Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when it was sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1498. The Caribs prevented European settlement until French forces landed in 1654. The British took control of Grenada in 1783 and established sugar plantations using African slave labour. Eric Gairy led a violent uprising of impoverished plantation workers in 1951 and became the island’s dominant political figure in the lead-up to independence on 7 Feb. 1974. He was ousted by a leftist coup on 13 March 1979. The army took control on 19 Oct. 1983 after a power struggle led to the killing of the prime minister, Maurice Bishop. At the request of a group of Caribbean countries, Grenada was invaded by US-led forces on 25–28 Oct. On 1 Nov. a state of emergency was imposed which ended later in the year with the restoration of the 1973 constitution.