colony · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean
West Indies Federation
Origins
Discussions on federation began at Montego Bay in 1947. The West Indies Federation came into being on 3 January 1958, joining ten British territories: Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, the Leeward Islands of Antigua, Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla and Montserrat, and the Windward Islands of Grenada, Saint Vincent, Saint Lucia and Dominica.
Rule and society
The federal government, led by Prime Minister Grantley Adams of Barbados with Lord Hailes as governor-general, sat in Port of Spain, as the chosen capital site at Chaguaramas was a US base. It had a small budget, no power over income tax and no customs union. Jamaica and Trinidad, the largest members, feared paying for the small islands and disagreed over free movement of people.
Decline and legacy
Jamaicans voted to leave in a referendum in September 1961, and Eric Williams declared that 'one from ten leaves nought'. The federation was dissolved on 31 May 1962. Shared institutions such as the University of the West Indies and the West Indies cricket team survived, and CARICOM later revived regional cooperation.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (10)
- Colony of Jamaica was part of West Indies Federation1958 CE – 1962 CE
- Colony of Barbados was part of West Indies Federation1958 CE – 1962 CE
- Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla was part of West Indies Federation1958 CE – 1962 CE
- Colony of Antigua was part of West Indies Federation1958 CE – 1962 CE
- Montserrat was part of West Indies Federation1958 CE – 1962 CE
- West Indies Federation was a colony of British Empire1958 CE – 1962 CE
- Colony of Grenada was part of West Indies Federation1958 CE – 1962 CE
- Colony of Saint Vincent was part of West Indies Federation1958 CE – 1962 CE
- Colony of Saint Lucia was part of West Indies Federation1958 CE – 1962 CE
- Colony of Trinidad and Tobago was part of West Indies Federation1958 CE – 1962 CE
More states of Mesoamerica and the Caribbean →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). West Indies Federation. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/west-indies-federation
- MLA
- “West Indies Federation.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/west-indies-federation. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “West Indies Federation.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/west-indies-federation.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘West Indies Federation’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/west-indies-federation (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