Dr Rita Pemberton

THE LAST three decades of the 19th century were critical years in the economy and politics of Tobago. During this time, while the sugar plantation economy floundered until its final demise in 1884, class formation was in its embryonic stage, and at the same time, Tobago was engulfed in a series of unpopular political changes which stimulated the formation of several organisations.

These fledging groups sought to register their presence as concerned residents with views and interests of their own to influence decision-makers to consider their concerns. The activities of these groups must be seen against the existing realities on the island.

Despite the state of the economy, the large planters and merchants continued to be able to exert their influence on politics. In particular, the Mc Call brothers, who lent support to imperial policies, and whose views did not align with those of the emerging classes, posed a stumbling block to the aspirations of the population.

This element of the population was frustrated by the change in the government structure of Tobago, which was supported by the Mc Calls. They were responsible for leading the charge to change the constitution in 1874, which did not meet with the wishes of the larger segment of the population, nor did it serve the best interests of the island.

The members of these groups channelled their energies into several different associations which included lodges, friendly societies and other charitable organisations and a society for the improvement of young men, each of which was representative of the effort to promote interests and activities that were considered beneficial to development. Membership of these groups included upwardly mobile black and coloured people who formed the middle group of the society.

One such organisation was the Tobago Defence Association (TDA), whose membership included black clerks, shopkeepers, teachers, and artisans. Formed in 1884, the TDA was an expression of dissatisfaction and exasperation with crown colony government, which despite its promises of government for the welfare of all, remained partisan to the big planters, the Mc Calls in particular, and facilitated the continued stranglehold of the large planter and merchant class on political life.

There were serious concerns about the crown colony system of administration, which was associated with increased taxation and insensitivity to the needs of the wider population. In fact, the imperial government and Tobago’s large planter and merchant fraternity were unified in the belief that the black population should remain permanent members of the labour force that was expected to remain accessible to the planters for estate labour.

The first chairman of the TDA was Dr James Anderson, formerly of the elite class, who had fallen out of grace with the leading planters and merchants and allied with the smaller planters and merchants.

The attempt to deal with the shortage of revenue illustrates how the system earned the disdain of the TDA and its me