Settler Society in the English Leeward Islands, 1670–1776

This book examines the history of the Leeward Islands from their independence in 1670 to the outbreak of the American Revolution.

Natalie A. Zacek (Author)

9780521190442, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 30 August 2010

310 pages, 2 maps 9 tables
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.1 cm, 0.54 kg

'Thoroughly researched and beautifully written, this is a stunning contribution that greatly enhances our understanding of a long-neglected area of the colonial Anglophone Caribbean. Natalie Zacek's compelling study will remain the standard work on the subject for many years to come.' Betty Wood, Girton College, Cambridge University

Settler Society in the English Leeward Islands, 1670–1776 is the first study of the history of the federated colony of the Leeward Islands - Antigua, Montserrat, Nevis, and St Kitts - that covers all four islands in the period from their independence from Barbados in 1670 up to the outbreak of the American Revolution, which reshaped the Caribbean. Natalie A. Zacek emphasizes the extent to which the planters of these islands attempted to establish recognizably English societies in tropical islands based on plantation agriculture and African slavery. By examining conflicts relating to ethnicity and religion, controversies regarding sex and social order, and a series of virulent battles over the limits of local and imperial authority, this book depicts these West Indian colonists as skilled improvisers who adapted to an unfamiliar environment, and as individuals as committed as other American colonists to the norms and values of English society, politics, and culture.

Introduction
1. The challenges of English settlement in the Leewards
2. Irish, Scots, and English
3. Managing religious diversity
4. Sex, sexuality, and social control
5. Political culture, cooperation, and conflict
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], History of the Americas [HBJK], British & Irish history [HBJD1]