Editing Barbados (section)

== History ==

<!--Please keep this section as a summary and consider making additions to the main History of Barbados article-->
{{Main|History of Barbados}}

=== Geological history ===
Around 700,000 years ago, the island emerged from the ocean as a body of soft rock known as a [[diapir]] rose from the mantle beneath its present-day location. This process is still ongoing, raising Barbados at an average rate of 30 centimetres per thousand years.<ref name="earthmagazine">{{cite web|url=https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/travels-geology-barbados-ascending-sea-level-staircase/|title=Travels in Geology: Barbados: Ascending the sea-level staircase|first1=Terri|last1=Cook|first2=Lon |last2=Abbott|website=Earth Magazine|date=7 June 2018|access-date=13 February 2023|archive-date=31 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531170107/https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/travels-geology-barbados-ascending-sea-level-staircase/|url-status=live}}</ref> Dozens of inland sea reefs still dominate coastal features within terraces and cliffs on the island.<ref name="earthmagazine"/>

=== Pre-colonial period ===

Archeological evidence suggests humans may have first settled or visited the island {{circa|1600 BC}}.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Barbados |title= Barbados |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=9 July 2019 |archive-date=8 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008193237/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/52655/Barbados/54603/History |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Drewett, Peter (1993). "Excavations at Heywoods, Barbados, and the Economic Basis of the Suazoid Period in the Lesser Antilles", ''Journal of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society'' 38:113–137.</ref><ref>Fitzpatrick, Scott M., "A critical approach to c14 dating in the Caribbean", ''Latin American Antiquity'', 17 (4), pp. 389 ff.</ref> More permanent [[Amerindian]] settlement of Barbados dates to about the 4th to 7th centuries AD, by a group known as the [[Saladoid]]-Barrancoid.<ref>[[Hilary McD. Beckles|Beckles, Hilary McD.]] ''A History of Barbados: From Amerindian Settlement to Caribbean Single Market'' (Cambridge University Press, 2007 edition).</ref> Settlements of [[Arawaks]] from South America appeared by around 800 AD and again in the 12th–13th century.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/> The [[Kalinago]] (called "[[Island Caribs|Caribs]]" by the Spanish) visited the island regularly, although there is no evidence of permanent settlement.<ref name="Watson">{{cite book |last=Watson |first=Karl |date=1997 |editor-last=Ali |editor-first=Arif |editor-link=Arif Ali (publisher) |title=Barbados |publisher=Hansib |chapter=A brief history of Barbados }}</ref>

=== European arrival ===

[[File:1632 Cardona Descripcion Indias (11).jpg|thumb|left|Spanish map of the island (1632)]]
It is uncertain which European nation arrived first in Barbados, which probably would have been at some point in the 15th century or 16th century. One lesser-known source points to earlier revealed works antedating contemporary sources, indicating it could have been the Spanish.<ref name="Spanish Main"/> Many, if not most, believe the [[History of Portugal (1415–1578)|Portuguese]], en route to Brazil,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.barbados.org/history1.htm |title=AXSES Systems Caribbean Inc., The Barbados Tourism Encyclopaedia |publisher=Barbados.org |date=8 February 2007 |access-date= 4 July 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20000116155652/http://barbados.org/history1.htm |archive-date= 16 January 2000 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/52655/Barbados/54603/History |title=History of Barbados |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=4 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100913025338/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/52655/Barbados/54603/History |archive-date=13 September 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> were the first Europeans to come upon the island. The island was largely ignored by Europeans, though Spanish slave raiding is thought to have reduced the native population, with many fleeing to other islands.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/><ref>Beckles, ''A History of Barbados'' (2007), pp. 1–6.</ref>

