The Caribbean is increasingly being recognized as having been at the heart of world history and global development, despite its small geographic size. It is the lynchpin of the Atlantic economy. Further, through a series of migrations, Caribbean people have come to be represented in most of the major cities of the West, and have impacted the histories of Britain, Canada, and the United States.The Caribbean History Reader provides a thorough and up-to-date overview of Caribbean history from the pre-Columbian era to the present. It brings together a range of classic and innovative texts, and creates an introduction to Caribbean political, economic, social and cultural currents that provides an important first reference point to scholars and students alike.