Hello, my name is Mr. Williams and I'm going to be your history teacher today.

This lesson is part of a unit comparing decolonization across different parts of the British Empire.

I'm really looking forward to teaching you today, so let's get started.

By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain events leading to independence for Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago in 1962.

There are five keywords essential to understanding today's lesson.

They are plantation, a large estate on which cash crops, such as sugar cane, can be grown.

Constitution, the basic principles or laws which govern a nation state.

Self-government, when people in a community or region make their own decisions about laws, policies, and leadership without outside control.

Autonomy, having the freedom to make your own decisions and control your own affairs without outside interference.

And federation, a system where different states or regions come together to form a single, larger organisation, while still keeping some control over their own local affairs.

Today's lesson is going to be split into three parts.

In this first part of the lesson, we're going to be learning about why there was unrest in Britain's Caribbean colonies during the 1930s.

From the 17th century onwards, Britain established colonies in the Caribbean, setting up plantations to grow valuable crops such as sugar, and using enslaved Africans for labour.

These colonies became important sources of wealth for Britain.

The vast majority of Britain's colonies in the Caribbean were Crown colonies, which meant that they were directly governed by officials appointed by the British Crown, rather than having significant local self-government.

At the start of the 20th century, life in Britain's Caribbean colonies was very difficult for many people and poverty was widespread.

Although the institution of slavery had ended, many people in the Caribbean continued to work on the sugar and banana plantations where wages were extremely low and working conditions were poor.

Plantation workers often lived in overcrowded and unsanitary housing and had limited access to education and healthcare.

Let's take a moment to check your understanding.

I want you to discuss this with a partner, and then I want you to list some of the challenges faced by plantation workers in Britain's Caribbean colonies.

So pause the video now, talk to your partner, and press play when you're ready to compare your list to a model response.

Okay, welcome back.

I hope that was a useful conversation.

You were asked to list some of the challenges faced by plantation workers in Britain's Caribbean colonies, and you could have come up with the following.

Extremely low wages, poor working conditions, overcrowded housing, limited access to education, and limited access to healthcare.

Well done if your list includes some of those points.

In the 1930s, a severe economic slump known as the Great Depression caused widespread unemployment, poverty, and financial hardship across the world.

The Great Depression had a devastating impact on people in Britain's Caribbean colonies.

Demand for goods like sugar plummeted worldwide, which meant that many people lost their jobs on plantations and in other industries.

Even many of those who had jobs were tipped into desperate poverty because wages were so low.

Across Britain's Caribbean colonies, people protested for higher wages and better conditions.

In 1938, thousands of workers in Jamaica went on strike to protest against low wages, poor working conditions, and a lack of job security on sugar plantations.

One of the leaders of these strikes was Alexander Bustamante, who would go on to found the Jamaica Labour Party, the JLP, in 1943.

The strikes led to violent clashes with the police.

Some workers were killed and Bustamante was arrested.

Let's do a quick check of your understanding.

Is this true or false? The Great Depression led to an increase in unemployment across plantation workers in the Caribbean.

Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that was true, but let's see if you can justify why.

So pause the video now, have a go at explaining why that statement's true, and then press play when you're ready to see a model response.

Okay, to justify why that statement's true, you could have said something like this.

Many plantation workers lost their jobs because demand for sugar dropped during the Great Depression.

Well done if you came up with something similar.

Let's do another quick check.

This one, I want you to discuss with a partner.

Why was Alexander Bustamante arrested in 1938? Pause the video now, talk to your partner, and press play when you're ready to see a model response.

Okay, you were asked why Alexander Bustamante was arrested in 1938, and you could have come up with something like this.

Alexander Bustamante was arrested in 1938 because he helped Jamaican plantation workers to organise strikes to protest against low wages, poor working conditions, and a lack of job security.

These strikes resulted in violent clashes with police, which led Bustamante to be arrested.

Well done if you came up with something similar in your discussion with your partner.

You're now ready for the first practise task of today's lesson, and for this practise task, I want you to write one paragraph to explain why workers in Jamaica clashed with police in 1938.

You should use the following words in your explanation, the Great Depression, plantations, poverty, Alexander Bustamante, and strike.

So pause the video now, have a go at writing your paragraph, and then press play when you're ready to compare your answer to a model response.

Okay, very well done for all of your hard work on that first practise task.

You were asked to write a paragraph to explain why workers in Jamaica clashed with police in 1938, and your answer may include.

During the 1930s, the Great Depression led to a sharp drop in the demand for sugar.

As a consequence, many Jamaican workers lost their jobs on plantations and even those who kept their jobs faced desperate poverty.

This led to many workers protesting for better pay and conditions.