=== English settlement in the 17th century ===

[[File:GEORGE WASHINGTON HOUSE - BARBADOS.jpg|thumb|right|[[George Washington House (Barbados)|George Washington House]] was visited by [[George Washington]] in 1751, in what is believed to have been his only trip outside the present-day United States.<ref name=boston>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/travel/getaways/caribbean/articles/2008/02/17/new_take_on_george_slept_here/ |title=New Take on George Slept Here |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |access-date=18 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093752/http://www.boston.com/travel/getaways/caribbean/articles/2008/02/17/new_take_on_george_slept_here/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>]]
The first English ship, which had arrived on 14 May 1625, was captained by John Powell. The first settlement began on 17 February 1627, near what is now [[Holetown]] (formerly Jamestown, after King James I of England),<ref>Beckles, ''A History of Barbados'' (2007), p. 7.</ref> by a group led by John Powell's younger brother, [[Henry Powell (governor)|Henry]], consisting of 80 settlers and 10 English [[Indentured servitude|indentured labourers]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.funbarbados.com/Sights/holetown.cfm |title=Holetown Barbados – Fun Barbados Sights |website=funbarbados.com |access-date=12 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912191845/http://www.funbarbados.com/Sights/holetown.cfm |archive-date=12 September 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Some sources state that some Africans were among these first settlers.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/>

The settlement was established as a [[proprietary colony]] and funded by Sir [[William Courten]], a [[City of London]] merchant who acquired the title to Barbados and several other islands. The first colonists were actually tenants, and much of the profits of their labour returned to Courten and his company.<ref>[http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10931 William And John] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117122343/http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10931 |date=17 November 2017 }}, 11 January 201, Shipstamps.co.uk</ref> Courten's title was later transferred to [[James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle]], in what was called the "Great Barbados Robbery".{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} Carlisle then chose as governor [[Henry Powell (governor)|Henry Powell]], who established the [[Barbados House of Assembly|House of Assembly]] in 1639, in an effort to appease the planters, who might otherwise have opposed his controversial appointment.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/><ref name="Slavery and Economy in Barbados">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/barbados_01.shtml |title=Slavery and Economy in Barbados |access-date=9 July 2019 |archive-date=12 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212022845/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/barbados_01.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:English Quakers Tobacco Planters and Slaves, Barbados, 17th cent. (colorized).jpg|thumb|English tobacco planters and slaves in Barbados, 17th century]]
In the period 1640–1660, the West Indies attracted more than two-thirds of the total number of English emigrants to the Americas. By 1650, there were 44,000 settlers in the West Indies, as compared to 12,000 on the [[Chesapeake Bay|Chesapeake]] and 23,000 in [[New England]]. Most English arrivals were indentured. After five years of labour, they were given "freedom dues" of about £10, usually in goods. Before the mid-1630s, they also received {{convert|5|to|10|acre|ha|abbr=off|0}} of land, but after that time the island filled and there was no more free land. During the [[Interregnum (England)|Cromwellian era]] (1650s) this included a large number of prisoners-of-war, vagrants and people who were illicitly kidnapped, who were forcibly transported to the island and sold as servants. These last two groups were predominantly Irish, as several thousand were infamously rounded up by English merchants and sold into servitude in Barbados and other Caribbean islands during this period, a practice that came to be known as being ''Barbadosed''.<ref name="Slavery and Economy in Barbados"/><ref>{{cite book |url=http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562527.003.0014 |title=Patrick J. Corish, The Cromwellian Regime, 1650–1660 |first=Patrick J. |last=Corish |chapter=The Cromwellian Regime, 1650–60 |date=12 March 2009 |pages=353–386 |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562527.003.0014 |isbn=978-0-19-956252-7 |access-date=26 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406160124/http://oxfordindex.oup.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562527.003.0014 |archive-date=6 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Cultivation of [[sugar]] was thus handled primarily by European indentured labour until it became difficult to bring more indentured servants from England.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Marjoleine Kars|chapter=2 – Labor Camps in the Making |title=Blood on the River |date=2020|location=New York|pages=39–40|publisher=The New Press|quote=developed sugar plantations on the islands of Barbados and Jamaica, first with indentured and convict laborers from England and then, when that supply dried up, with enslaved Africans}}</ref>

[[Parishes of Barbados|Parish]] registers from the 1650s show that, for the white population, there were four times as many deaths as marriages. The mainstay of the infant colony's economy was the growth export of tobacco, but tobacco prices eventually fell in the 1630s as Chesapeake production expanded.<ref name="Slavery and Economy in Barbados"/>

