...Question 1(a): Write a detailed account of the Burma Road Riot in Nassau, Bahamas. In the 1940s, World War II was still happening. The Americans and British wanted to set up bases in West Indian islands, and this included New Providence, Bahamas. A riot came about by the labor dispute amongst the Bahamian workers. They were dissatisfied with the wages they were receiving and decided to address the government about it, but they only received placation from them. During this point, one of the intrepid workers had uttered the words, ‘’Ise a Man’’, for the whites addressed the black workers as ‘boy’. Because of this, the blacks eyes began to open, and this point in history led to the Burma Road Riot. So they rioted and acted amongst themselves. So during the time on June 1st and 2nd, 1942, the riot went on. During the time of World War II, the Americans wanted to build their bases on the island of New Providence. This was known as ‘The Project’, and it would employ over 2,000 Bahamians. People from both New Providence and the outer islands, had flocked to Nassau to be employed on this project. They were looking forward to the high wages that were usually brought along with foreign projects. But their disappointment was evident because they were paid lower than expected. But not only that, the laborers were also angry because the Americans were biased with their pay. The Americans who worked along with them, and did the same jobs as them, were paid higher. The laborers were...
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...Introduction “Movement Towards Decolonization .” Before I start the basic part of my coursework introduction I would like to define these words and the meaning of this statement . Movement - an act of changing location or position . Towards - moving or coming to a particular direction . Decolonization - to grant independence to a colony . With my understanding the statement “Movement Towards Decolonization ” is literally meaning that The Bahamas was making a change in government and the rights for Bahamians in their own society . They know what they needed to accomplish and where they were headed to become not only independent people but an independent nation to better our Bahamian Society from a colony . In this history coursework I’m going to write a detailed account of the Burma Road Riot in Nassau, Bahamas in 1942 . What effects the Burma Road Riot had on the development of political parties and trade unions of The Bahamas . Also act as a member of the Taxi Cab Union during the General Strike of 1958, where I’m speaking about what I’ve experienced . Lastly is to give an explanation of the sources given which I consider to be true and prove that the 1942 riot was responsible for the political changes that took place during the 1950’s...
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...Bahamas their permanent residence, But how did these migrants impacted The Bahamas, socially and economically in the twentieth century. First I will be discussing the Chinese. The Chinese first began arriving in the late 19th century, but most immigrants arrived in the 1920's and quickly proved to be enterprising businessmen. According to (Gayle Saunders from-islanders in the steam), there were numerous that were skilled framers and they also contributed a lot to The Bahamas. There is where the Chinese who partnership and opened up their own restaurant. I can infer that Charles Chea and Henry Wong opened a Chinese restaurant on Bay Street which is still in operation today. So Economically, it provides Jobs for our native Bahamians, Chinese-Bahamians have a long history, dating back to at least 1879. Chinese originated from Cuba – explaining why Hispanic surnames are not uncommon and start in the laundry and cleaning industries. The Chinese were indeed hard-workers, they believed in being successful which they were. The Chinese mainly left their country because...
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...The June 1st 1942 labor action that began outside the city centre but culminated in a riot on Bay Street was an important event in the country’s history. It spoke to the growing dissatisfaction of the Bahamas’ black majority with the (very real if relatively mild) system of apartheid that hemmed them in politically, economically and socially. It demonstrated the willingness of the hitherto silent black majority to stand up to their colonial masters and the local ruling white oligarchy. It signaled the beginning of the end of second class citizenship for blacks in the Bahamas. Therefore, this riot continues to occupy a unique place in the Bahamian imagination and has helped to cement Bay Street as the important center in the Bahamas." Quoted from "Bay Street and the 1942 Riot: Social Space and Identity Work in the Bahamas" by Nona Patara Martin and Virgil Henry Storr. The fledgling Bahamas Federation of Labour chose Dr Claudius R. Walker to meet with the Duke of Windsor on behalf of the workers following the riots: "The underlying causes for this social unrest are manifold," he told the ex-king of England. "We are in the majority but we have minority problems. We are poorly housed, poorly fed and poorly educated. Truth to tell, we are the wretched of the earth." What Happened? The crowd of workers, now buttressed by women and children from the black over-the-hill neighborhoods, gathered outside of the government buildings at Public Square. Attorney General Eric Hallinan addressed...