In 1938, Alexander Bustamante led Jamaican workers on a strike and this led to violent clashes with police who killed some of the striking workers and arrested Bustamante.

Well done if your answer looks similar to the model answer that we've just gone through.

We're now ready to move on to the second part of our lesson.

And in the second part of our lesson, we're going to be learning about Jamaica's growing autonomy in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

The British government took notice of the unrest in their Caribbean colonies.

In 1938, to understand the issues better, they sent a team led by Lord Moyne to investigate.

Moyne's investigations, which were eventually published as the Moyne Report in 1945, highlighted the social and economic challenges faced by the Caribbean colonies and emphasised the need for political reform, increased representation, and improved living and working conditions for the local population.

In Jamaica, while Moyne carried out his investigations, Norman Manley, the leader of the People's National Party, the PNP, argued for expanded voting rights and campaigned for reforms that would give Jamaica more self-government.

This led to the introduction of a new constitution in 1944, which gave all adults the right to vote, universal suffrage.

This was a significant change from the previous system where voting rights were restricted to a small, wealthy minority.

The new constitution also created an elected House of Representatives, which gave Jamaicans more control over their local government and laws and began the process of greater autonomy and self-government on the island.

Let's take a moment to check your understanding.

Is this true or false? The British government ignored the unrest in Britain's Caribbean colonies during the 1930s.

Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that was false, but let's see if you can explain why.

So pause the video now, have a go at explaining why that statement's false, and then press play when you're ready to see a model response.

Okay, to explain why that statement's false, you could have said something like this.

In 1938, Lord Moyne was sent to investigate the causes of the unrest.

The Moyne Report, 1945, argued for economic and political reform to improve conditions in Britain's Caribbean colonies.

Well done if you came up with something similar.

Let's do another quick check.

In what year was Jamaica granted a new constitution? Was it A, 1934? B, 1944? Or C, 1954? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

The correct answer is B.

Jamaica received a new constitution in 1944.

Well done if you got that correct.

We're now ready to attempt the second practise task of today's lesson, which is split into two parts.

In this first part, I want you to complete the table to show how each factor contributed to Jamaica receiving a new constitution in 1944.

So there's two factors I want you to consider.

Investigations by Lord Moyne, from 1938.

And campaigning by Norman Manley.

For each of those factors, I want you to briefly explain how it contributed to Jamaica receiving a new constitution in 1944.

So pause the video now, have a go at completing the table, and press play when you're ready to compare your table to a model example.

Well done for all of your hard work on that first part of the practise task.

You were asked to complete the table to show how each factor contributed to Jamaica receiving a new constitution in 1944.

For the first factor, investigations by Lord Moyne, you could have written something like this.

Moyne argued that political reforms, including increased representation, were necessary to avoid the type of unrest that had occurred during the 1930s.

For the second factor, campaigning by Norman Manley, you could have written.

As the leader of the People's National Party, the PNP, he argued for expanded voting rights and campaigned for reforms that would give Jamaica more self-government.

Well done if your explanations are similar to the ones that we've just gone through.

Let's move on now to the second part of the practise task.

So for this second part of the task, I want you to complete the table, but this time, I want you to summarise the changes introduced by Jamaica's new constitution, and there's two changes I want you to consider.

The first is voting rights, and the second is an elected House of Representatives.

So pause the video now, have a go at summarising those changes, and then press play when you're ready to see a model response.

Okay, well done for all of your hard work on that second part of the task.

You were asked to complete the table with a summary of the changes introduced by Jamaica's new constitution.

For voting rights, you could have said, this was a change because previously, only a small, wealthy elite were able to vote.

However, the new constitution gave voting rights to all adults in Jamaica.

This was known as universal suffrage.

For the second feature, an elected House of Representatives, you could have written, this was a change because it gave Jamaicans greater control over their local government and laws, which meant that Jamaica had more autonomy.

Well done for all of your hard work on that task and well done if your completed table looks similar to the one that we've just gone through.

We're now ready to move on to the third and final part of today's lesson, in which we'll be learning about how Britain's Caribbean colonies became independent, with a focus on Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

In 1958, Britain united its Caribbean colonies into a single organisation known as the West Indian Federation.

For the Colonies involved, the establishment of the Federation was a step towards greater self-government and eventual independence, but they remained under British control.

The British government controlled key areas of the Federation's government such as defence and its relationship with other countries.

In addition, the head of state of the West Indian Federation was a Governor General appointed by the British government.

The Governor General was the representative of the British monarch, and as head of state, they attended important official events and had the power to appoint officials, although they were not involved in the day-to-day operations of the government.

Let's take a moment to check your understanding.

The West Indian Federation was completely independent from Britain.

Is this true or false? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that was false, but let's see if you can explain why.

So pause the video again, have a go at explaining why the statement's false, and press play when you're ready to see a model response.