==== Effects of the English Civil War ====

{{Main|English overseas possessions in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms|Restoration in the English colonies}}
Around the same time, fighting during the [[War of the Three Kingdoms]] and the [[Interregnum (England)|Interregnum]] spilled over into Barbados and Barbadian territorial waters. The island was not [[English overseas possessions in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms|involved in the war]] until after the execution of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]], when the island's government fell under the control of Royalists (ironically the Governor, Philip Bell, remaining loyal to [[Parliament of England|Parliament]] while the Barbadian [[House of Assembly]], under the influence of Humphrey Walrond, supported [[Charles II of England|Charles II]]). To try to bring the recalcitrant colony to heel, the [[Rump Parliament#Commonwealth of England|Commonwealth Parliament]] passed an act on 3 October 1650 prohibiting trade between England and Barbados, and because the island also traded with the Netherlands, further [[Navigation Acts]] were passed, prohibiting any but English vessels trading with [[Dutch Empire#Atlantic|Dutch colonies]]. These acts were a precursor to the [[First Anglo-Dutch War]]. The [[Commonwealth of England]] sent an invasion force under the command of [[George Ayscue|Sir George Ayscue]], which arrived in October 1651. Ayscue, with a smaller force that included Scottish prisoners, surprised a larger force of Royalists, but had to resort to spying and diplomacy ultimately. On 11 January 1652, the Royalists in the House of Assembly led by [[Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham|Lord Willoughby]] surrendered, which marked the end of royalist privateering as a major threat.<ref>Blakemore, Richard J. and Murphy, Elaine. (2018). ''The British Civil Wars at Sea, 1638–1653''. Woodbridge, Suffolk: The Boydell Press. p. 170. {{ISBN|9781783272297}}.</ref> The conditions of the surrender were incorporated into the [[Charter of Barbados]] ([[Oistins#History|Treaty of Oistins]]), which was signed at the Mermaid's Inn, [[Oistins]], on 17 January 1652.<ref>{{cite web |first=Karl |last=Watson |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/barbados_01.shtml |title=The Civil War in Barbados |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202110646/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/civil_war_revolution/barbados_01.shtml |archive-date=2 December 2010 |work=History in-depth |publisher=BBC |date=5 November 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite DNB|wstitle= Walrond, Humphrey |volume= 59 |last= Pollard |first= Albert |author-link= Albert Pollard |pages= 211-212 |year= 1899 | short=1}}</ref>

=== Irish people in Barbados ===

{{Main|Irish people in Barbados}}
Starting with [[Oliver Cromwell|Cromwell]], a large percentage of the white labourer population were indentured servants and involuntarily transported people from Ireland. Irish servants in Barbados were often treated poorly, and Barbadian planters gained a reputation for cruelty.<ref name="Monahan">{{cite book |last=Monahan |first=Michael J. |year=2011 |title=The Creolizing Subject: Race, Reason, and the Politics of Purity |publisher=[[Fordham University Press]] |edition=1st |isbn=978-0823234509}}</ref>{{rp|55}} The decreased appeal of an indenture on Barbados, combined with enormous demand for labour caused by sugar cultivation, led to the use of involuntary transportation to Barbados as a punishment for crimes, or for political prisoners, and also to the kidnapping of labourers who were deported to Barbados.<ref name="Monahan"/>{{rp|55}} Irish indentured servants were a significant portion of the population throughout the period when white servants were used for plantation labour in Barbados, and while a "steady stream" of Irish servants entered the Barbados throughout the 17th century, Cromwellian efforts to pacify Ireland created a "veritable tidal wave" of Irish labourers who were sent to Barbados during the 1650s.<ref name="Monahan"/>{{rp|56}} Due to inadequate historical records, the total number of Irish labourers sent to Barbados is unknown, and estimates have been "highly contentious".<ref name="Monahan"/>{{rp|56}} While one historical source estimated that as many as 50,000 Irish people were deported to either Barbados or Virginia during the 1650s, this estimate is "quite likely exaggerated".<ref name="Monahan"/>{{rp|56}} Another estimate that 12,000 Irish prisoners had arrived in Barbados by 1655 has been described as "probably exaggerated" by historian Richard B. Sheridan.<ref name="Sheridan">{{cite book |first=Richard B. |last=Sheridan |title=Sugar and Slavery: An Economic History of the British West Indies, 1623–1775 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QUV98bwrqscC |year=1974 |publisher=Canoe Press |isbn=978-976-8125-13-2 |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=26 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726134707/https://books.google.com/books?id=QUV98bwrqscC |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|236}} According to historian [[Thomas Bartlett (historian)|Thomas Bartlett]], it is "generally accepted" that approximately 10,000 Irish were deported to the West Indies and approximately 40,000 came as voluntary indentured servants, while many also travelled as voluntary, un-indentured emigrants.<ref name="Bartlett">Bartlett, Thomas. {{"'}}This famous island set in a Virginian sea': Ireland in the British Empire, 1690–1801". In Marshall, P. J.; Low, Alaine; and Louis, William Roger (1998). P. J. Marshall and Alaine Low (eds.). ''The Oxford History of the British Empire''. Volume II: The Eighteenth Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press.</ref>{{rp|256}}

