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Like the other 'new world' societies, the Caribbean has a unique history of slavery and plantation production, which is characterized by a very complex system of social strata, found throughout the region. The social stratification system varies accordingly from island to island, with a minority white upper class; a middle working (entrepreneur) class and a large poor or peasant class. This system though, is not as rigid as it seems, for in some islands a stratification system is not so clearly recognized. In some small societies for example, such stratification system 'exits', but is minimized by the togetherness of society--in such a way that permits close relationships with individuals regardless of their race, religion or class. Anguilla, is no exception to such a case for indeed it is a small, closely-knitted society, bonded by the togetherness of similar historical experiences, and humane race relations.
Anguilla is a very small island (35 Sq. Miles) which is located at the tip of the archipelo of the leeward islands. It is relatively flat, with its highest point (Crocus Hill) reaching 213 feet. The island is made up mainly of limestone and has some of the most beautiful white sand beaches in the world. Fishing and land cultivation has been a major source of economic survival for Anguillians. Though the soil is not as rich as other Caribbean islands, Anguillians had always found it necessary to plant pigeon peas and Corn. Today, Anguilla has a profitable and thriving tourism industry, which serves as its main source of economic activity and income. Anguilla has a population that is less than 9'000 people; and thus is often considered by many to be a 'closed society'. In 1650, Anguilla was colonized by the British settlers from St. Kitts. Though it is considered to be a 'closed society', Anguilla has had a rich and diversified history, ranging from unified actions in 1872 to the late 1960s. Such unified movements did not exist in a vacuum; instead, they were nourished by the bond that held the people of Anguilla together. A number of idiosyncrasies account for the bond--the homogeneity that existed between Anguillians--and an attribute which served as a catalyst for change in the Anguillian society in the late 1960s. It is against such a background that homogeneity in Anguilla is examined--to prove foremost that Anguilla is a homogeneous society and that homogeneity, by a large extent, accounted for the success of the 1967 Anguilla Revolution.
The reader of this paper should find it interesting, and should become cognizant of the various aspects of Anguilla's history and society; understand that homogeneity exists in Anguillian society and more so, be aware that homogeneity was an important asset that Anguillians used to herald their cause in a revolution that brought change to Anguilla society. The research is separated in various chapters of emphasis. The first chapter tries to unravel Anguilla's early colonial society, giving specific examples of incidents and situations which may have had an impact on Anguilla contemporary society. The second area of concern is the family pattern and relation, in which some family ties and genealogy will be given. In the third chapter I will endeavor to give a survey of Anguillian population and geography. A greater portion of this chapter, looks at Anguillian society from a statistical standpoint. This chapter will also highlight the various villages of Anguilla. The following chapter focusses on race relations and ethnicity in Anguilla. The next chapter, chapter six, gives an outline of the Anguilla Revolution; not only that, I will show how homogeneity accounted for the success of the revolution itself, using empirical data. A large portion of this chapter is primary since it tries to authenticate the hypothesis, and thus depends greatly on the results of the sample survey. This paper more so, will contain a well organized Appendix, giving detailed results of interviews and survey response in the form of tables and graphs. |
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