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Columbus first sighted Grenada in 1498 and the island was already
inhabited by Carib Indians. Columbus named the island Concepción but
that name did not stick; passing Spanish sailors watching the
green hills were reminded of Granada in Spain, and when the French
arrived they adapted the name to Grenade. The British gave the island
its current
name of Grenada (pronounced Gren-nay-da).
In 1650, a French expedition from Martinique bought extensive land from
the indigenous Caribs for a few beads, knives and
hatchets. However, fighting soon broke out between the Caribs
and the French resulting in one group of 40 Caribs in 1651 jumping to
their death, rather than surrender, in the north of Grenada. The French
named the place le Morne de Sauteurs, or Leapers Hill. It is
now named Caribs’ Leap. Here is a paper on the history
of the Carib peoples in Grenada, the Windwards, and the
Orinoco Delta.
For the next 90 years the French and English battled for possession of
the island. Fort
George and Fort Frederick overlooking St George’s harbour are
relics of that struggle.
The island remained under French control until its capture by the
British in 1762, during the Seven Years' War. Grenada was formally
ceded to Great Britain in 1763 by the Treaty of Paris. Although the
French regained control in 1779, the island was restored to Britain in
1783 by the Treaty of Versailles. Although Britain was hard pressed to
overcome a pro-French revolt in 1795 Grenada remained British for the
remainder of the colonial period. In 1877
Grenada became a Crown colony and in 1967 an associate state
within the British Commonwealth before gaining her independence in
1974. Although British for many years its French ancestry is
evident in the French names and buildings.
During the 18th century, Grenada's economy underwent an important
transition. Like much of the rest of the West Indies it was originally
settled to cultivate sugar, which was grown on estates using slave
labour. But natural disasters paved the way for the introduction of
other crops. In 1782, Sir Joseph Banks, the botanical adviser to King
George III, introduced nutmeg to Grenada. The island's soil was ideal
for growing the spice and because Grenada was a closer source of spices
for Europe than the Dutch East Indies the island assumed a new
importance to European traders.
The collapse of the sugar estates and the introduction of nutmeg and
cocoa encouraged the development of smaller land holdings, and the
island developed a land-owning yeoman farmer class. In 1833, Grenada
became part of the British Windward Islands Administration. The
governor of the Windward Islands administered the island for the rest
of the colonial period. Slavery was outlawed in 1834. In 1958, the
Windward Islands Administration was dissolved, and Grenada joined the
Federation of the West Indies. After that federation collapsed in 1962,
the British Government tried to form a small federation out of its
remaining dependencies in the Eastern Caribbean.
Following the failure of this second effort, the British and the
islands developed the concept of associated statehood.
Under the Associated Statehood Act of 1967 Grenada was granted full
autonomy over its internal affairs in March 1967. Full independence was
granted on February 7, 1974. After obtaining independence, Grenada
adopted a modified Westminster parliamentary system based on the
British model with a governor general appointed by and representing the
British monarch (head of state) and a prime minister who is both leader
of the majority party and the head of government.
On March 13, 1979, the new joint endeavour for welfare, education, and
liberation (New Jewel) movement ousted their prime minister at the
time, Sir Eric Gairy in a nearly bloodless coup and established a
people's revolutionary government (PRG), headed by Maurice Bishop who
became prime minister. His Marxist-Leninist government established
close ties with Cuba, the Soviet Union, and other communist bloc
countries. In October 1983, a power struggle within the
government resulted in the arrest and subsequent murder of Bishop and
several members of his cabinet by elements of the people's
revolutionary army. Following a breakdown in civil order, a
US-Caribbean force landed on Grenada on October 25 in response to an
appeal from the governor general and to a request for assistance from
the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. US citizens were
evacuated, and order was restored.
An advisory council named by the governor general administered the
country until general elections were held in December 1984. The New
National Party (NNP) led by Herbert Blaize won 14 out of 15 seats in
free and fair elections and formed a democratic government. Grenada's
constitution had been suspended in 1979 by the PRG but it was restored
after the 1984 elections.
Today sees many new developments and changes to Grenada.
Although its natural beauty remains unspoilt, new hotels are being
erected and older ones extended and lavishly refurbished. A
great deal of attention is being paid to the development of National
Parks and the protection of the environment, the saving of the rain
forests and the coral reefs.
As Grenadians say: “It is God’s own country”, and when you
visit it you can only agree!
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