations in Haiti and the Lesser Antilles.
After the French Revolution, the slaves in the Haiti revolted and set up an independent Negro Republic; with the result the French moved to other British and Spanish islands, started new plantations and imported more slaves in the 19th century. When slavery was abolished in the British Empire, they imported Indian and Chinese labour. Soon these people multiplied and now the Asians are forces to reckon with in all islands accept in Cuba and Puerty Rico.
Nestor Fernandes
EXCO, Goa.