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...Abstract When Americans began building their World War II bases in Nassau, the Bahamians they hired expected the high wage rates that usually accompanied foreign contracts. Unfortunately, the Bahamian government had negotiated much lower rates than were expected. Green, with his cry ‚I’se a man,‛ captured the indignation that many of his co-workers felt. After attempts to address the wage issue by collective bargaining failed, two thousand laborers gathered at the building site chanting ‚we want more money.‛ Their cries fell on deaf ears and police officers were called in to disperse the group. But, the police only succeeded in agitating the protestors. Eventually, armed with sticks and clubs, the leaderless crowd marched to where they would be heard. They marched to Bay Street, the stage for some of the most significant events in the Bahamas’ history and a social space that has continually been at the center of cultural, economic and political life in the country. Two days of rioting ensued. Although the riot was triggered by a labor dispute, it has been described as the first sign of a popular movement in the Bahamas. And, some have described the riot as a tremor along the fault line that divided the rich white Bahamians who owned businesses on Bay Street and the poor blacks who worked as laborers and lived in the poorer neighborhoods ‚over-the-hill.‛ This paper is an effort to retell the story of the riot, focusing on its significance...
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...Isabella Thomas Fundamentals of Writing Professor Suzie Toliao November 19, 2014 Descriptive Essay Towards the end of my senior, I began to question my parents every day in regards to my graduation gift. I came up with so many things that could have been my gift but it was still always a no. Finally, after so many weeks had gone by my mother sits me aside and says &Because you are graduating and so is your sister soon, your father and I are going to give you a vacation to go anywhere you want, but there is a price limit; I was in complete shock. The first place that ran through my mind was Greece, but it went way over the limit. As soon as I told my sister, we were looking like crazy for places to go to. Places like Mexico, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, Hawaii; the list can go on and on. Then we finally decided to go to the Bahamas and I do not regret it at all. The culture and land was completely different, it was indeed an experience I would never forget. My First trip to the Bahamas made me feel grateful, sympathetic and inquisitive. It was raining when we landed but it did not stop my enthusiasm of simply being on an island of the Bahamas. We already had our own transportation to get to the hotel paid for and I was anxiously waiting for our driver to arrive. Standing there I can just smell the rain and Caribbean all in one, I smelled the lovely blend of oils secreted by the plants. As the driver arrived we got in the car and started heading to our hotel. Already...
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...the mass of people became even angrier. Mr. Christie, Captain Sears and many others tried to assure that the angry people went home. In the end a crowd of men ruined the head of the group, they were done with listening to what they had to say, “Talk is cheap” is what they said. They started going down Bay Street damaging as they walked through. Finally, the multitude of men started to damage the main assemblage, worn out hearing them complain about what the though was “cheap talk”. As they continued you down Bay Street they continuing damaging anywhere as they past. The riot had many reasons towards it, but the underlying cause was the racial tension. A series of severe discrimination is what the black Bahamians went through. Blacks were banned from restaurants, movie houses, hotels and only allowed in some churches through the back door. There were also some uneducated children because black children weren’t allowed in some schools. Those being unable to go to schools were causing them not to have jobs and also to interact with other people accordingly. During the riot due to the fact that some blacks were uneducated they rebelled and even started to commit crimes and other serious offences. Not being able to enter those places made them...
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...“Two eight nine”, “four six seven”, “nine three eight one”. These are the sounds of the thoughts that go through the minds of a Bahamians who play numbers as a way of life. These people rely on numbers to somehow solve their everyday problems and to abolish them from their financial slavery. Gaming in the Bahamas should be anything but legalized. The increasing amount of number houses today is ridiculous. They are the people who lead others to believe that there is an easy way to life, that money is the key to a happier life. These are type of thoughts that lead to an unfulfilled and purposeless society. I for one do not support this behavior and certainly do not support the move of legalizing gambling in the Bahamas. I feel that the legalization of gaming in the Bahamas will continue to give people false hope, impose poverty and increase crime. Poverty is no stranger to the Bahamas. There is an estimated amount of 43,000 people today, who live in poverty in the Bahamas (Joseph Darville,). This number is constantly rising every day. One of the negative effects of gambling is that it encourages poverty. A study found that people in poor neighborhoods are twice as likely to have gambling problems. John W Welte, a Senior Research Scientist at University of Buffalo showed that 11 percent of people who were unemployed, received public assistance or lived in places of poverty were problem gamblers (John Welte). In a speech written by Walter Williams, an American Economist, he suggests...