==== The sugar revolution ====
[[File:Mercado de los domingos, donde lo esclavos eran intercambiados por otros bienes y necesidades (Barbados Museum, Bridgetown).jpg|thumb|Sunday market in Barbados during the colonial era]]
The introduction of [[sugar cane]] from [[Dutch Brazil]] in 1640 completely transformed society, the economy and the physical landscape. Barbados eventually had one of the world's biggest sugar industries.<ref name=beyond>{{Cite book |author-link=Arif Ali |author=Ali, Arif |title=Barbados: Just Beyond Your Imagination |pages=46, 48 |year=1997 |publisher=Hansib Publishing (Caribbean) Ltd |isbn=1-870518-54-3}}</ref> One group instrumental in ensuring the early success of the industry was the [[Sephardi Jews|Sephardic Jews]], who had originally been expelled from the [[Iberian peninsula]], to end up in [[Dutch Brazil]].<ref name="beyond"/> As the effects of the new crop increased, so did the shift in the ethnic composition of Barbados and surrounding islands.<ref name="Slavery and Economy in Barbados"/> The workable sugar plantation required a large investment and a great deal of heavy labour. At first, Dutch traders supplied the equipment, financing, and African slaves, in addition to transporting most of the sugar to Europe.<ref name="Slavery and Economy in Barbados"/><ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/> In 1644 the population of Barbados was estimated at 30,000, of which about 800 were of African ancestry, with the remainder mainly of English ancestry. These English smallholders were eventually bought out and the island filled up with large sugar plantations worked by African slaves.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/> By 1660 there was near parity with 27,000 Black people and 26,000 White people. By 1666 at least 12,000 white smallholders had been bought out, died, or left the island, many choosing to emigrate to [[Jamaica]] or the [[Thirteen Colonies|American Colonies]] (notably the Carolinas).<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/> As a result, Barbados enacted a [[Barbados Slave Code|slave code]] as a way of legislatively controlling its enslaved Black population.<ref>Jerome Handler, ''New West Indian Guide'' 91 (2017) 30–55</ref> The law's text was influential in laws in other colonies.<ref name=menard>[https://books.google.com/books?id=FyB24GZrJxAC&pg=PA112 ''Sweet Negotiations: Sugar, Slavery, and Plantation Agriculture in Early Barbados''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125230814/https://books.google.com/books?id=FyB24GZrJxAC&pg=PA112 |date=25 January 2021 }}, Chapter 6 "The Expansion of Barbados", p. 112</ref>

By 1680 there were 20,000 free whites and 46,000 enslaved Africans;<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/> by 1724, there were 18,000 free whites and 55,000 enslaved Africans.<ref name="Slavery and Economy in Barbados"/>

=== 18th and 19th centuries ===

[[File:Bussa statue.png|thumb|upright|left|[[Emancipation Statue (Haggett Hall, Barbados)|Statue of Bussa]], Bridgetown. Bussa led the largest slave rebellion in Barbadian history.]]
The harsh conditions endured by the slaves resulted in several planned slave rebellions, the largest of which was [[Bussa's rebellion]] in 1816 which was rapidly suppressed by the colonial authorities.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/> In 1819, another slave revolt broke out on Easter Day. The revolt was put down in blood, with heads being displayed on stakes. Nevertheless, the brutality of the repression shocked even England and strengthened the abolitionist movement.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.humanite.fr/noel-1831-la-grande-revolte-des-esclaves-jamaiquains-682318 |title=Noël 1831 La grande révolte des esclaves jamaïquains &#124; L'Humanité |language=fr |publisher=Humanite.fr |date=25 December 2019 |accessdate=6 February 2022 |archive-date=19 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219221230/https://www.humanite.fr/noel-1831-la-grande-revolte-des-esclaves-jamaiquains-682318 |url-status=live }}</ref> Growing opposition to slavery led to its abolition in the British Empire in 1833.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/> The [[plantocracy]] class retained control of political and economic power on the island, with most workers living in relative poverty.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/>

