The British West Indies were in poor condition to withstand war, long hoped for by Spain and France. Both were ready to fight England or help England's colonies to fight her. According to British historians, Parry and Sherlock, "war against France had long been regarded (by the colonists) as a panacea for the economic ills of the British West Indies, but war against North America was a major disaster, which the West Indian interests in London did their utmost to prevent...there were many close connections between the two groups of colonists...sympathies were divided..."

"The American rebels tried hard to persuade the West Indies to join in the Revolution, and at first there was some force in the arguments they used: "The British West Indies had constitutions similar to those in the rebellious thirteen colonies; they had some representative but not responsible government; they had largely the same grievances of taxation without representation, interference with their legislative freedom, and adverse trade balances, the inconveniences and restrictions of the Acts of Trade.

"Like the North Americans, many West Indians rioted against the Stamp Act. Like North America, the West Indies were taxed to pay part of the imperial defense, but there lay the difference. The North American colonies believed that they did not need the defense for which they were asked to pay. The West Indies did need it, and knew they needed it." The British West Indies finally refused to join in our Revolution. The people "smuggled and grumbled and hoped the war would be short." France went in officially against England in 1778; took Dominica, and next year took Grenada and St. Vincent. Spain went in in 1779, mainly to seize and plunder the British islands.

There is an undocumented story that the first salute to the new United States flag was given at Frederiksted Fort on St. Croix. At The Hague in 1780, John Adams persuaded the Dutch to recognize our independence. The British promptly declared war on the Dutch, and Admiral Rodney took St. Eustatius. He called this free port a nest of villains which needed scourging. Finding at least 125 ships of all nations there, he seized them all and sold both ships and cargoes for over $25,000,000 in one of the world's biggest auctions. This caused a wave of protests from other governments and an impressive legal tangle over ownerships. However, Rodney had cut the main supply line to the north and had relegated tiny St. Eustatius back to a sleepy normal.

The French fleet, released after the Yorktown surrender, went into action in the Caribbean under de Grasse and took many islands. Spain moved in on Florida and the Bahamas. The Caribbean became the final battleground after the America Revolution was over.

AFTER THE REVOLUTION. The aftermath was again a story of rum and slave trading, depressions and trouble. This was reflected in St. Croix where over half the island was in cane, but 40% of the holdings were in debt, even at this time of good production. Great Britain outlawed the slave trade, but kept up its West African trading by buying through Spain and Brazil, thus nullifying its own law.

The New United States imported six million gallons of West Indian rum by 1818, and also over seven million gallons of molasses used to make rum. Nothing seemed to deter the New England shipowners. As soon as the Revolution was over they had gone right back to a steady course on the old Vicious Triangle. It was not until the Civil War in the United States that slave trading and slavery itself were effectively stopped there, although gradually the New Englanders withdrew from the trade. Rum's tie-in with slave trading ceased to be one of the controlling economic factors in North American life only when the Triangle trade faded away.

Last issue: Rum and Revolution, Part 1