Short answers, pulled from the story.
Juan Rodriguez from Santo Domingo became the first non-indigenous person to settle in what was then known as New Amsterdam in 1613. This event marked an early chapter in Caribbean presence on American soil before the era of mass slavery took hold.
West Indian migration to the United States grew considerably after the end of the American Civil War in 1865 which brought about the abolition of slavery. The population increased from only 4,000 people in 1850 to more than 20,000 in 1900 while almost 100,000 people from the region lived in the United States by 1930.
Florida had the largest number of resident West Indian immigrants in 2016 with 549,722 foreign born individuals excluding Hispanic origin groups followed by New York with 490,826. Parts of Florida and New York as well as numerous areas throughout the entire New England region are the only areas where black people of recent Caribbean origin outnumber black people of multi-generational American origin.
National Caribbean American Heritage Month is celebrated in June and was first officially observed in 2006 after being unanimously adopted by the House of Representatives on the 27th of June 2005. President George W. Bush issued a presidential proclamation declaring that June be annually recognized as National Caribbean American Heritage Month on the 5th of June 2006.
There are close to 50 Caribbean carnivals throughout North America that attest to the permanence of the Caribbean immigration experience. These events highlight cultural expressions such as music genres including bachata cadence rampa calypso chutney compas cumbia dancehall filmi Latin trap merengue parang ragga rapso reggae reggaeton salsa ska soca and zouk which have a profound impact on U.S. popular culture.