The boiling point

In the twentieth century, Jamaicans were starting to gain an education and become more in tune wit what was going on socially, economically, and politically with Britain controlling them. At this point, they wanted nothing more than to be self-governing, more than what the British already had given them little of. They felt as if the British weren’t doing a great job at governing their economics well and did not give them enough political rights.

racism

With the population of the British being predominantly white and upper class, there was an overgrowing theme of racism that the Jamaicans were starting to take notice to. This opened their eyes and they began to feel a sense of nationalism and realized they should be working together to rise above them and feel more at home in their own country.

The riot of dock and sugarcane plantation workers

Plantation workers and other workers alike began to realize all of the maltreatment in the work place, in the time of Jamaica’s Industrial Revolution. This made them come together and start the creation of workers unions. This helped workers fight for better rights and working conditions, as well as sparking something new, political parties. The People’s National Party was founded in the same year as these riots by a man named Norman Manley, along with the Jamaican Labour Party five years later by William Alexander Bustamante; both of these parties taking a stand for their people and helping them especially when it came to the working conditions and workers rights.

the great depression

Many of the poor conditions in Jamaica including economically, politically, and in the workplace causes Jamaica to go into a Great Depression. These poor conditions make them want to throw over their current government even more than ever.

a step in the right direction

In 1944 the first universal adult suffrage group elects its first autonomous government, meaning that is independent of the level of income and is always constant. Bustamante, who we have discussed earlier as one of the first political party leaders, is now the new leader of this government. This was a big step in the right direction for Jamaica; however, the ultimate power still remained with the governor and not with them.

Through the time of 1942-1962 Jamaica stays in a constant state of decolonization, making little steps along the way towards being an independent country once again. They are given more rights from Britain slowly, further straying away from their colonizers, and coming closer to being a self-governing country. In the year 1953, they were able to make a house of representatives and elect ministers to it, and shortly after in the year 1957 a cabinet government was established as well.

1958 is the year when they decide to join the West Indies Federation, which is a group of ten territories that was established by the British Caribbean Federation Act of 1956 with the hopes of establishing a political union among its members; however, it failed and they backed out around the year 1961. It wasn’t till the year 1962 that they had completely became independent from Britain and had their first prime minister Bustamante.