Editing History of Barbados (section)

===Political history===
{{Main|British Windward Islands|West Indies Federation}}

Carrington (1982) examines politics during the American Revolution, revealing that Barbadian political leaders shared many of the grievances and goals of the American revolutionaries, but that they were unwilling to go to war over them. Nevertheless, the repeated conflicts between the island assembly and the royal governors brought important constitutional reforms which confirmed the legislature's control over most local matters and its power over the executive.<ref>S. H. Carrington, "West Indian Opposition to British Policy: Barbadian Politics, 1774–82", ''Journal of Caribbean History'' 1982 (17): 26–49.</ref>

From 1800 until 1885, Barbados then served as the main seat of Government for the former [[United Kingdom|British]] colonies of the [[Windward Islands]]. During that period of around 85 years, the resident [[Governor of Barbados]] also served as the [[Colonial heads of the Windward Islands|Colonial head of the Windward Islands]]. After the Government of Barbados officially exited from the Windward Island union in 1885, the seat was moved from Bridgetown to [[St. George's, Grenada|St. George's]] on the neighbouring island of [[Grenada]], where it remained until the territory of the Windward Islands was dissolved.

Soon after Barbados' withdrawal from the Windward Islands, Barbados became aware that [[Tobago]] was going to be amalgamated with another territory as part of a single state.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1876/jun/30/motion-for-a-select-committee#column_758|title=MOTION FOR A SELECT COMMITTEE. (Hansard, 30 June 1876)|website=api.parliament.uk}}</ref> In response, Barbados made an official bid to the British Government to have neighbouring Island Tobago joined with Barbados in a political union.<ref name="auto"/> The British government however decided that Trinidad would be a better fit and Tobago instead was made a Ward of Trinidad.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1887/aug/02/second-reading|title=SECOND READING. (Hansard, 2 August 1887)|website=api.parliament.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1887/jul/28/trinidad-and-tobago-bill-hl#S3V0318P0_18870728_HOL_65|title=TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO BILL. [H.L.] (Hansard, 28 July 1887)|website=api.parliament.uk}}</ref>

African slaves worked on plantations owned by merchants of [[British people|English and Scottish descent]]. It was these merchants who continued to dominate Barbados politics, even after emancipation, due to a high income restriction on voting. Only the upper 30 per cent had any voice in the democratic process. It was not until the 1930s that a movement for political rights was begun by the descendants of emancipated slaves, who started [[trade unions]]. [[Charles Duncan O'Neal]], [[Clennell Wickham]] and the members of the Democratic League were some of the leaders of this movement. This was initially opposed by Sir [[Grantley Adams]], who played an instrumental role in the bankruptcy and shutdown of ''The Herald'' newspapers, one of the movement's foremost voices. Adams would later found the Barbados Progressive League (now the [[Barbados Labour Party]]) in 1938, during the [[Great Depression]]. The Depression caused mass unemployment and [[British West Indian labour unrest of 1934–1939|strikes]], and the [[standard of living]] on the island fell drastically. With the death of O’Neal and the demise of the League, Adams cemented his power, but he used this to advocate for causes that had once been his rivals, including more help for the people especially the poor.

Finally, in 1942, the income qualification was lowered. This was followed by the introduction of universal adult [[suffrage]] in 1951, and Adams was elected as Premier of Barbados in 1958. For his action and leadership, Adams would later become a [[National Heroes of Barbados|National Hero]].

From 1958 to 1962, Barbados was one of the ten members of the [[West Indies Federation]], an organisation doomed to failure by a number of factors, including what were often petty nationalistic prejudices and limited legislative power. Indeed, Adams's position as "Prime Minister" was a misnomer, as all of the Federation members were still colonies of Britain. Adams, once a political visionary and now a man whose policies seemed to some blind to the needs of his country, not only held fast to his notion of defending the [[Monarchy of Barbados|monarchy]] but also made additional attempts to form other Federation-like entities after that union's demise. When the Federation was terminated, Barbados reverted to its former status as a [[self-governing colony]], but efforts were made by Adams to form another federation composed of Barbados and the Leeward and Windward Islands.

[[Errol Walton Barrow]] was to replace Grantley Adams as the advocate of populism, and it was he who would eventually lead the island into [[Barbados Independence Act 1966|Independence]] in 1966. Barrow, a fervent reformer and once a member of the [[Barbados Labour Party]], had left the party to form his own [[Democratic Labour Party (Barbados)|Democratic Labour Party]], as the liberal alternative to the conservative BLP government under Adams. He remains a [[National Heroes of Barbados|National Hero]] for his work in social reformation, including the institution of free [[Education in Barbados|education]] for all Barbadians. In 1961, Barrow supplanted Adams as Premier as the DLP took control of the government.