MOVEMENTS TOWARD

INDEPENDENCE

TOGETHER - WEHA
REWE - ASPIRE
HIEVE
OTHER WE ACHA
TOGETHER
1

WHAT IS POLITICAL ENFRANCHISEMENT? Political

enfranchisement refers to the right of a people or nation to
determine their own affairs. Under colonialism the Caribbean
colony was under the control of the European power. However,
once after emancipation had been achieved it was only a matter
of time before Caribbean people would develop the skills and
experience necessary to challenge the status quo. In the years
after emancipation, thousands of Caribbean people migrated to
different regional destinations for work and better wages. This
propelled the process towards Constitutional Decolonization,
which is the process whereby the colony achieves independence.
o In the 1930's economic conditions had deteriorated to such
a level that the region was wrecked by labour riots, strikes
and wide-scale protests. Violence and mayhem followed. This
period saw the rise of charismatic leaders in the labour
movement who, riding on their mass popularity, made the
successful transition to political leaders. Uriah Buzz Butler,
Adrian Cola Rienzi and Captain A.A Cipriani of Trinidad and
Tobago became a working class movement dedicated
towards better working conditions for the poor as well as
improvements in health and education. This concern with the
social welfare made it inevitable that the trade unions would
be the birth place for Caribbean political parties.
NIVERSASY UMELEPENDENCE 3

TRINIDAD 5 15. & TOBAGO

ADULT SUFFRAGE o Adult suffrage consists of the
extension of the right to vote to adult citizens (or subjects) as
a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to
minors and non-citizens. Although adult suffrage has two
necessary components, the right to vote and opportunities to
vote, the term adult suffrage is associated only with the right
to vote and ignores the other aspect. Where universal
suffrage exists, the right to vote is not restricted by race, sex,
belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, wealth, social status
or disability.

Voted
o Historically, universal suffrage often in fact refers to
universal adult male suffrage. The concept of universal
suffrage originally referred to all male citizens having
the right to vote, regardless of property requirements or
other measures of wealth.
o In the first modern democracies, the vote was
restricted
to those having adequate property and wealth, which
almost always meant a minority of the male population.
In some jurisdictions, other restrictions existed, such as
restrictions on voters of a given religion. In all modern
democracies the number of people who could vote
increased gradually with time. The 19th century
featured
movements advocating "universal suffrage" (i.e. male)
o The democratic movement of the late 19th century,
unifying liberals and social democrats, particularly in
northern Europe, used the slogan Equal and Common
Suffrage. o The concept of universal suffrage does
not imply any
impropriety in placing restrictions on the voting of
convicted criminals or mentally ill persons. Such
restrictions exist in many countries with universal
suffrage. Equally, some universal suffrage systems
apply only to resident citizens.
o For example, non-white people could not vote in
national elections during apartheid-era South Africa,
until the system came to an end with the first free
multi-party elections in 1994. In the pre-Civil Rights Era
American South, African Americans often technically
had the right to vote, but various means prevented
many of them from exercising that right.

INTERNAL SELF GOVERNMENT o The term internal

self government meant that the
Head of Government and the Cabinet are in control
of all the domestic matters, except security.
• It may be applied to a group or an institution. An
autonomous person is, fundamentally, one able to act
according to his or her own direction. An autonomous
institution is one able to regulate its own affairs.
Internal self-governance usually comprises at least
the following: o Political independence; autonomy. o
Popular or representative government; democracy. o
Self-control.
ECONOMIC ENFRANCHISEMENT

o Economic enfranchisement is the condition whereby

a
country or nation achieves the right to determine how it
will develop its system of production. For example,
while under colonialism the economy was largely
organized by the Europeans power. Plantation
economies were based on large quantities of cheap,
unskilled, manual labour and monoculture(production of
one cash crop mainly sugar cane, cocoa, bananas,
ginger, cotton, coconuts and arrowroots). Food
production, the growing of fruits and vegetables and
provisions was mainly left to ex-slaves and indentured
labourers.

