History of the British West Indies

The initial federal attempts never went so far as to try to encompass all of the British West Indies (BWI), but were more regional in scope.

In addition, the poor development of communication links and travel links among the separated island colonies contributed to the insularity and development of separate identities of each colony, even after emancipation of the slaves and more widespread participation in political life.

The British had believed that a unified federation of all states would constitute better insurance for a positive result for all after decolonisation.

They worked on the strategy for over ten years, and the West Indies Federation was finally established in 1958.

Unfortunately, the Jamaicans had discovered substantial deposits of bauxite in the central mountains of the island, which would have made them very prosperous.

This prompted the next wealthiest state, Trinidad, to fear that it would be left to support the others, and so it also terminated membership.

In 1823, abolitionists formed the Society for the Migration and Gradual Abolition of Slavery throughout the British Dominions to call for the emancipation of all those enslaved in the colonies.

This created a fund of £20 million raised by the Rothschilds to compensate the planters and established an apprenticeship system, whereby those formerly enslaved would still be bound to work for their former masters for several years.

Under pressure from Westminster, the legislative assemblies in the colonies abolished the apprenticeship system, and full freedom was granted to all former slaves on 1 August 1838.

This scheme was approved by the Leewards as they needed the military aid of Barbados at the time during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.

Otherwise, the planters on the Leewards competed with those in Barbados as rivals for the greatest share of the sugar trade with England.

In 1671, the Crown assigned a governor-in-chief to manage St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla, Montserrat, Antigua and Barbuda.

In 1869, Governor Benjamin Pine was assigned to organize a federation of Antigua-Barbuda, Dominica, Montserrat, Nevis, St. Kitts, Anguilla, and the British Virgin Islands.

Governor Pine told the Colonial Office that the scheme had failed due to "local prejudice and self-interest".

When Governor John Pope Hennessy was sent in 1875 to Barbados to organize a closer, formal federation, there was bitter opposition from the press, the assembly of the upper-plantocracy, and a few influential coloured men.

Hennessy was supported by the cane workers, who believed federation would allow them the opportunity to leave Barbados and work for higher wages or buy their plots of land elsewhere in the Windwards.

The planters and coloured merchants set up the Barbados Defence League to fight federation, which they claimed would end their representative system.

In March 1876, estate labourers in southern Barbados rioted in support of the governor when he tried to force the assembly to reform prisons and hospitals.

The Colonial Office then quickly transferred Hennessy to Hong Kong in 1876 and the federation plans were dropped.

From 1885 to 1958, the Windward Islands Colony consisted of Grenada and the Grenadines, St. Vincent, and St. Lucia for the entire period.

British Honduras was surrounded by hostile Spanish colonies and needed the protection afforded by the Army and Navy based in Jamaica.

The Miskito Coast protectorate was overseen by the Superintendents of British Honduras and thus by extension loosely attached to Jamaica from 1749 to 1787.

In 1787, Britain withdrew from the Miskito Coast (then ending administrative links with British Honduras and Jamaica) as a result of the peace agreement ending the American Revolutionary War; however, it continued to intervene in the Coast up until 1861 to protect its interests as well as the Miskito nation from Spanish encroachment.