Identity and Secession in the Caribbean: Tobago Versus Trinidad, 1889-1980

351 Pages·2007·2.787 MB·English

by  Learie B. Luke

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Identity and Secession in the Caribbean chronicles the Tobago n
movement for autonomy in Trinidad in the time of the t
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union of these two Caribbean islands from 1889 to 1980 when t
Tobago gained internal self-government. It argues that the y

problems Tobagonians complained about in the few years a
before internal self-government were long-standing and can n
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be traced throughout the history of the union. The work puts

the several calls for separation within the theoretical frame- S
work of identity. It posits that identity was the major buttress e
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in the movement for autonomy. The unique contribution
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of Luke’s work is its “integrationist-separatist continuum” by S IdentIty and SeceSSIon In the carIBBean
which the the author assesses the responses of British, colonial S
and local officials. This work adds to the historiography of the I tobago versus trinidad, 1889–1980
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Caribbean, and Trinidad and Tobago in particular, and is a n
useful case study of the issue of secession in the Caribbean.
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Learie B. Luke is Assistant Professor and Coordinator

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of the History Programs, Department of Social Sciences,
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South Carolina State University. He has written several en-
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tries for the Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History:
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The Black Experience in the Americas and “The Role of Identity in a
the Movement for Autonomy in Tobago” in Beyond Tradition: r
Reinterpreting the Caribbean Historical Experience. I
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University of the West Indies Press Learie B. Luke
Jamaica • Barbados • Trinidad and Tobago
www.uwipress.com
IdentIty and SeceSSIon In the carIbbean

IdentIty and SeceSSIon In the carIbbean
tobago versus trinidad, 1889–1980
Learie b. Luke
University of the West Indies Press
Jamaica • Barbados • Trinidad and Tobago
University of the West Indies Press
7A Gibraltar Hall Road Mona
Kingston 7 Jamaica
www.uwipress.com
© 2007 by Learie B. Luke
All rights reserved. Published 2007
11 10 09 08 07 5 4 3 2 1
Luke, Learie B.
Identity and secession in the Caribbean: Tobago versus Trinidad, 1889–1980 /
Learie B. Luke
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN: 987-976-640-199-3
1. Secession – Tobago. 2. Tobago – Autonomy and Independence movements.
3. Tobago – History. 4. Self-determination, National – Tobago. 5. Trinidad and
Tobago – Politics and government. 1. Title.
F2116.L94 2007 927.983
Book and cover design by Robert Kwak.
Set in Spectrum and Minion.
Printed in the United States of America.
To Ivan, Leonora, Sharon and Sharlene Luke

Contents
List of Tables viii
Acknowledgements ix
1 Historical and Conceptual Perspectives 1
2 Tobagonian Identity Construction 18
3 The Union between Tobago and Trinidad:
Precursors and Concerns 46
4 No Honeymoon: The Impact of Union, 1889–1896 68
5 Making Tobago a Ward, 1897–1924 101
6 James A. A. Biggart’s Crusade for the
Development of Tobago, 1925–1932 125
7 The Integrationists’ Interregnum:
Isaac A. Hope and George de Nobriga, 1932–1945 147
8 A. P. T. James and the Union, 1946–1961 167
9 The PNM and Development in Tobago, 1956–1976:
Hope and Disappointment 201
10 “The Question Now Is: To Secede or Not to Secede” 234
11 Tobago’s Struggle for Internal Self-Government, 1977–1980 250
Notes 277
Bibliography 313
Index 329
Tables
1 Tobago’s Revenue and Expenditure, 1869–89 47
2 Prices of Agricultural Commodities, 1921–31 150
3 Proposed Expenditure on Development Projects in Tobago, 1957 224
4 Capital Expenditure on Tobago, 1958 226
5 Capital Expenditure on Tobago, 1959 227
6 Capital Expenditure on Tobago, 1960 228
7 Projected Capital Expenditure in Trinidad and Tobago, 1958–62 229
Acknowledgements
A number of persons and institutions have contributed to the completion
of this book, which is based on my doctoral dissertation. First, thanks to God
for wisdom, understanding and good health to complete the project. To my
loving, patient wife, Sharon Pierre-Luke, I owe an eternal debt of gratitude for
her many years of unwavering support. Thanks to my five-year-old daugh-
ter, Sharlene, for helping me keep my priorities straight. My immediate and
extended family – especially my mother and father, Leonora and Ivan Luke,
my brother, Garry, and sisters, Cathy, Karen and Alicia – assisted me in every
way possible. I could always count on their love, support and prayers. I
sincerely appreciate the generous hospitality and encouragement from
my in-laws, Oswald and Lynette Pierre and their family.
To Dr Selwyn H. H. Carrington, my dissertation supervisor, mentor,
father, friend and fellow Tobagonian, I owe a debt of gratitude that I
will never be able to repay. Without his guidance, encouragement,
support, generosity and goodwill over the last decade, this work would
not have made it to the publisher. I am also heavily indebted to the
other members of my dissertation committee, Dr Ibrahim K. Sundiata,
Dr Edna Greene Medford, Dr Vincent C. Peloso, Dr Emory J. Tolbert
and Dr Colin A. Palmer, as well as Dr Joseph P. Reidy for their critique
of what is the foundation of this work. Thanks to the University of the
West Indies Press management and staff for their patience and guidance.
I cannot sufficiently thank Dr Susan Craig-James and Dr Ralph Premdas