Saint Kitts and Nevis independence

Saint Kitts and Nevis independence was the country's transition from British associated statehood to sovereignty on 19 September 1983, creating the Caribbean's smallest sovereign state by area and population.

British West Indies: A group of British colonies in the Caribbean, several of which later became independent states. British colonial rule in the region formed the political setting for the islands’ path to independence.
Constitution of Saint Kitts and Nevis: The supreme law establishing the institutions, rights, and federal structure of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It took effect at independence and set out the new sovereign state’s constitutional arrangements.
Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw: A Saint Kitts labor leader and politician who became the territory’s first premier and led it until 1978. Bradshaw pursued self-government but died before the 1983 independence date.
Commonwealth of Nations: A voluntary association of independent states, many of which were formerly part of the British Empire. Saint Kitts and Nevis joined the Commonwealth as a sovereign member in 1983.
Associated statehood: A constitutional status granting internal self-government while another state retains certain responsibilities, commonly defense and foreign affairs. It was the limited sovereignty that Saint Kitts and Nevis left behind in 1983.
West Indies Federation: A short-lived federation of British Caribbean colonies that existed from 1958 to 1962. Its dissolution left Saint Kitts and Nevis to pursue self-government through a different constitutional route.
Constitutional monarchy: A system in which a monarch is head of state while constitutional rules constrain political authority. Independence retained the British monarch as head of state rather than creating a republic.
Lee Moore: A Saint Kitts lawyer and politician who served as premier from 1979 to 1980. Moore led the government during the later negotiations preceding independence.
United Nations: An international organization founded in 1945 to promote cooperation among states and address global issues. Membership followed independence and recognized Saint Kitts and Nevis as a sovereign state.
Republic: A form of state whose head of state is not a hereditary monarch. The independent country kept the monarch as head of state instead of becoming a republic.

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