Belizean History Study Guide: Test 1
(Teacher: Ms. VianneyNovelo) – January 2016
TOPIC: Racism in British Honduras
Social situation in British Honduras
-Why Mahogany declined? Iron replaced wood in ship construction; No replacement of the trees; Britain did not protect colonial products= weakened the forestocracy who became in debt with entities in England
- The forestocracy began to sell their lands to big companies: Young Toledo and Co. and Belize Estate Company who along with the government began to attract Americans sold lands 20 cents per acre: The United Fruit Company was formed
- The starting of Agriculture: Maya/mestizo from Yucatan brought cane; Bananas were introduced by Americans
-The Chicle industry: Cutting Sapodilla tree: for chicle; North Americans demanded chicle; British companies had contractors to harvest the chicle.
-Workers conditions in the late 1800’s: $20 a month; the Advance (paid half at the beginning of the season) and Truck (forced to credit from the employers shop) was used on them. People had to squat on lands since the lands were still being monopolized.
The British Empire
-Empire? An extensive group of states or countries under a single supreme authority, formerly especially an emperor or empress.
- Started with Queen Elizabeth 1 who began trading with America and other parts of the world during the 1500’s; Confrontations with Spain began to happen; when James 1 came into power he weakened the kingdom because he was a spender.
-Colony in America: Jamestown: from that colony they conquered other areas in America including: St. Kitts, Barbados, Nevis, Bahamas, Montserrat, and Antigua; Profits were brought in by planting, and the slave trade.
-Why did they colonize? Trading and providing economic dominance and control; Wealth: increased production, explosion of exports!
-Stage for world dominance: the switch to industrialization (machines) lead to Surplus food and population increase and Staged European economic dominance.
-The British started a nationalistic strife: believed in ethnic supremacy; believed: white peoples alone were capable of cultural capability.
Creole society
-Social Darwinism! Survival of the fittest in society!; Elite inherit traits that keep them up there! Your ethnicity determines your position in society.
-British Mentality: Europeans preached that their empire was designed to civilize and make other humans worthy of living; “The White man’s Burden”
-Who is a creole: People of mixed African and European descent; Creoles were brainwashed: British imposed their worldview; believed to be better than the other blacks! Their dominance: Due to their relationship with the British (real power in the settlement)
-Changes to the settlement relative to maintaining the position of the master, slave, elite and laborers; Creoles emerged as dominant: relationship to the British.
-Racism in the settlement: Racism: idea that other people’s are naturally inferior to them; lighter skin creoles began to express the colonial mentality
-WHY WAS THERE RACISM IN THE SETTLEMENT? 1. Enhanced the worldview on the society: denying the existence of racism 2. Division within the society; color and ethnicity: whites discriminated against everyone else 3. Creoles were influenced by the British elite to believe in the loyalty to the British Empire. 4. Belize town: sole administrative and commercial center.
United Negro Improvement Association
-Marcus Garvey: Born in St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica in 1887; 1914 started the UNIA in Jamaica; moved to the US to gain more support for his ideas.
-What was the UNIA: Dedicated to fight for racial equality and rights of the blacks; Motto: “One aim, one God, one Destiny”; newspaper the Negro-world
-Racial consciousness: Self-made person: financial independence and pride; Racial purity; he believe that blacks need to form a new nation where they can develop; Up-liftment of the black race
-Samuel Haynes was influenced by the UNIA ideas and started the 1919 ex-servicemen riot and in 1920 a Branch of the UNIA was established in British Honduras.
-Effects on BH: The Black Cross Nurses was established under UNIA (1920); Government did not train them; own tutors and qualified nurses; Impacted Antonio Soberanis, Evan X Hyde.
Workers Union
-Economic depression:1929; chicle an Mahogany contracts ended; 1931 hurricane Hattie
-1934; Laborers and Unemployed Association; meetings at Battlefield park: riots, boycotts, demonstrations, strikes petitions “The Moses of Belize”
-1934 conviction: Procession: minimum wage of $1.50 for a 8 hour day; Job for the unemployed; Job for British subjects; Influenced by the UNIA; demonstration of October: People striking for employment; 300 men went to the Belize town board; 17 were arrested: Soberanis freed 16 of them
-Soberanis continued fighting and formed the British Honduras Workers and Tradesmen Union; transformed to the General Workers union; ran for elections; 1947: two week strike for against the Belize Estate Company; won 60% increase in wage.