This paper examines US consular activism in the Caribbean form 1783-1903, specifically their political/diplomatic roles in the European colonies in the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Emphasis is given to the role played by the consuls in the annexionist policies of the United States. Several despatches, hitherto unpublished, of the US consuls in St. Kitts-Nevis are analyzed. These despatches address the depression and labor turmoil in the sugar industry and a consular proposal for the acquisition of the two-island colonial territory by the United States. Great Britain's retrenchment from the Caribbean in the light of US growing hegemony in the region as a result of the 1898 war is discussed, particularly the colonial policies of Joseph Chamberlain.
Return to Programme; return to University Centre Home Page.
HTML prepared April 21, 2000.