Okay, to explain why the statement's false, you could have written something like this.

Although the Federation had some self-government, the British government controlled key areas of the Federation's government such as its relations with other countries.

In addition, the head of state of the West Indian Federation was a Governor General appointed by the British government.

Well done if you managed to come up with something similar.

From the outset, the Federation faced many challenges.

There were disagreements among the islands about how the Federation should be run, and many of the members were concerned about losing their individual identities.

The larger islands like Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago often clashed with the smaller islands over representation and how resources should be allocated.

In 1961, Jamaica held a referendum to decide whether the country should remain part of the West Indian Federation.

54% voted that Jamaica should leave.

Shortly after Jamaica's decision to leave was announced, Trinidad and Tobago announced that they would also leave the Federation.

Without its largest members, the Federation could not continue, and on the 31st of May 1962, it was formally dissolved.

Let's do a quick check of your understanding.

I want you to discuss this one with a partner.

Why were there disagreements amongst the members of the West Indian Federation? Pause the video now, talk to your partner, and press play when you're ready to see a model response.

Okay, welcome back.

I hope that was a useful conversation.

You were asked to discuss why there were disagreements amongst the members of the West Indian Federation, and you could have come up with something like this.

Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago were the largest, most powerful members of the Federation, and they argued with the smaller members over how the Federation should be governed and over issues such as resource allocation.

Some members were also worried about losing their individual identities.

Well done if you came up with something similar in your discussion with your partner.

Let's do another quick check of your understanding.

In 1961, what percentage of Jamaicans voted to leave the West Indian Federation? Was it A, 34%? B, 44%? C, 54%? Or D, 64%? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, the correct answer is C.

54% of Jamaicans voted to leave the West Indian Federation in 1961.

Well done if you got that correct.

In 1962, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago became the first of Britain's Caribbean colonies to declare their independence.

After Jamaica left the West Indian Federation, a General Election took place in April 1962.

The election was won by the Jamaica Labour Party, the JLP, led by Alexander Bustamante, who became the country's first Prime Minister.

On the 6th of August 1962, Jamaica declared its independence.

In Trinidad and Tobago, a General Election took place on the 7th of August 1962, which was won by Eric Williams of the People's National Movement.

Eric Williams became the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago when the country became independent on the 31st of August 1962.

The end of the West Indian Federation was an important turning point, and in the next 20 years, most of Britain's Caribbean colonies declared their independence.

Let's do a quick check of your understanding.

Who was elected as the first Prime Minister of Jamaica in 1962? Was it A, Alexander Bustamante? B, Eric Williams? Or C, Norman Manley? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that the correct answer was A, Alexander Bustamante.

Let's do another quick check of your understanding.

Who was elected as the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago in 1962? Was it A, Alexander Bustamante? B, Eric Williams? Or C, Norman Manley? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, the correct answer was B, Eric Williams. Well done if you got that right.

You're now ready for the third and final practise task of today's lesson.

And for this final task, I want you to write a brief narrative summarising the key events from the establishment of the West Indian Federation to Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago becoming independent in 1962.

You should write one paragraph and include the following.

Disagreements amongst the Federation's members.

Jamaica's referendum in 1961.

The end of the West Indian Federation.

And the General Elections in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

So pause the video now, have a go at writing your paragraph, and then press play when you're ready to compare your response to a model answer.

Fantastic effort on that final practise task.

You were asked to write a narrative summarising the key events from the establishment of the West Indian Federation to Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago becoming independent in 1962.

And your answer may include.

From the beginning of the West Indian Federation in 1958, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago clashed with the smaller members of the Federation over how it should be governed.

As a result, Jamaica held a referendum in 1961 and voted to leave the Federation.

In 1962, Jamaica left the Federation and Trinidad and Tobago followed shortly afterwards.

Without its largest members, the Federation could not continue and it was dissolved.

After leaving the Federation, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago each held General Elections and then declared their independence from Britain in the same year.

Well done if your answer looks similar to the one that we've just gone through.

We've reached the end of our lesson now.

So let's take this opportunity to pause and recap our key learning points.

In the 1930s, the Great Depression fueled unrest in Britain's Caribbean colonies and there were strikes and riots over living and working conditions.

The Moyne Report of 1945 highlighted the social and economic challenges and emphasised the need for political and economic reform.

In 1944, Jamaica received a new constitution which gave the country greater autonomy and self-government.

Britain's attempts to unite its colonies as the West Indian Federation failed, and Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago left in 1962.

In 1962, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago were granted independence from Britain, paving the way for other Caribbean colonies.

Well done for all of your hard work in today's lesson.

It's been a pleasure to teach you and I look forward to teaching you again in the future.