In 1625, English sailors landed on the island of Barbados, but they were not the first people here. At this time, there were Amerindians here who made their home on the island. The place where the sailors landed is today called Holetown.
The island is 166 square miles and is surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Hundreds of years ago, Barbados was full of many trees and rainforests. Among these special trees was the Bearded Fig Tree. These trees can become incredibly large and are a natural habitat for birds, bats, and monkeys.
The English settlers cut down most of the forests. Instead, they decided to plant crops like tobacco, cotton, and sugarcane. The sugarcane harvest in Barbados was very successful. The English settlers decided they needed more people to work on the sugar cane plantations. So, they forced Africans to come to the island to work. This was known as slavery. Slavery was very cruel since the enslaved people were beaten and forced to work with no pay. Slavery was fully abolished in 1838.
Questions:
1. In what year did the English settlers arrive in Barbados?
2. Who were the first people who made their home in Barbados?
3. Why do you think Holetown is important to Barbadian history?
4. What is the name of the ocean which surrounds Barbados?
5. Name 3 animals that lived in the Bearded Fig Tree.
6. Why did the English settlers cut down the rainforests?
7. How do we know that slavery was cruel?
8. What does the word 'abolished' mean?
9. What part of speech is 'natural'?
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