The Republic of Anguilla was a short-lived, unrecognised independent state on the island of

Anguilla Anguilla is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Sa ...

. It lasted from 11 July 1967 until 19 March 1969, when British control was re-established.

Background

On 27 February 1967, Britain granted the territory of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla the status of "

associated state An associated state is the minor partner or dependent territory in a formal, free relationship between a political territory (some of them dependent states, most of them fully sovereign) and a major party—usually a larger state. The details ...

", with its own constitution and a considerable degree of self-government. Many Anguillans strenuously objected to the continuing political subservience to Saint Kitts, and on 30 May (known as Anguilla Day), the Saint Kitts police were evicted from the island. The provisional government requested United States administration, which was declined. On 11 July 1967, a referendum on Anguilla's secession from the fledgling state was held. The results were 1,813 votes for secession and 5 against. A

declaration of independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

(written mainly by Harvard Law professor Roger Fisher) was read publicly by Walter Hodge. A separate legislative council was immediately established. Peter Adams served as the first Chairman of the Anguilla Island Council, but when he agreed to take Anguilla back to St. Kitts, he was deposed and replaced by Ronald Webster. In December 1967, two members of Britain's

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

worked out an interim agreement by which for one year a British official would exercise basic administrative authority along with the Anguilla Council. Tony Lee took the position on 8 January 1968, but by the end of the term, no agreement had been reached on the long-term future of the island's governance.

Declaration of republic

On 6 February 1969, Anguilla held a second referendum resulting in a vote of 1,739 to 4 against returning to association with Saint Kitts. The next day Anguilla declared itself an independent republic. Webster once again served as Chairman. A new British envoy, William Whitlock, arrived on 11 March 1969 with a proposal for a new interim British administration. He was quickly expelled at gunpoint.

Restoration of British control

On 19 March 1969,

Operation Sheepskin Operation Sheepskin was a British military operation in the Caribbean, aimed at restoring British rule to the island of Anguilla, after the island had declared itself as an independent Republic. The British government dispatched two Royal Navy s ...

began, which included a contingent of 331 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, plus 30 London Metropolitan Police landed by helicopter on the island from two frigates, ostensibly to "restore order". Webster fled the island, eventually addressing the General Assembly of the United Nations, arguing that Anguilla should have the right to

self-determination Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage. Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...

. Tony Lee was dismissed, while Lord Caradon and Webster drew up a Seven Point Declaration. Effectively, Anguilla was allowed to secede from

Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis, is an island country consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of the Less ...

, although it was not until 19 December 1980 that Anguilla formally disassociated itself from Saint Kitts and became a separate British dependency. While Saint Kitts and Nevis went on to gain full independence from the UK in 1983,

remains a

British overseas territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, ...

References

{{coord, 18, 12, 46, N, 63, 03, 07, W, display=title 1960s in the United Kingdom History of Anguilla Rebellions in North America 20th-century rebellions History of British Saint Christopher and Nevis Anguilla, Republic of Anguilla, Republic of Anguilla, Republic of

Republicanism in dependent territories of the United Kingdom Anguilla, Republic of 1967 establishments in North America 1969 disestablishments in North America Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla 1960s in the British Empire