Who are the Merikens, and how did they get established in Trinidad? The engagements in the Atlantic States of Maryland, Virginia, and Georgia between the United States and Britain led to the establishment of company villages in Moruga, Trinidad.
The Black soldiers who fought against their British ex-masters as part of the Corps of Colonial Marines in British service were later granted lands in Trinidad, where they became known as Merikens.
The war, which lasted for two years, fostered a unique relationship between Black American marines and the British. The Colonial Marines, former slaves, believed that the British king had come to free them, while the British viewed the Black American marines as a valuable source of fighting power to counter American expansion.
Following the war, Alexander Cochrane, vice admiral and commander-in-chief in North America, issued a proclamation in 1814 inviting those who were inclined to emigrate from the United States to board a British vessel. Britain would transport them to one of its overseas possessions and grant them freedom. An estimated 761 Marines accepted this offer and arrived in Trinidad in six batches or companies. Consequently, there are six company villages on the island near Moruga.
The names are as follows:
- First Company Village
- Second Company Village
- Third Company Village
- Fourth Company Village
- Fifth Company Village
- Sixth Company Village - located west of Monkey Town
From Wikipedia:
The Merikins, or Merikens, were African American Marines of the War of 1812—former African slaves who fought for the British against the US in the Corps of Colonial Marines and then, after post-war service in Bermuda, were established as a community in the south of Trinidad in 1815–16. They established themselves in a French-speaking Catholic area and maintained their unity as an English-speaking Baptist community. It is sometimes said that the term "Merikins" is derived from the local patois, but as many Americans have long been in the habit of dropping the initial "A," it seems more likely that the new settlers brought that pronunciation with them from the United States. Some of the Company villages and land grants established back then still exist in Trinidad today. Wiki Link: Merikens
Further Reading:
AAREG: The Merikins Community Is Established
The National Archives of Trinidad & Tobago: The Story of the Merikins in Trinidad
Further Reading:
AAREG: The Merikins Community Is Established
The National Archives of Trinidad & Tobago: The Story of the Merikins in Trinidad