Summary
De Nieu en onbekende Weereld or The New and Unknown World was written and illustrated by the Dutch Arnoldus Montanus. An Illustration of the forts of El Morro and La Punta in Havana, Cuba dating back to 1671. The Morro is an iconic fortress and lighthouse that guarded the Cuban shoreline, accompanied by the Castillo de La Real Fuerza and San Salvador de la Punta. Completed in 1640, the Morro was a necessity as La Havana became an easy target for attacks. The walls of these buildings measured more than thirty feet high with walls over five feet thick.(Ferrer, 43) Havana soon received a reputation as being one of the most heavily fortified cities in the New World. These forts were home to one of the many battles that Cubans endured before reaching self governance and one of the many times they faced conflict from outside powers. In 1762, almost 100 years later, the British Navy arrived in Cuba and began the task of gaining control of the Island, but specifically of El Morro. The story of Cuba's journey to independence goes hand in hand with the emancipation of slaves. This is one of many examples where international powers intervene, and create a change in the Cuban policies toward slavery. Cuban Governor Prado, feared that the British would offer emancipation to those who joined their fight, declared that any enslaved person who aided the Cuban cause would be granted freedom. (Ferrer, 46)
Cubans were outnumbered, the British arrived in Havana with thirty warships and two hundred support vessels, compared to the mere four working ships owned by the Cubans. Determined not only to fight for their home, but for individual freedom, the local men of color were the most determined to fight off the British. In this illustration, we can see how open the coastline of Cuba, made it perfect for easy trade but also made it vulnerable toward attacks. In Cuba, An American History Ada Ferrer lists examples of the way these Black men were able to defend their territory against the British outnumbered, resulting in the Governor granting them immediate freedom. When others saw this precedent, it intensified their will to fight. For the men whose lives were lost, we know of them only because the crown offered to compensate their owners for their death.
The attack on the Morro lasted from March to August, the British were unable to celebrate an instant victory due to the effects of the climate and disease faced by the British soldiers. The British quickly ran out of food and access to clean drinking water, suffering was intensified by what became known as el Vomito Negro, or yellow fever. The Cubans hoped that if this was not enough to hold off the British, the hurricane season would be able to ward off the invaders. The British came to the conclusion that the only way to permeate the fort would be to run mines underneath it and have them explode underneath. After seven weeks of fighting, El Morro fell under British control.
Cuba was desirable to England because of the profit made from Sugar plantations. The Spanish allowed for continuation and protection of slavery in order to maximize profits, and with the continued use of slavery the British could continue to exploit these people and maximize profit. The importation of African slaves into the island allowed Cuba to become one of England's most profitable colonies, with 2/3 of slaves moved to the western hemisphere ending up here. (Ferrer, 53) In the one year after the fall of El Morro, Havana's slave population increased by 80%, giving the Sugar Industry a noticeable boost.
The British invasion allowed enslaved people of color an opportunity to fight for freedom and individual sovereignty. We credit these men with the endurance to fight outnumbered against a much larger and stronger army than their own. The reason however both American and British maintain interest in the Island, is precisely for the conservation of slavery. It is the slave society which makes the sugar plantations so profitable and worth fighting for. It is unfortunate that not only did these men die fighting defending their island but without being able to see widespread emancipation take place. Although the design of these forts was the most advanced in the Caribbean, it was no match for the strength and will of the British to maximize sugar plantation through forced labor.
Goodsell, James Nelson. "Havana". Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Sep. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/place/Havana. Accessed 18 September 2024.
