The Jamaican Struggle for Independence
Depiction of Norman Manley
on Jamaican two dollar bill
| With the abolition of slavery in Jamaica in 1833, the plantations declined and many blacks took to peasant farming. But the power of the island colony remained firmly in the hands of the white populace. Norman Washington Manley, b. July 4, 1893, d. Sept. 2, 1969, was a widely known lawyer who founded (1938) the People's National party, based on principles of moderate socialism. At the Thirty-first General Convention of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.,(1945) held in Chicago, Illinois Manley gave a speech entitled "To Unite in a Common Battle." Manley spoke mainly on the plight of the people of the world as the result of war and peace. He said the dawn of peace made such peoples face three significant problems---first, the balance of power had passed from Western Europe; second, the organized and developed power of labor; and third, the enlightenment of the peoples who had hitherto been denied rights and priviliges. He closed his address with, "If you want respect, you must demand it, and if you demand it, you must fight for it."He served as chief minister of Jamaica (1955-59) and prime minister (1959-62), working to create the administrative and financial underpinnings for Jamaican independence. In 1958, Jamaica formed the West Indies Federation with nine other British possessions, but it withdrew in 1961, a move that led to the eventual collapse of the federation. Jamaica's withdrawal was urged by Sir Alexander Bustamante, cousin to Manley and a labor leader who became prime minister when Jamaica achieved full independence in 1962. |
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Michael Norman Manley, son of Norman Manley and leader of the People's National party (PNP), became prime minister in 1972. Adhering to his father's political and economic beliefs, he instituted wide-ranging socialist changes. Particularly noteworthy is that he formed close ties with Cuba and other developing nations in the Caribbean and beyond. This move was watched with great dissatisfaction by the America, who considered Cuba a rogue communist nation in its own back yard. After such a daring move, international aid from western nations such as the United States became hard to secure. What is more, groups such as the CIA plotted against Manley sowing seeds of discontent causing widespread political violence. As a result Jamaica was plunged into a financial depression and a severe trade deficit led to Manley's defeat in 1980. This brought the conservative Labor party, led by Edward P. G. SEAGA, to power. Reelected in 1983, Seaga was defeated by Manley in 1989 elections as Jamaican voters rejected his austere economic policies. Manley, who during his second term adopted free-market economic policies, resigned in 1992 due to ill health. He was succeeded as party head and prime minister by Percival J. Patterson, who led the PNP to a landslide victory in 1993 elections. (Photo and Information courtesy of Jamaica Under Manley by Michael Kaufman and Michael, Manley, Jamaica: Struggle in the Periphery) |
