Samuel Jackman Prescod elected in Barbados (1843)

Samuel Jackman Prescod became the first person of African descent elected to the Parliament of Barbados in 1843. He was elected from the new constituency of Bridgetown on 6 June 1843, following earlier legislative changes that granted voting rights to people of colour.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Prescod began his political work in 1829. A major change occurred on 9 June 1831, allowing people of colour the same rights to vote as white people. This legislative shift paved the way for his election to the House of Assembly, the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Barbados.

Election. On 6 June 1843, Prescod was one of two people elected from the new constituency of Bridgetown. He became the first person of African descent to be elected to the Parliament of Barbados. The House of Assembly consists of 30 MPs elected in single member constituencies.

Legacy. Prescod is styled as "The Right Excellent" and his life is celebrated on National Heroes Day in Barbados. The Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology and Jackmans, a town in the Saint Michael parish, are named in his honour.

People involved

Sources

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.