The History of Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique Grenada, like many of its island neighbours, owes is origins to violent volcanic activity – great fissures in the earth’s crust were created when the Caribbean Plate forced the oceanic Atlantic Plate to plunge towards the earth’s hot mantle. There were small reminders of such activity in the volcanic disturbances of 1902 and 1920.

Humans were probably the last living organisms to appear and they arrived as long as three thousand years ago or more in the form of several different South American tribes – the Calvignoid, the Galibi, the Suazoids and finally, in around 1400, the warlike Caribs.

The Caribs were an aggressive lot and drove out many of their amerindian predecessors; it was a trait that was to stand them in good stead when the next wave of arrivals appeared – the Europeans.

The Cannons at Fort George in the capital of Grenada have borne witness to much of the island’s history over the last 250 years Columbus was the first European to set eyes on Grenada on 15th August, 1498 – he doesn’t appeared to have bothered to land but decided to name it Conception in honour of the Virgin Mary. The island was re-named Mayo two years later and became a short stop-off point for the Spanish who seemed more interested in setting up shop in what was later to become Venezuela than putting down roots in Grenada.

The first European group to settle in Grenada were the English in 1609. They started a settlement called Megrin Town (on the ridge that overlooks La Sagesse Bay) whilst their boat sailed off with the remainder of its crew to seek its fortune down in Trinidad. The Caribs were none too happy with these new impostors and harassed the English constantly. As a result, the English climbed aboard when their ship returned from Trinidad and happily abandoned their settlement.

The French, spurred on (no doubt) by England’s dismal failure, attempted to colonise the island in 1639. The Caribs booted them out too but the French soon followed up with the considerably more determined group led by Du Parquet. They built a small settlement and a fort. A general peace existed between the Caribs and the French – the Caribs felt the French presence would deter the English from attempting to massacre the Caribs as they had done in nearby St. Kitts. A group of 100 Dutch privateers surprised everyone in 1675 when they took over the island. They themselves were even more surprised by the unexpected arrival of a French Man-o-War shortly thereafter and the French maintained control over the island until 1763 when it was ceded to the British under the Treaty of Paris. The English did exactly what they did in the other islands – Anglicised it, both religiously and culturally. The French settlers did not like this one bit and soon things were bound to come to a head.

The French re-captured the island in 1779 and proceeded to strengthen the fortifications there. They spared no time reminding the English that the shoe was well and truly on the other foot and probably pointed to their fortifications as they did so. The French however found themselves handing back Grenada to the English in 1783 under the Treaty of Versailles. 12 years later an internal rebellion led by the Frenchman Julien Fedon plunged the administration into chaos – particularly as he ended up controlling over 90% of the island. The Fedon Rebellion (as it became known) was put down the following year. The legacy of the French never disappeared, though, and can be seen in the French place names and the French Patois still spoken by many in the island.

St. George’s – historically the most scenic town in the Caribbean
Administratively, little changed in Grenada until the island became an Associated State within the British Commonwealth in 1967. External matters were still controlled at this point by the British. Over the preceding 2 centuries Grenada became known as the Spice Isle – there are more spices grown on Grenada per hectare than in any other place on the planet – spices such as cloves, mace, cocoa, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg plus many others. In fact, Grenada produces a third of the world’s supply of nutmeg and it is the island’s biggest export. Grenada finally achieved independence on February 7th, 1974 under the leadership of the charismatic and often controversial Sir Eric Gairy. While Gairy was off the island in 1979 his key political opponent, Maurice Bishop, seized power. A staunch radical, Bishop proceeded to strengthen ties with the Soviet Union and Cuba over the next four years. In 1983 an ultra-radical faction from within Bishop’s ruling New Jewel Movement, the People’s Revolutionary Army, put him under house arrest and took control. They later executed Bishop and several of his aids.

The U.S. were worried about the safety of the American medical students studying on Grenada and were concerned about the regional impact of another communist regime. They decided to invade, and successfully removed the People’s Revolutionary Army from power in 1983. In 1984 Herbert Blaize was elected Prime Minister of Grenada and the island has enjoyed a politically stable environment and substantial U.S. aid too. Agriculture, light manufacturing and a well-controlled expansion of the tourism sector has created a gradually improving economy. Grenada has since celebrated 30 years of Independence.

On September 7th 2004, Force 4 Hurricane Ivan played havoc with the island’s infrastructure and its agriculture, almost destroying all of the cash crops of nutmeg, banana and cocoa. However, a mere three years later, the courage and resilience of the people of Grenada, as well as the fertile soils fueled by the irrepressible life force of Mother Nature, are bringing back a speedy recovery to the economy.

Further reading:

Forts and Coastal Batteries of Grenada (1998) by Michael Jessamy. An interesting examination of the 27 forts and coastal batteries that were built over the last 3 centuries in Grenada and how they have always been at the heart of Grenada’s post-columbian history, even up to the political instability between 1979-1983. A well researched, highly detailed yet readable book.

Grenada: A History of Its People (Island histories) (Paperback) by Beverley A. Steele This volume provides a detailed chronological historical analysis from the earliest days of settlement by the Arawaks to the overthrow and execution of the revolutionary Prime Minister, Maurice Bishop in 1981, right up to present day.