Antigua and Barbuda: History

Antigua and Barbuda's history stretches from its early Indigenous Amerindian settlers through European colonization, the plantation era, and its path to independence. The islands were originally inhabited by the Siboney, Arawak, and Carib peoples before Christopher Columbus sighted Antigua in 1493. English colonists settled the islands in the 17th century, establishing a sugar-based plantation economy that relied heavily on enslaved African labor.

Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1834, though its social and economic legacy shaped the islands for generations. Antigua and Barbuda gradually moved toward self-governance in the 20th century, joining the West Indies Associated States before achieving full independence from the United Kingdom on November 1, 1981, while remaining a member of the Commonwealth.