38. The Colony That Feared Independence
So long as the British were in charge, the Anguillians accepted being part of the colony of St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, which combined the three islands into a single unit for ease of administration. That changed in 1967, when the British granted the amalgamated colony its own constitution, a considerable degree of self-government, and the status of an “associated state”. It was a major step on the road to eventual independence.
Anguillians had long resented playing second fiddle to the more populous St. Kitts. In an independent state that included its bigger neighbor, Anguilla would have been dominated. Resenting and fearing the prospect of such political subservience, the Anguillians rebelled.