Introduction - Adventure Guide to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao - page 5

the islands, they built Fort Amsterdam on Curaçao and set up garrisons on
Aruba and Bonaire. Curaçao became a thriving free port, supplying labor
(first South American Indians, later West Africans) to plantations and
mines throughout the New World. While Curaçao flourished in the ship-
ping and slave trade, Aruba became known for horse breeding, and
Bonaire added cattle ranching to its salt-production ventures.
A Half-Million Slaves
Comparatively few African slaves actually
worked on the ABC Islands, but the Dutch
West India Company transported approxi-
mately 500,000 captives (40% of all the slaves
brought to the New World) from West Africa to
Curaçao and Brazil between 1634 and 1788.
The slaves were held for several weeks in
camps so that they could recover physically
from their dreadful voyage across the Atlantic.
As soon as the Africans appeared healthy, they were dragged in
chains to auction blocks where they were sold to plantation own-
ers from North and South America as well as from more fertile
Caribbean islands.
For the most part, the Dutch maintained control of the ABCs throughout
the 17th and 18th centuries, but French and British troops took power for
brief periods. By the 19th century, the islands had become less important
as a military base and shipping port. The end of the slave trade meant that
other means of financial support were needed, but the islands never
thrived in any type of business venture.
At one point, the Dutch tried to sell off Bonaire, but there were no serious
bidders. When the United States began construction on the Panama Canal
in 1904, many residents of the ABC Islands went to work digging “The
Ditch.” Finally, oil was discovered in northern Venezuela early in the
1920s, and the islands suddenly became valuable refinery centers and
transportation depots. Expatriates and immigrants from around the
world rushed to the islands to snatch up jobs.
With the new economic prosperity and stable political situation, the ABCs
were valuable assets to the Allies during World War II. Most of the aircraft
fuel used during the war came from refineries on the Dutch-controlled
islands, and the United States stationed troops on and off shore to protect
lives and resources.
By the time the war ended, the islands were enjoying a thriving economy
and making most of their own political decisions.