Maltese and By: Ntendr

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Table of contents
01 Introduction 04 Where did they go?
02 Definitions of 05 Timeline

03 How 06
terms
many Came Contracts
to the Caribbeans
and how they
were Recruited.
Table of contents
cont’d
07 Impact on Production
08 Economic Impact on the Sugar Economy
09 Social and Cultural contributions to Caribbean life
 Introduction
Madeira is a Portuguese island in the Atlantic off
the coast of Morocco. The labourers there were
paid only three to four pence per day and were
attracted by prospects of higher wages in the West
Indies. Private importations of Madeirans began in
1835, but were suspended in 1839 while the British
government examined the conduct and the morality of
the schemes. In 1841 Madeiran immigration was
reopened on an official basis again and large numbers
went to British Guiana until 1848 when the scheme was
suspended again. It was resumed in 1850, but never
again on such a large scale.
 Definition of Terms
Indentureship
An individual engaged in indentured servitude contracts to work for a set number of years without receiving
pay. An "indenture" is a contract that can be entered "voluntarily" in exchange for future compensation or debt
repayment, or it can be imposed "involuntarily" as a form of punishment by the court.

Immigration
The act of travelling to a new nation or area with the goal of settling there permanently is known as immigration.
There are several reasons why people would decide to immigrate, including work prospects, the need to flee a
violent conflict, environmental concerns, the desire to further their education, or the want to be with family.

Immigrant Labour
Migration for work purposes of individuals between states or inside their own nation
of residence.
 How many come to the Caribbean
and How were they recruited?
The British West Indies saw Madeiran immigration throughout the entire duration of 1835–1882. 36 000
arrived during this time period: 2000 to Antigua, 2000 to British Guiana, about 1000 to Trinidad, and just
100 to Jamaica. The remaining ones were split up between Nevis, Grenada, St. Vincent, and St. Kitts. The
programme was unsatisfactory due to its irregularities, as the death penalty liberated slaves, including the
Jamaican Maroons who were exiled in 1796.
Their were many push factors that forced the Madeirans to move. Result of the civil war of 1828-34 and
following 1847, known as “o ano de fome” or the year of hunger affected Madeira and Porto Santo crop
cultivation such as potato. Later, the decline in the wine market during the 1840s, and the vine diseases in
1852 and 1870 resulted in widespread unemployment among agricultural workers.
 How many came to the Caribbean and
How were they recruited? cont’d
Their recruitment was a component of a "bounty"-based migration plan. Under this arrangement,
the planters received payment from the British government for each immigrant who was brought to
the colony using public funds.
Recruitment agents were sent to Madeira and Malta to persuade workers to migrate to the
Caribbean. These agents promised good wages, housing, and medical care, but the reality was often
very different. Many workers were subjected to harsh living and working conditions and were paid
very little for their labor. Despite these challenges, many Madeirans and Maltese chose to stay in the
Caribbean after their contracts ended and went on to make significant contributions to the region's
economy and culture.
 Timeline
1835- 1836 - 1841 - 1844 -6- 1845
1839-1840-
FIRST PORTUGUESE REOPENED RELIGIOUS MIGRATED
PRIVATE
MADEIRAN AUTHORITIES IMPORTATION IN LARGE TRIFE TO OTHER
LABOURER HAD WAS NUMBERS- BETWEEN TERRITORIE
S MIGRATE PROHIBITED PRIVATE CATHOLIC AND S SUCH AS
SUSPENDED
TO GUIANA CONTRACT IMPORTAT PROTESTANTS. TRINIDAD,
LABOR OF ION WAS ST VINCENT
MADEIRANS SUSPENDE AND
D ANTIGUA
 Timeline
1846- 1882-THE
1847-CIVIIL 1848-THE 1850-THE SCHEME
12000+
WAR THAT SCHEME WAS SCHEME WAS ENDED
MADEIRANS
PUSHED SUSPENDED RESUMED BUT COMPLETELY
GOING TO
LABOURERS ONCE MORE NEVER AT THE
GUYANA
TO LEAVE LARGE SCALE
AND
TRINIDAD
***NB: The immigration of the Maltese and
Madeirans were suspended in 1839 but it was
revived in 1841
 Impacts

The Madeirans and The Maltese were both unfit for plantation work and left the Plantation Owners disappointed and
discouraged with the outcome of labour. Both groups sported a high death-rate due to the working conditions and thus
moved on to trading. This left the Plantation Owners without adequate labour force for sugar production. By the 1880's
most Madeirans moving to the Caribbean came in family groups who set up retailers, having no interest in plantation
work. In the end Malta was unable to provide enough immigrants to solve the labour issue within the West Indies.
 Impacts

The Portuguese adapted very quickly to commerce. During their indenture, they worked hard and saved
their earnings which they invested mainly in their business. By 1851, in Georgetown, 173 out of the 296
shops belonged to Portuguese. In New Amsterdam, they owned 28 of the 52 registered shops while in the
villages they had 283 of the 432 shops. By the end of the nineteenth century, large Portuguese firms were
beginning to appear on Water Street in Georgetown.
The Portuguese made a significant contribution to the economy of the country as they moved into every
type of business. Eventually, they formed a significant section of the growing merchant class, and became a
buffer class between the non-White population and the English expatriate population. However, they were
generally regarded by the English planters and civil servants as belonging to a slightly lower social status,
and these Englishmen soon classified them as a different ethnic group from that of “Europeans”.
Social & Cultural
Contributions to Caribbean
Madeirans constituted many socioeconomic contributions to the development
of the region. As a result of their presence, new churches were built along the
east coast, Demerara, where most of the Portuguese immigrants were
concentrated. Private schools, which taught in Portuguese, were also
established in Georgetown. The Christmas novena and the guilds and societies
of the Madeirans eventually became part of the Catholic culture in British
Guiana. They built Synagogues and cemeteries in all the countries that they
settled (Suriname, Barbados, Curacao, Jamaica and the Bahamas).
They also created a pigeon language(creole)
Social & Cultural
Contributions to Caribbean
the Maltese occupied four islands :
St Christoper
ST Martin
ST Barthelmy
ST . Croix
St Barthelmy has a Maltese cross in its coat of arms
St Crois have the seven flags in the Islam history
The knights of Malta together with the USA and five other European
nation
Colonization period - It was a 14 year period in the 17th century by
Knight Hospitaller
Thank
you