The [[Great Hurricane of 1780|1780 hurricane]] killed more than 4,000 people on Barbados.<ref name="pr">{{cite web |author=Orlando Pérez |year=1970 |title=Notes on the Tropical Cyclones of Puerto Rico |publisher=San Juan, Puerto Rico National Weather Service |access-date=12 February 2007 |url=http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/data_sub/perez_11_20.pdf |archive-date=29 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629062539/http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/data_sub/perez_11_20.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="deadliest">{{cite web |author1=Edward N. Rappaport |author2=Jose Fernandez-Partagas |author3=Jack Beven |year=1997 |title=The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492–1996 |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=2 January 2007 |url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastdeadlyapp1.shtml |archive-date=21 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120221030653/http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pastdeadlyapp1.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1854, a [[cholera]] epidemic killed more than 20,000 inhabitants.<ref>[http://countrystudies.us/caribbean-islands/83.htm "Barbados"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129092003/http://countrystudies.us/caribbean-islands/83.htm |date=29 January 2012 }}. [[Library of Congress Country Studies]].</ref>

=== 20th century before independence ===

Deep dissatisfaction with the situation on Barbados led many to emigrate.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/><ref>[http://countrystudies.us/caribbean-islands/85.htm "Barbados – population"]. {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129062341/http://countrystudies.us/caribbean-islands/85.htm |date=29 January 2012 }}. [[Library of Congress Country Studies]].</ref> Things came to a head in the 1930s during the [[Great Depression]], as Barbadians [[British West Indian labour unrest of 1934–1939|began demanding]] better conditions for workers, the legalisation of trade unions and a widening of the franchise, which at that point was limited to male property owners.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/> As a result of the increasing unrest the British sent a commission, called the [[Report of West India Royal Commission (Moyne Report)|West Indies Royal Commission, or Moyne Commission]], in 1938, which recommended enacting many of the requested reforms on the islands.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/> As a result, Afro-Barbadians began to play a much more prominent role in the colony's politics, with universal suffrage being introduced in 1950.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/>
[[File:Collectie Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen TM-60062011 De hoofdstraat van Bridgetown Barbados fotograaf niet bekend.jpg|thumb|Broad Street, Bridgetown in 1914]]
Prominent among these early activists was [[Grantley Herbert Adams]], who helped found the [[Barbados Labour Party]] (BLP) in 1938.<ref name=dnation>{{cite news |first=Sanka |last=Price |title='Political giant' passes away |url=http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/political-giant-passes-away/ |work=Daily Nation |publisher=Nation Publishing |date=10 March 2014 |access-date=7 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310110000/http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/political-giant-passes-away/ |archive-date=10 March 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He became the first Premier of Barbados in 1953, followed by fellow BLP-founder [[Hugh Gordon Cummins]] from 1958 to 1961. A group of left-leaning politicians who advocated swifter moves to independence broke off from the BLP and founded the [[Democratic Labour Party (Barbados)|Democratic Labour Party]] (DLP) in 1955.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Party |url=http://www.dlpbarbadoscanada.com/the-party.html |work=Official Web Site |publisher=Democratic Labour Party |access-date=3 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204033621/http://www.dlpbarbadoscanada.com/the-party.html |archive-date=4 February 2012}}</ref><ref name=DN>Nohlen, D. (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p. 85. {{ISBN|978-0-19-928357-6}}</ref> The DLP subsequently won the [[1961 Barbadian general election]] and their leader [[Errol Barrow]] became premier.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

Full internal self-government was enacted in 1961.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/> Barbados joined the short-lived British [[West Indies Federation]] from 1958 to 1962, later gaining full independence on 30 November 1966.<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/> Errol Barrow became the country's first prime minister. Barbados opted to remain within the [[Commonwealth of Nations]].

