Editing History of Antigua and Barbuda (section)

===Social class and ethnic composition===

The development of social class of Antigua and Barbuda primarily occurred during the [[British Antigua and Barbuda|colonial era]], where the [[British colonization of the Americas|immigration of British colonists]] (and subsequent [[Atlantic slave trade|importation of African slaves]]) created a strict hierarchy based both on race and class; Antigua and Barbuda has been described as "a classic case of the superimposition of race on class and vice versa." Both before and after the abolition of slavery in 1833, the two islands were dominated by a small minority of white plantation owners who constituted the colonial [[upper class]]. Beneath them were the [[Afro-Caribbean people|Afro-Caribbean population]], who "constituted the subordinate [[working class]]." In between these two groups were several [[Middleman minority|middlemen minorities]]: [[free people of color]], along with [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] and [[Syrian diaspora|Syrian immigrants]], who dominated the professions of law, medicine, and architecture "and the white-collar positions in banks, businesses, and the civil service."<ref name="gold mine"/>

Between 1847 and 1852, 2,500 Portuguese immigrants from the island of [[Madeira]] emigrated to Antigua due to a severe [[famine]]. There, they established numerous [[small business]]es and quickly joined the ranks of the colonial middle class, which up until then had been dominated by the island's [[mulatto]] population. As noted by historian Jo-Anne Ferreira, following "the abolition of slavery, post-abolition migration became a matter of economic survival for many plantation owners, because of the impending labor problems. There was an increasing interest in and desire for European labor, so the Portuguese, among others, were imported throughout the West Indies to increase the European population ''vis-à-vis'' the African population."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ferreira |first=Jo-Anne |date=January 2006 |title=Madeiran Portuguese Migration to Guyana, St. Vincent, Antigua and Trinidad: A Comparative Overview |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281277075 |journal=Portuguese Studies Review |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=63–85 |via=[[ResearchGate]]}}</ref> In contrast to the Portuguese, Syrian immigrants to Antigua and Barbuda did not start arriving until the 1950s, and "are primarily involved in the import business and have managed to establish themselves in academic professions." As of 2008, there were approximately 475 to 500 permanent residents of Antigua and Barbuda who are of Syrian descent.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=19 January 2009 |title=The Arab American Way: The Success Story of an American Family from a Syrian Village in Global Diaspora |url=http://www.asjournal.org/52-2008/the-success-story-of-an-american-family |journal=American Studies Journal |doi=10.18422/52-04}}</ref>

The [[Irish people|Irish]] first came to Antigua either as [[Irish indentured servants|indentured servants]] or merchants; Irish indentured servants were primarily transported to Antigua during the [[Cromwellian conquest of Ireland]]. As increasing numbers of African slaves were transported to Antigua, the island's Irish population began to leave in search of opportunities in the rest of the [[British West Indies]] or in [[British North America|Britain's North American colonies]]. Numerous Irish merchants in Antigua belonged to business families from [[County Galway]], and several Irish-Antiguans formed relationships with [[Irish immigration to Montserrat|Irish servants in Montserrat]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Irish in Antigua |url=http://www.thejourneyhomegenealogy.com/the-irish-in-antigua |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706000434/https://www.thejourneyhomegenealogy.com/the-irish-in-antigua |archive-date=6 July 2022 |access-date=6 June 2022}}</ref>

The Afro-Caribbean inhabitants of Antigua and Barbuda, who "account for about 91% of the country’s population", are primarily descended from African slaves who were transported from [[West Africa|West]] and [[Central Africa]] during the slave trade, in regions such as the [[Bight of Biafra]], the [[Gold Coast (region)|Gold Coast]], [[Sierra Leone]], the [[Gulf of Guinea]], the [[Bight of Benin]], and [[Senegambia]]. 4.4% of the Black Antiguan and Barbudan population are [[Multiracial people|mixed-raced]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=10 July 2019 |title=Ethnic Composition of Antigua and Barbuda |url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-ethnic-composition-of-antigua-and-barbuda.html}}</ref>