A country’s legacy is built on the struggles and triumphs of its people and here in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), we have overcome insurmountable challenges to progress towards social and economic progress.
March 17, 1797: End of the Caribbean Wars and expulsion of the Garifuna
“Painting by Agostino Brunias (commissioned by Sir William Young), depicting negotiations between British soldiers and Black Caribs, 1773” – From “Testing the Chains” by Michael Craton. (Reproduced by Josette Norris for book cover “Chatoyer (Chatawae) National Hero of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines” by Adrian Fraser
The indigenous people of the island put up fierce resistance to British colonization. Led by Chief of Staff, Joseph Chatoyer, they fought two wars from 1769-1773 and again from 1795-1797.
The resistance was eventually put down by the British armed forces. As punishment, the British rounded up over 5,000 Black Caribs and exiled them to Balliceaux Island, then to Roatan Island, where they were then settled in Central America.
This war is the foundation of the National Heroes Day celebration and is a testament to the fierce spirit of the Vincentian people.
August 1, 1834: Emancipation Day
Emancipation Day on a West Indian Plantation (online illustration)
After a 40-year period under the slavery system in St Vincent and the Grenadines, the Slavery Abolition Act was passed by the British government in 1833 and came into force the following year.
The law provided for planters in SVG to receive compensation for loss of property. They received a payment of £1.6 million.
Over 22,000 former slaves, however, received no money and were forced to continue working under a four-year apprenticeship system.
May 7, 1902: The explosion of La Soufriere
The North Leeward community of Richmond after the 1902 eruption of La Soufriere (online photo)
La Soufriere volcano has erupted six times since the 18th century (1718, 1812, 1902, 1971, 1979 and 2021). The most famous of these is the eruption of 1902, which began on May 6, 1902.
The rapid onset of the May 1902 eruptions caught many people unawares and contributed to the high death toll. Most of the injured and dead were from the Windward coast north of Georgetown.
The Rabacca River after the 1902 eruption of La Soufriere (photo online)
From available information, residents of the Leeward coast north of Chateaubelair, which was also badly affected by the eruptions, either fled or took shelter before the inundation from the pyroclastic flows; and consequently the victims were fewer.
A total of 2,000 lives were lost and the northern part of the island was destroyed.
The labor unrest of October 21 and 22, 1935
Cover illustration from The 1935 St Vincent Riots: From Riots to Adult Suffrage by Dr Adrian Fraser
During the 1930s, labor uprisings were breaking out throughout the Caribbean. In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a proposed increase in the price of matches and other goods was the tipping point that sent working-class people seeking an audience with the Governor in the court yard.
By evening they had become restless and eventually launched an attack on the senior members of the House. Shops associated with revenue generation legislation like Coreas were attacked. By the next day the riots had reached Campden Park and the protesters focused their frustration on John DaSouza’s business, which later spilled over into the riots at Questelles.
The event is recognized as the catalyst for social and political development in SVG and the achievement of Universal Suffrage in 1951.
Freedom of Spiritual Baptist Worship – 1965
Spiritual Baptists in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines regained the legal right to worship in 1965
The Shaker Prohibition Ordinance was passed in St. Vincent in November 1912, which led to the persecution of those on the island who practiced ‘Shakerism’, known today as Spiritual Baptists.
The Spiritual Baptist religion emerged from the slave plantation and prohibition was an attempt by the colonial authorities to exert control over them. Adherents were severely persecuted in the 1920s and 1930s, and after the Labor Unrest of 1935, the struggle intensified.
Social and political activist George McIntosh had championed the cause of the Shakers. In 1951, a trial in the Magistrate’s Court resulted in the acquittal of those charged with offenses under the Shaker Prohibition Ordinance of 1912.
This release effectively ended prosecutions under the ordinance. After that, Spiritual Baptists worshiped openly. The Prohibition Ordinance was officially repealed in 1965, under the influence of Ebenezer Theodore Joshua.
Spiritual Baptists continue to be a central thread in the fabric of the country’s religious landscape.