The effect of political independence meant that the United Kingdom government ceased to having sovereignty over Barbados, [[Elizabeth II]], instead, reigning in the country became the [[Queen of Barbados]]. The [[Monarchy of Barbados|monarch]] then was represented locally by a [[Governor-General of Barbados|governor-general]].<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010090239/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/TheQueenandBarbados/Historyandpresentgovernment.aspx |archive-date=10 October 2012 |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/TheQueenandBarbados/Historyandpresentgovernment.aspx |title=History and present government – Barbados |author=HRM Queen Elizabeth II |year=2010 |publisher=[[Monarchy of Barbados|The Royal Household]] |access-date=10 May 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Post-independence era ===

The Barrow government sought to diversify the economy away from agriculture, seeking to boost industry and the tourism sector. Barbados was also at the forefront of regional integration efforts, spearheading the creation of [[CARIFTA]] and [[CARICOM]].<ref name="Encylopedia Britannica- Barbados"/> The DLP lost the [[1976 Barbadian general election]] to the BLP under [[Tom Adams (politician)|Tom Adams]]. Adams adopted a more conservative and strongly pro-Western stance, allowing the Americans to use Barbados as the launchpad for their [[United States invasion of Grenada|invasion of Grenada]] in 1983.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ex-airport boss recalls Cubana crash |last=Carter |first=Gercine |url=http://www.nationnews.com/index.php/articles/view/ex-airport-boss-recalls-cubana-crash/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120124195240/http://www.nationnews.com/index.php/articles/view/ex-airport-boss-recalls-cubana-crash/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 January 2012 |newspaper=[[The Daily Nation (Barbados)|Nation Newspaper]] |date=26 September 2010 |access-date=16 October 2011}}</ref> Adams died in office in 1985 and was replaced by [[Harold Bernard St. John]]; however, St. John lost the [[1986 Barbadian general election]], which saw the return of the DLP under Errol Barrow, who had been highly critical of the US intervention in Grenada. Barrow, too, died in office, and was replaced by [[Lloyd Erskine Sandiford]], who remained Prime Minister until 1994.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

[[Owen Arthur]] of the BLP won the [[1994 Barbadian general election]], remaining prime minister until 2008.<ref name=DN5>[[Dieter Nohlen]] (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p. 90. {{ISBN|978-0-19-928357-6}}.</ref> Arthur was a strong advocate of republicanism, though a planned referendum to replace Queen Elizabeth as Head of State in 2008 never took place.<ref name="cnn_republic">{{cite web |url=http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/2005/02/07/vote.shtml |title=Barbados to vote on move to republic |author=Norman 'Gus' Thomas |publisher=Caribbean Net News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228082001/http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/2005/02/07/vote.shtml |archive-date=28 December 2007}}</ref> The DLP won the [[2008 Barbadian general election]], but the new Prime Minister [[David Thompson (Barbadian politician)|David Thompson]] died in 2010 and was replaced by [[Freundel Stuart]]. The BLP returned to power [[2018 Barbadian general election|in 2018]] under [[Mia Mottley]], who became Barbados's first female prime minister.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.caribbeanelections.com/bb/elections/bb_results_2018.asp |title=Barbados General Election Results – 24 May 2018 |website=caribbeanelections.com |access-date=26 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190912213745/http://www.caribbeanelections.com/bb/elections/bb_results_2018.asp |archive-date=12 September 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Transition to republic ====

