European Colonisation of Cuba 1492 – c. 1550

Before 1492 Cuba was inhabited by Native Americas called the Tianos (Arawaks)

Christopher Columbus discovered Cuba in 1492 He claimed the island for the new Kingdom of Spain During this period many European countries were seeking to colonise Why colonise? Wealth was seen to equal power Wealth, and therefore power, was measured by “bullion” – precious metals sent back to the mother country The main powers who expanded and colonised were: South and Central Americas, Caribbean Caribbean and North America

GLORY! The more bullion you produced, the more power you had You could also claim that your empire was bigger, had more people, was worth more, and so on, if you had colonies Colonies provided markets for goods They provided dockyards and training areas They gave bases for attacking other empires In short, colonies = glory!

As early as 1493, the Pope took an interest in the ‘New World’ The Pope was Spanish, so favoured Spain He divided the ‘New World’ between Portugal and Spain Later, Spain was given the right to all land in the Americas that was discovered or ‘to be discovered’ Britain, as a Protestant country, didn’t listen to the Pope But Spain still grew immensely powerful in the Americas

In 1538 there were only a few towns in Cuba. Havana had 60 to 70 houses. Santiago was the largest city but only had 80 houses. Bayamo had homes The Spanish settlers needed Cubans to work on the crops or in the mines. There were very few black slaves at this point, but as Cubans died, Africans were brought in.

Goods were exchanged from the New World and the Old World. This exchange was called the Columbian exchange

Slaves, Christianity, syphilis, smallpox, tobacco, coffee, colonisation, education, bullion, sugar

Questions 1. Why did slaves need to be brought into Cuba? 2. What was the name given to the journey from Africa to the Americas that slaves took? 3. Why were the crops produced in Cuba so profitable? 4. Explain the most important reasons for European expansion. Mention at least two.

Social and economic impact of colonisation on Cuba Christianity Plantation system Small pox, syphilis Slaves from Africa

Slavery and Racism 1557: Only 2,000 native Cubans left alive (from 3,000,000 in 1492) Same year: blacks banned from owning pubs, inns and taverns, and from selling wine or tobacco. The punishment was 50 lashes 1586: Tobacco sales are regulated. The punishment for breaking it is 50 lashes if white, 100 if black, plus 200 lashes in public in both cases 1603: Cuban government is prohibited from including blacks or “mulattos” – mixed race people 1708: Slaves can buy their freedom

1774: 55% of inhabitants are whites, 18% are free blacks, and 27% are slaves 1789: owners must feed and clothe their slaves and work them for ‘only’ 290 days per year. 1795: A slave rebellion 1838: At least 400,000 slaves have arrived in Cuba by this point

The Causes of Racial Issues The racial issues that came to exist in Cuba were caused by several factors: Rigid class / legal system Africans being transported forcibly Colonial imitation of their motherlands European immigration Disease

White “Mulatto” or mixed race Black By the 1830s, Cuban society looked like this in terms of population. However, people of mixed race were treated as black. There were only two real categories – “white” and “non white” – which affected laws and perceptions. This structure remained for many years, even after the abolition of slavery Black White

Africans Being Transported The slave trade became large-scale from c as the lack of native Americans became acute Black Africans were captured, transported, and sold into slavery They tended to die rather quickly Children of slaves – or mixed race children – were considered slaves This led to a large slave population who did the menial jobs They were therefore considered inferior

Colonial Imitation

Colonies copied their home countries in several respects: –Language –Architecture –Social Structure –Laws –Ethics This meant that those from the mother country tended to fare better and be treated better than either slaves or free blacks

European Immigration Success of colonies led to immigration from Europe Similarity of colonies to mother country also helped Colonies offered opportunities to poor Europeans, who were superior in the colonies due to their skin colour This increased immigration and division in colonies

Diseases The main killer was smallpox, There was, in the eighteenth century, some work towards a vaccination as well. Neither immunity nor vaccination were available to native Americans. Millions died. Africans, who had some immunity to smallpox, were brought in to make up the numbers. Picture of smallpox victim about to appear.

Rigid Class system Africans brought to the Americas as slaves Colonies imitate culture of parent country Europeans immigrate to the Americas Diseases kill native Americans

RACED in Cuba In each of the following, locate the relevant part of RACED and explain why that part has led to the situation being described. Use full sentences! What part of RACED explains Cuba’s large black population? What part of RACED explains the fact that Cuba’s official language is Spanish? What part of RACED explains why Cuba’s government has a different approach to human rights than the U.S.? What part of RACED explains how there are people of European decent in Cuba? There are no Arawaks or people of pure Arawak decent left in Cuba. How does RACED explain this? Wealthy Cubans tended to be of Spanish decent and those who were poorer tended to be mixed race or black. How does RACED explain this? Although Cuba has no official religion, many Cubans are Catholic. Explain this using RACED.