Carnival in June / July – 1977
A section from the SVG Players Junior Mas 2018 presentation.
Since its inception, Carnival in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has undergone significant and progressive changes since the early days of celebration on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. 1977 was a turning point in Vincentian culture, this was when the first July Mass was celebrated and the beginning of the 10-day festival as we know it today.
October 27, 1979: Independence Day
First Prime Minister Robert Milton Cato being sworn in by his Lordship Mr. Eardley Glasgow
Girl Guide Debbie Simmons handing over the new flag to the Prime Minister Mr. Robert Milton Cato. On the left is Governor-General Sir Sidney Gun Munroe. On the right is Girl Guide Allison Tannis
New Prime Minister Robert Milton Cato hands over the new flag to Cadet Grantley Williams. Looking on are (from left) Governor General Dr Sidney Gun Munroe and Police Commissioner Mr. Benjamin Jackson
The flag of the nation of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was flown for the first time
Almost 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines emerged from the tail of the Queen’s skirt to become a fully independent nation.
At midnight on 27 October 1979 in Victoria Park, the Union Jack was lowered and the gold, green and blue flag was raised for the first time.
November 1979 – SVG finish runners-up in the Caribbean Football Union Championship
Soccer is still a popular game in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. In this photo, players from opposing teams in the Layou Football League battle for possession as fans look on anxiously (photo by Robertson S. Henry)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a virtually unknown Caribbean football nation at the time, finished runners-up to Haiti in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Championship.
They were placed ahead of Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. It was then, and still is, the greatest achievement in football history in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
December 7, 1979: of Union Island Uevaluating
An aerial view of Union Island (Wikipedia photo)
Dissatisfaction with the social and economic conditions for those living on Union Island led to an uprising with the goal of wresting the Grenadines from mainland St. Vincent’s control, an event that occurred at the end of the Grenada Revolution.
The ringleader, Lennox “Bumba” Charles took control of government buildings and essential services.
The response from the Kato government was swift and severe. A dusk-to-dawn curfew was enforced under a state of emergency and military reinforcements were called in from Barbados.
The police were able to regain control of the island and after word spread that Bumba had left the island, the other ‘rebels’ left their posts and went into hiding. The uprising resulted in the death of one person and the arrest of nearly 40 people.
June 3, 1981: Kill the Bills March
On June 3, 1981, thousands of people marched in Kingstown to protest two pieces of legislation that the government intended to pass
By early 1981, life had become difficult for the Vincentian workers. The cost of living had skyrocketed and there was widespread social and industrial unrest.
The SVG Labor Party government responded to the growing unrest by demanding the passage of the ‘Public Safety and Public Order Act’ and the ‘Essential Services Amendment Act’, known as the ‘Terrible Laws’.
On Wednesday June 3, 1981, history was made in SVG with the largest demonstration ever witnessed in our country. Thousands of people from all walks of life marched in Kingstown to demand the withdrawal of the proposed legislation.
So successful was the mass mobilization that while the bills were not officially withdrawn, the legislative process itself ensured that they were consigned to the dustbin of history, with no government since daring to move in that direction. This was undoubtedly the most significant victory for our hardworking people.
2001: The Education Revolution
St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College Class of 2022 graduates
Considered a flagship policy of the Unity Labor Party (ULP) government, the Education Revolution is a movement to achieve universal access to quality education for all Vincentians, from pre-school to tertiary education. The policy is largely seen as successful given the increase in students attending secondary, post-secondary and university education.
14 February 2017: Opening of Argyle International Airport
Argyle International Airport opened on February 14, 2022 (Photo Credit VIP Pix Rico DeShong)
Nine years after the government broke ground for the construction of the country’s first international airport, the country has joined its Caribbean counterparts in entering the future of air access. Funded by donations, grants and loans from a number of countries to the tune of approximately $700 million, the AIA has proven to be an economic boost for tourism and other sectors.
SEARCHLIGHT is grateful to historians Dr Garrey Dennie and Dr Cleve Scott for their assistance in identifying and analyzing these and other important ones moments, of which 12 were selected.