{{Main|Republicanism in Barbados}}
The Government of Barbados announced on 15 September 2020 that it intended to become a republic by 30 November 2021, the 55th anniversary of its independence, resulting in the replacement of the [[Barbadian monarchy]] with a president elected through [[electoral college]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Yasharoff |first=Hannah |title=Barbados announces plan to remove Queen Elizabeth as head of state next year|date=16 September 2020|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/09/16/queen-elizabeth-removed-barbados-head-state-barbados-says/5814409002/ |access-date=16 September 2020 |website=USA TODAY|archive-date=7 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007081350/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/09/16/queen-elizabeth-removed-barbados-head-state-barbados-says/5814409002/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/22/americas/barbados-elects-first-president-intl-hnk/index.html |title=Barbados elects first president, replacing UK Queen as head of state |website=CNN|date=22 October 2021 |access-date=23 October 2021 |archive-date=26 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026044014/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/22/americas/barbados-elects-first-president-intl-hnk/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Barbados would then cease to be a [[Commonwealth realm]], but could maintain membership in the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], like [[Guyana]] and [[Trinidad and Tobago]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Team |first=Caribbean Lifestyle Editorial |date=15 September 2020 |title=Barbados to become an Independent Republic in 2021 |url=https://caribbeanlifestyle.com/barbados-to-become-republic-by-2021/ |access-date=15 September 2020 |website=Caribbean Culture and Lifestyle|archive-date=23 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923111016/https://caribbeanlifestyle.com/barbados-to-become-republic-by-2021/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Speare-Cole |first=Rebecca |date=16 September 2020 |title=Barbados to remove Queen as head of state by November 2021 |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/barbados-queen-head-of-state-removal-a4548381.html |access-date=16 September 2020 |website=Evening Standard|archive-date=13 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813201215/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/barbados-queen-head-of-state-removal-a4548381.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=17 September 2020 |title=Wickham predicts Barbados' republic model to mirror Trinidad's |url=https://barbadostoday.bb/2020/09/17/wickham-predicts-barbados-republic-model-to-mirror-trinidads/ |url-status=live |editor1-last=Madden |editor1-first=Marlon |department=Top Featured Article |publisher=Barbados Today |publication-date=17 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813162631/https://barbadostoday.bb/2020/09/17/wickham-predicts-barbados-republic-model-to-mirror-trinidads/ |archive-date=13 August 2021 |access-date=4 June 2021 |url-access= |quote=As Barbados prepares to ditch the Queen as its Head of State and become a republic, a prominent political scientist is predicting that Prime Minister Mia Mottley will follow the Trinidad and Tobago model. What's more, Peter Wickham has shot down any idea of the Barbados Labour Party administration holding a referendum on the matter, saying that to do so would be a 'mistake'. 'There is no need to and I don't think it makes a lot of sense. We had a situation where since 1999 this [political party] indicated its desire to go in the direction of a republic. The Opposition has always supported it ... So, I think there is enough cohesion in that regard to go with it,' he said. }}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54174794 |title=Barbados to remove Queen Elizabeth as head of state |work=BBC News |date=16 September 2020 |access-date=18 March 2021 |archive-date=11 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311160055/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-54174794 |url-status=live}}</ref>

On 20 September 2021, just over a full year after the announcement for the transition was made, the [[Constitution (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2021]] was introduced to the Parliament of Barbados. Passed on 6 October, the Bill made amendments to the Constitution of Barbados, introducing the office of the [[president of Barbados]] to replace the role of [[Elizabeth II]] as Queen of Barbados.<ref name="billdetail">{{cite web |title=Barbados Parliament Bills Archive |url=https://www.barbadosparliament.com/bills/details/581 |website=barbadosparliament.com|access-date=8 October 2021 |archive-date=8 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008030047/https://www.barbadosparliament.com/bills/details/581 |url-status=live}}</ref> The following week, on 12 October 2021, incumbent [[Governor-General of Barbados]] [[Sandra Mason]] was jointly nominated by the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition as candidate to be the first [[president of Barbados]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.barbadosparliament.com/uploads/sittings/attachments/11c0bb650b1c768dbdbee5a0208f6256.pdf |publisher=[[Parliament of Barbados]] |access-date=16 October 2021 |date=12 October 2021 |title=Letter to the Speaker RE Nomination of Her Excellency Dame Sandra Mason as 1st President of Barbados |archive-date=15 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211015205955/https://www.barbadosparliament.com/uploads/sittings/attachments/11c0bb650b1c768dbdbee5a0208f6256.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> and was subsequently [[2021 Barbadian presidential election|elected]] on 20 October.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/19661398.barbados-just-appointed-first-president-becomes-republic/ |title=Barbados just appointed its first president as it becomes a republic |first=Kirsteen |last=Paterson|work=[[The National (Scotland)|The National]] |location=Scotland|date=20 October 2021|access-date=21 October 2021 |archive-date=21 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021191804/https://www.thenational.scot/news/19661398.barbados-just-appointed-first-president-becomes-republic/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Mason took office on 30 November 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://constitutionnet.org/news/barbados-parliament-votes-amend-constitution-paving-way-republican-status#:~:text=republican%20status%20%7C%20ConstitutionNet-,In%20Barbados%2C%20parliament%20votes%20to%20amend%20constitution%2C%20paving,the%20way%20to%20republican%20status&text=Parliament%20voted%20by%20a%2025,into%20force%20by%20November%2030 |title=In Barbados, parliament votes to amend constitution, paving the way to republican status |date=30 September 2021 |publisher=ConstitutionNet |access-date=9 October 2021 |archive-date=8 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008170938/http://constitutionnet.org/news/barbados-parliament-votes-amend-constitution-paving-way-republican-status#:~:text=republican%20status%20%7C%20ConstitutionNet-,In%20Barbados%2C%20parliament%20votes%20to%20amend%20constitution%2C%20paving,the%20way%20to%20republican%20status&text=Parliament%20voted%20by%20a%2025,into%20force%20by%20November%2030 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Prince Charles]], the heir apparent to the Barbadian Crown at the time, attended the swearing-in ceremony in Bridgetown at the invitation of the Government of Barbados.<ref>{{cite news |title=Barbados becomes a republic and parts ways with the Queen |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-59470843 |access-date=10 May 2023 |work=BBC News |date=30 November 2021 |archive-date=30 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130120934/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-59470843 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Queen Elizabeth sent a message of congratulations to President Mason and the people of Barbados, saying: "As you celebrate this momentous day, I send you and all Barbadians my warmest good wishes for your happiness, peace and prosperity in the future."<ref>{{cite web |title=A message from The Queen to the President and people of Barbados |url=https://www.royal.uk/message-queen-president-and-people-barbados |website=The Royal Family |access-date=30 November 2021 |date=30 November 2021 |archive-date=1 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201020537/https://www.royal.uk/message-queen-president-and-people-barbados |url-status=live }}</ref>

