HIST 143 History of the Caribbean: To 1800 The Caribbean Islands were inhabited by free and independent communities when Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492. By studying the people who welcomed Columbus and his successors we can gain a better understanding of the ways in which these and other people came to be dominated by Europeans. This course looks at three of the main themes in Caribbean history, namely, The Native Americans, Europeans and Africans; Comparative European Settlements; and Slavery and Sugar.