This refers to the right of a people or nation to

determine their own affairs.Once emancipation was
achieved it was only a matter of time before Caribbean
people start todevelop the skills and expertise
necessary to challenge the status quo;the first of which
was the Morant Bay Rebellion in 1865.Caribbean
people also migrated to different regions in the years to
come to work for better wages. Some went to work on
the Panama Canal, the modern sugar industry in Cuba,
Puerto Ricoin textile factories, the oil refineries of
Curacao and Aruba and the oil fields of
Venezuela.Returning soldiers who had served in the
world wars were unwilling to settle for their low status in
society and thus formed their own organizations to
speak out against the injustices of the society.Many
were influenced by the philosophical ideas of Marcus
Garvey black pride and consciousness.By the 1930s
people launched riots and strikes in order to bring
about changes.This timealsosaw the rise of charismatic
leaders such Uriah Buzz Butler, Alexander Bustamante
of Jamaica, Arthur Cipriani of Trinidad Nathainel
Crichlow of Guyana and Grantley Adams of
Barbados.Creation of political parties-JLP & PNP in
Jamaica; Barbados Progressive Leagues; Peoples
National Movement led by Eric Williams all assisted in
the move towards self governance and
Nationalism.The Moyne Commission had
recommended that all colonies move towards Adult
Suffrage that is, every adult should have
franchise.Adult Suffrage came into being in Jamaica
1944 which stipulated that every man/ woman over 21
should be given the right to vote. This gave them the o

o The downturn in sugar prices caused the decline in

the plantation economies; as a result the peasant
farmers developed alternative crops (cocoa, banana,
coffee, ginger arrowroot) for export and
national consumption. o The peasant system
developed an economic basis
for independence from the plantation and the
colonial rule by: -attempted to developed a diversified
local economy -freed slaves became self-sufficient
-freed slaves became independent of the plantation
and low wages offered by the plantation owners
-developed an export market
ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITIES

The socio, economic and political context of the Post Emancipated British Caribbean
Social conditions after slavery
Slavery ended but there was no true sense of freedom for the ex
-
slaves. Many of the
ex
-
slaves struggled to
create a livelihood for themselves due to pervasive colonial oppression.
The society was highly stratified with very little opportunity for blacks to improve their social
status.
Education on the other hand was only given to the p
rivileged
white,
upper middle class whites and
coloured.
Blacks
were given basic skills in education which could not improve their status in society.
Many Children attended school irregularly and for only a few years
, as their parents could not afford
s
chool fees and lunch money.
Many also lived and worked in squalid conditions which led to the spread of diseases thus
leading to high
mortality rates

Slavery ended but there was no true sense of freedom for the ex-slaves.
Many of the ex-slaves struggled to create a livelihood for themselves due to
pervasive colonial oppression.

The society was highly stratified with very little opportunity for blacks to
improve their social status.

Education on the other hand was only given to the privilegedwhite,upper

middle class whites and coloured.

Blacks were given basic skills in education which could not improve their
status in society.

Many Children attended school irregularly and for only a few years, as their
parents could not afford school fees and lunch money.

Many also lived and worked in squalid conditions which led to the spread of
diseases thus leading to high mortality rates

Firstly, blacks had limited opportunity to vote and own property which
contributed to much of the hardships faced in the first half of the
19thcentury. For example, in order for blacks (men) to vote they had to
have 10 –30 shillings in 1906; women were not given franchise in 1919 but
only to those who were aged 25, literate and paying 2 pounds a year in
land tax.In places such as Trinidad, there was no elected element inthe
colony’sgovernment throughout the 19thcentury.

Local legislature continued to be dominated by planters and other members

of the employed class who passlaws which favoured their own interests at
the expense of blackworkers.
-The money government needed for their expenses came mainly from
import duties, but in many cases these fell more heavily on the poor.

The economic difficulties in the BWI were caused by the decline of the
sugar industry and the failure of most of the alternative crops to provide
satisfactory substitutes by 1925.
Later in the 1930s and 40s the Great Depression caused a Wall Street
Crash 1929 which led to the economic woesof the Caribbean.