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...aspects to it. Everything has its usefulness and also its negative affects when abused. We must be aware that there are detrimental consequences of overusing the electronic media. The Bahamas in my opinion has truly been affected by the electronic media because in my younger days I was always convinced that Bahamians had constantly worked towards having great social skills and morality. However maintaining social skills and morals today in the Bahamas is no longer a concern because of the electronic media. The electronic media have three major negative impacts on the Bahamian society, beginning with causing lack of social skills, being a constant distraction and interfering with our relationship with God. Firstly, the electronic media have damaged the social character of the Bahamas. The use of online media causes the frequency of face to face communication to decrease. People become so use to meet people online that they forget how important it is to personally interact with others physically. They lose their ability to read body language and social cues in other people as a result. Additionally, with the decrease in human contact, people become socially isolated. Bahamians nowadays walk around in their own worlds, staring at the screens of electronics even when there are people around to communicate with. The more we isolate ourselves with the electronic media the fewer bonds we will form. Lasting bonds require face to face communication not just words behind screens. There’s...
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...Question 1 (one) a Write a detailed account of the Burma Road Riot in Nassau Bahamas. The 1942 riot in Bay Street and in the Over-the-hill areas (place were the poorer black Bahamians lived) of New Providence was triggered by a labor dispute, but have been described as the first sign of a popular movement in the Bahamas. The Burma Road Riot occurred on June 1st 1942 through June 2nd 1942, when thousands of Bahamian workers came to Bay Street in a march of solidarity. This was a result of the years of oppression of Bahamian workers at the Oakes Field airport. These workers got paid four (4) shillings a day which is equal to one (1) dollar. As a result of this, a number of requests were sent to the labor officer by the Bahamas Federation of Labor (BFL) for an increase in their wages and this request was turned down by the construction company. Once the workers saw that their request for a wage increase was turned down and that it was because of the “white minority”, they decided to demonstrate. These demonstrations then lead into a riot. During this riot, stores were broken into, destroyed and then later robbed; some people lost their lives while others were injured, some were even shot by police officers. After the government could not have regained control, they decided to respond to the request of the people and gave them one (1) shilling per day increase and a free meal at lunch. By doing this, more than half of the workers returned to work on the 4th of June 1942 and by...
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...emphasizes that The Bahamas is a Christian nation. However, he argues that "something else has shaped the Bahamian religious experience, vision of life and death, and how the phases of life should be celebrated, mourned, marked and masked". He illustrates this by using the example of Christmas and New Year's , which are two of the most religious days of the Protestant year-- he goes on to describe how "thousands of Bahamians gather to beat African drums, mask themselves and dance in an event which has nothing to do with Christ: Junkanoo". Consequently, the author asserts that we are more content and easily accepting of our European antecedents of Bahamian cultural practice rather than the African. Despite adopting many African derived practices such as socializing, speaking, healing and cooking, references to Africa elicit embarrassment and condemnation by numerous Bahamians. Subsequently, Strachan unveils the African roots of many Bahamian practices pertaining to death, the dead and the relation to the living. He illustrates this by proving that many Bahamian beliefs about the aforementioned originated from African tradition, have spread across the Diaspora and some are still being practiced today in spite of evolution. Conversely, in the sixth chapter in "Bahamian Society After Emancipation" by Gail Saunders , the author focuses on aspects of traditional African-Bahamian culture in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Saunders noted that although being legally...
