Politics of Montserrat :: Essays on Politics

Politics of Montserrat The political history of the island of Montserrat has been characterized by instability for much of the time between its discovery and the present-day. First claimed by Spain, and then by Great Britain, Montserrat was a Crown Colony before transitioning to its current status as a United Kingdom Overseas Territory (UKOT). With a wide range of concerns regarding the issue of independence, the inhabitants of Montserrat remain unsure of their ability to maintain their own economic development and survive without financial assistance from the United Kingdom. The first Europeans to spot Montserrat did so on 10 November 1493, as Columbus’ ship sailed from Guadeloupe towards Hispaniola. Though he named the island, Columbus and the Spanish took little interest in Montserrat, and nothing more was written about the island by a European until July 1631. At that time, Amerindians were using the island, though perhaps not living there, and no Europeans had settled Montserrat. However, only two-and-a-half years later, in January 1634, another written account describes Montserrat as having been settled by Irish Catholics. The British, Dutch, and French had begun to claim some of the smaller islands in the Caribbean despite Spanish protests, claiming that the Spanish had no investments in the smaller islands of the Lesser Antilles, and that they belonged to whomever could â€Å"effectively occupy† them. This policy of Effective Occupation legitimized the settlement of Montserrat, and other islands, by the British. The first settlers of Montserrat were most likely Irish Catholics from St. Kitts (which was also claimed by Britain) who arrived there in 1632. By the 1650s, English and Anglo-Irish landowners formed the wealthy ruling class, and Irish indentured servants formed the bulk of the population. This hierarchy was similar to that which existed in Ireland at the time. The English government ruled Ireland, and only a few elite Anglo-Irish could participate in politics and government. Similarly, only the wealthiest English and Anglo-Irish landowners on Montserrat had any control in the governance of the island, and the Crown maintained ultimate control. Many of the first Irish Catholic settlers came from Virginia, New England, and the British Isles. Politics of Montserrat :: Essays on Politics Politics of Montserrat The political history of the island of Montserrat has been characterized by instability for much of the time between its discovery and the present-day. First claimed by Spain, and then by Great Britain, Montserrat was a Crown Colony before transitioning to its current status as a United Kingdom Overseas Territory (UKOT). With a wide range of concerns regarding the issue of independence, the inhabitants of Montserrat remain unsure of their ability to maintain their own economic development and survive without financial assistance from the United Kingdom. The first Europeans to spot Montserrat did so on 10 November 1493, as Columbus’ ship sailed from Guadeloupe towards Hispaniola. Though he named the island, Columbus and the Spanish took little interest in Montserrat, and nothing more was written about the island by a European until July 1631. At that time, Amerindians were using the island, though perhaps not living there, and no Europeans had settled Montserrat. However, only two-and-a-half years later, in January 1634, another written account describes Montserrat as having been settled by Irish Catholics. The British, Dutch, and French had begun to claim some of the smaller islands in the Caribbean despite Spanish protests, claiming that the Spanish had no investments in the smaller islands of the Lesser Antilles, and that they belonged to whomever could â€Å"effectively occupy† them. This policy of Effective Occupation legitimized the settlement of Montserrat, and other islands, by the British. The first settlers of Montserrat were most likely Irish Catholics from St. Kitts (which was also claimed by Britain) who arrived there in 1632. By the 1650s, English and Anglo-Irish landowners formed the wealthy ruling class, and Irish indentured servants formed the bulk of the population. This hierarchy was similar to that which existed in Ireland at the time. The English government ruled Ireland, and only a few elite Anglo-Irish could participate in politics and government. Similarly, only the wealthiest English and Anglo-Irish landowners on Montserrat had any control in the governance of the island, and the Crown maintained ultimate control. Many of the first Irish Catholic settlers came from Virginia, New England, and the British Isles.