History of Saint Martin
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Early history
Ancient relics date the island's first settlers, probably
Their lives were turned upside-down, however, with the descent of the
Colonial era
In 1493, on Christopher Columbus second voyages to the West Indies, upon first sighting the island he named it Isla de San Martín after Saint Martin of Tours because it was November 11, St. Martin Day.[citation needed] However, though he claimed it as a Spanish territory, Columbus never landed there, and Spain made the settlement of the island a low priority.
The
Spanish forces
With St. Martin free again, both the Dutch and the French jumped at the chance to re-establish their settlements. Dutch colonists came from
A fictional story about the 1648 border-drawing process is often told on the island to explain the larger French side: A Frenchman and a Dutchman were selected by their respective communities, given intoxicating drink, stood up back to back in Oysterpond, and set off to walk around the shoreline in opposite directions. The line between the starting and ending point was supposedly declared the border. The French side explains its larger territory by saying the Dutchman stopped to enjoy the company of a woman, or that the Frenchman chose wine and the Dutchman chose Jenever (Dutch Gin), which is supposedly heavier and required a nap. The Dutch side explains its smaller territory by accusing the Frenchman of cheating by running or taking a shortcut through the northeastern part of the island.[2][3]
In 1651, the
Although the Spanish had been the first to import slaves to the island, their numbers had been few. But with the new cultivation of cotton, tobacco, and sugar, mass numbers of slaves were imported to work on the plantations. The slave population quickly grew larger than that of the land owners. Subjected to cruel treatment, slaves staged rebellions, and their overwhelming numbers made them impossible to ignore. In 1848, the French abolished slavery in their colonies including the French side of St. Martin. Slaves on the Dutch side of the island protested and threatened to flee to the French side to seek asylum. The local Dutch authorities relented and emancipated the colonies' slaves. While this decree was respected locally, it was not until 1863 when the Dutch abolished slavery in all of their island colonies that the slaves became legally free.[4]
20th century and beyond
After abolition of slavery, plantation culture declined and the island's economy suffered. In 1939, St. Martin received a major boost when it was declared a
On September 5, 1995, Hurricane Luis severely pounded the islands causing numerous damages 35 years to the day after Hurricane Donna.
In 1994, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and France signed the Franco-Dutch treaty on Saint Martin border controls, which allows for joint Franco-Dutch border controls on so-called "risk flights". After some delay, the treaty was ratified in November 2006 in the Netherlands, and subsequently entered into force on 1 August 2007. As of 2016, due to Dutch-side objections to stricter French controls, the treaty has not been implemented; a working group has been meeting to negotiate details.[5]
On September 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma, a Category 5+ storm with sustained winds of over 180 mph (290 km/h), devastated the island, leaving severe damage. The Netherlands and France created different funds to restore the economy of the island. The Netherlands made available a fund of over 550 million euros which was managed by a recovery planning bureau also known are the NRPB.[6]
See also
- Collectivity of Saint Martin
- Culture of Saint Martin
- History of the Jews in Sint Maarten
- O sweet Saint-Martin's Land(bi-national song/anthem of Saint-Martin/Sint-Maarten )
- List of Designated Monuments in Sint Maarten
- Sint Maarten
References
- ^ Henocq, Christophe (15 March 2010), "Concordia Treaty, 23rd March 1648", Heritage, 6: 13, archived from the original on 2023-03-28, retrieved 2018-09-17
- ^ a b Frank Jacobs (24 April 2012). "One Island, Two Countries". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 October 2019.
- OCLC 1097733586.
- ISBN 9783525559635.
- ^ "Steady progress being made in the execution of the Franco-Dutch treaty". www.sintmaartengov.org. Government of Sint-Maarten. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
- ^ "Hurricane Irma kills eight on Caribbean island of Saint Martin". Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
External links
- History of Saint Martin Tourist Guide