A survey that was conducted between 23 October 2021 and 10 November 2021, by the [[University of the West Indies]] showed 34% of respondents being in favour of transitioning to a republic, while 30% were indifferent. Notably, no overall majority was found in the survey; with 24% not indicating a preference and the remaining 12% being opposed to the removal of Queen Elizabeth.<ref>{{cite web|date=21 December 2021|title=Survey shows support for republic|url=https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/12/21/survey-shows-support-for-republic/|access-date=22 December 2021|website=Barbados Today|archive-date=21 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221200757/https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/12/21/survey-shows-support-for-republic/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=20 December 2021|title=UWI poll: Republic preferred option|first=Sheria|last=Brathwaithe|url=https://www.nationnews.com/2021/12/20/uwi-poll-republic-preferred-option/|access-date=22 December 2021|website=nationnews.com|archive-date=22 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222044016/https://www.nationnews.com/2021/12/20/uwi-poll-republic-preferred-option/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 20 June 2022, a Constitutional Review Commission was formed and sworn in by Jeffrey Gibson (who at the time was serving temporarily as Acting President of Barbados) to review the Constitution of Barbados.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 June 2022 |title=Members of Constitutional Review Commission sworn in |url=https://www.nationnews.com/2022/06/20/members-constitutional-review-commission-sworn/ |access-date=21 June 2022 |website=nationnews.com |archive-date=21 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621191900/https://www.nationnews.com/2022/06/20/members-constitutional-review-commission-sworn/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The commission was given a 15-month timeline to complete its work, which included consulting the public about the new republic and drafting a constitution.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Constitutional Reform Commission of Barbados: Much Expectation, Great Skepticism|last1=Barrow-Giles |first1=Cynthia |last2=Yearwood|first2=Rico|url=https://constitutionnet.org/news/constitutional-reform-commission-barbados-much-expectation-great-skepticism|date=12 August 2022|work=ConstitutionNet}}</ref> Thus, the CRC engaged the public in a number of public meetings, lectures, and [[Twitter Spaces]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Public Meetings|url=https://www.crcbarbados.com/public-meetings|work=Constitutional Reform Commission|date=15 January 2024 }}</ref> The report was announced delayed by August 2023,<ref>{{cite web|title=Report of Constitutional Reform Commission delayed until 2024|last=Joseph |first=Emmanuel|work=Barbados Today |url=https://barbadostoday.bb/2023/08/23/not-ready/amp/|date=23 August 2023}}</ref> with the final report submitted 30 June 2024.<ref>{{cite web|title=Constitutional Reform Commission gets another extension|work=Barbados Today|url=https://barbadostoday.bb/2024/04/26/constitutional-reform-commission-gets-another-extension/
|date=26 April 2024}}</ref>