History slavery Jamaica
📅 18 September 1938
📍 Jamaica
On 18 September 1938, Norman Manley and fellow organizers launched the People’s National Party (PNP) at Kingston’s Ward Theatre, in the wake of the island-wide labor unrest. The party connected demands for wider political participation with Jamaican self-government and social reform. Its formation was one response to the 1938 uprising, in which workers had challenged low wages and colonial labor relations. A decolonial account recognizes the mass pressure behind constitutional change as well as the party’s leadership by educated, relatively privileged Jamaicans.
On 19 May 1884, the final Order in Council restructured Jamaica’s Legislative Council and restored a limited elected element. Nine of the Council’s members were elected, while the Governor, ex-officio...
On 29 April 1938, a disturbance occurred during weekly wage payment at the West Indies Sugar Company’s Frome Estate in Westmoreland. Workers had been waiting for employment at the new factory, while...
On 2 May 1938, a crowd of strikers gathered at the company’s office at Old Frome. Colonial authorities told Parliament that the crowd demolished the office and attacked staff and police, after which...
On 23 May 1938, labor disturbances in Kingston included strikes by wharf, transport and public-service workers amid island-wide demands for higher wages. In a statement to Parliament, the Colonial...
On 26 May 1938, serious disturbances occurred in Spanish Town during the wider labor uprising. The Colonial Secretary reported eight casualties among police and the crowd, none fatal, and said order...
👉 The People’s National Party is launched
Current
18 September 1938
On 18 September 1938, Norman Manley and fellow organizers launched the People’s National Party (PNP) at Kingston’s Ward Theatre, in the wake of the island-wide labor unrest. The party connected...
On 8 July 1943, Alexander Bustamante launched the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), closely linked to the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union and the labor movement formed amid the 1938 upheavals. The party...
On 20 November 1944, Jamaica’s new constitution came into effect and universal adult suffrage was introduced. Adults aged 21 and older could vote without the property qualifications that had...
On 14 December 1944, Jamaica held its first general election under universal adult suffrage. The vote brought a much broader electorate into political life and elected the first House of...
On 19 September 1961, Jamaicans voted in a referendum on whether to remain in the West Indies Federation. A majority voted against remaining, and the result set Jamaica on a separate path toward...
On 6 August 1962, Jamaica became an independent state, ending formal British responsibility for governing the country. The locally drafted constitution came into effect, and the Jamaican flag was...
