Trinidad and Tobago - History and Heritage
- By Smithsonian.com
- Smithsonian.com, November 06, 2007, Subscribe
Christopher Columbus landed on Trinidad, which he named for the Holy Trinity, in 1498 and found a land quietly inhabited by the Arawak and Carib Indians. It was nearly a century later that Europeans began to settle Trinidad (called "leri&—land of the hummingbird—by the Amerindians). The Spanish settlement of San Jose de Oruma, located near the current city of Port of Spain, was the first of the island’s European villages, but was summarily invaded and destroyed by England's Sir Walter Raleigh in 1595. Trinidad remained under Spanish control until eventually seized by the British in 1797. As sugar plantations developed around the island, thousands of African slaves were brought to the island as laborers. When Britain abolished slavery, plantation owners looked to India, China, and the Middle East for laborers, bringing to Trinidad thousands more indentured workers.
Tobago, seen more as a strategic possession than an island for settlement, was often a point of contention. Amerindian tribes battled over the island and later, England, France, Spain, Latvia and others fought to control Tobago—over the years, control of this small parcel of land shifted more than 30 times. In the late 1600s, settlers established successful sugar, cotton and indigo plantations, largely through slave labor imported from Africa. In 1781, the French invaded again, causing tremendous destruction around Tobago, which impacted the previously thriving local economy.
In 1814, Britain regained control of Tobago, which it annexed to Trinidad in 1889. Trinidad and Tobago became independent of England in 1962 and was officially named the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in 1976Subscribe now for more of Smithsonian's coverage on history, science and nature.
Comments (15)
I find this site very useful
Posted by kyle roodal on May 11,2013 | 01:01 PM
your national heritage is a wonderful thing in our lives it let's us know about our past
Posted by stephon on January 31,2013 | 02:21 PM
Both Trinidad and Tobago are beautiful island full of heritage and a wealth of culture.
Posted by luke gombes on January 7,2013 | 05:45 PM
this is so last year
Posted by on November 24,2012 | 12:06 PM
cool but more information
Posted by on September 5,2012 | 07:25 PM
Hey, can anyone help me...? I have a project to do on the French that came to Trinidad- From where they came, why they came and some of the culture they left behind... if anyone can help me in any way please reply. Thank-you (:
Posted by Anna on May 28,2012 | 04:49 PM
need more history of the groups and how the individuals contributed to our national heritage.
Posted by anisa on March 4,2012 | 05:37 PM
I do think photos of their food, clothing, festivals, tools, and musical instruments should be included when relating information of heritage background.
Posted by Saadiqa on May 30,2011 | 09:21 AM
i am doing my project about cultural heritage and this is helping me a lot
Posted by selena on May 19,2011 | 05:02 PM
trinidad rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by wade on January 24,2011 | 06:13 PM
I love Trinidad & Tobago I live nearby the Hanuman murti.
Posted by Marie on October 27,2010 | 07:09 PM
there is no better place to live each breath of your life...everyday is a beautiful day in trinidad and tobago. thank God for blessing us all wit this paradise of a land...
Posted by Anisa on July 14,2010 | 10:56 PM
i love my country it is the best in the world i was born there and will dies there
Posted by anna on May 9,2010 | 12:09 PM
ilove my trinbago - [a trinidadian]
Posted by fwebb on October 12,2009 | 08:14 PM