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...The Burma Road Riot On June 3,1942 thousands of Bahamian workers came to Bay Street in a march of solidarity that would come to be known as “The Burma Road Riot”.The riot was a result of years of oppression of Bahamian workers but was triggered by a wage dispute involving Bahamian construction workers at the Oakes Field Airport.The wages for all workers was set at four shillings per day even though the Pleasantville Construction Company was willing to pay eight shillings per day.The white oligarchy decided eight Shillings was too much for black Bahamian workers,so they influenced the company to pay the workers Less. Fortunately,workers from Exuma had previously worked on similar projects in the Carribbean,told the Other workers that the company was willing to pay higher wages but,were prevented from doing so by Bay Street Boys.As a result a number of requests were made to the Labour Officer by the Bahamas Fedration of Labour for increase wages,but the prevailing attitude was,”take it or leave it”. Once workers learned that the white minority prevented their wage increase,they decided to demonstrate,but the demonstarion became a riot.The city was in a state of emergency,and in the mayhem,stores were looted and four men loss their lives while others were injured.The ruling class could no longer ignore the workers cries for more equitable wages.Following a discussion with the Duke of Windsor where the workers were represented by Milo Butler,A.F.Adderly,Percy...
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..."Burma Road” has been described as the very first sign of a popular movement in the Bahamas, and in the 1988 memoir of Randol Fawkes (The Faith that Moved the Mountain), he features the birth of the labor movement to the 1942 riots: "As long as Fort Fincastle rests on that immovable rock in our capital city," he marked, "parents shall tell their children, and their children shall tell their own of the saga of Burma Road." For most of the Bahamians Burma Road refers to the 1942 riots over pay for the men who worked on the wartime air bases in Nassau. Two rioters were killed by the British troops, more than 40 people were incapacitated and hundreds were arrested, but those unmatched events also led to long overdue transformations. Explosives were used to puncture through the limestone hills behind the caves to provide fill for the new airfield. But there are more important parallels between what is going on in Burma today, and what took place in the Bahamas 65 years ago. In those days it was illegal for employees to “pool “against their employer. But when the airfield project began mopping up some of Nassau's unemployment, two proto unions came together to form the Bahamas Federation of Labor, which Fawkes later led. As a teenager he recalled the events of June 1, 1942: "When we reached the corner of Marlborough and Cumberland streets we heard a large shout. On looking toward the hilltop we saw hundreds of ragged black workers moving downhill towards us.. Some walked swiftly, blowing...
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...2012 The Burma Road Riot, despite being often misunderstood and misinterpreted is still regarded as one of the most significant events in the racial and political history of The Bahamas. Although there were immediate causes of the riot, the social system existing from emancipation fostered dissatisfaction in the hearts of many non-white Bahamians. Prior to 1838, slaveholders who were mostly white were prescribed by law to own black slaves but after emancipation in 1838, Bahamian society was reorganized in a three tier system, the white elite, the coloured middle class and the black masses. Although this system was similar to the model of The British West Indian colonies, The Bahamas, due to its proximity to the United States, was influenced by The Jim Crowe laws existing in The Southern United States which discriminated against African Americans in an effort to control their movements. The white elite, being the former slave holders used any means necessary to maintain their status as the ‘master class.’ This included economic control through the use of the truck, share and labour tenancy systems, which ensured that black Bahamians were in debt, legal means which prevented them from not acquiring land, and social means by using the coloured middle class to create social divisions among the black Bahamians. Bahamian society in the early 1900’s was characterized by entrenched white social and economic rule and advantage so much so that according to Bishop Gilbert Thompson segregation...
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... in the Bahamas history were played out on the stage of Bay Street and, as a result of these events, Bay Street was turn into a place where Bahamians came together in display of unity and a place where they sought to act out dissenting viewpoints. The Nassau Riot in 1942 was a short- lived spontaneous outburst by a group of disgruntled Laborers according to source A. Before the riot of 1942, Bay Street could safely be called, a white controlled space. Although many blacks walked the sidewalks and even, when funds afforded it, shopped in the finer stores on Bay Street. It was with the knowledge that they were just visitors. Even though some blacks were allowed to work in the stores on Bay Street, the choice jobs were not available to them. A man who was admittedly colored could not even talk to a lady of a white family. Color separated the races in housing, education, occupation, and in social intercourse. Two Bases were to be built in Nassau, Oakes Field know as the Main Field and the other in the western end of the island know as Satellite Field. These two bases were to be constructed by the Pleasantville Company of the United States. It was called the Project, which would employ over two thousand Bahamians. Many People from the...
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