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99-575: Newfoundland was not the only British colony to send forestry workers, British Honduras sent a smaller number of workers in the form of the British Honduras Forestry Unit . The Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs communicated via telegram to Newfoundland Governor Sir Humphrey Walwyn on 9 November 1939, requesting 2,000 skilled men who were "capable of good work with axe and hand saw” to be sent to Britain to aid in forestry efforts. The British government proposed forming

198-543: A cash dole, turned to Antonio Soberanis Gómez (1897–1975), who denounced the Unemployed Brigade's leaders as cowards. He said that he would continue fighting for the cause and that he was not afraid to die. In his most famous quote, he said, "I'd rather be a dead hero than a living coward". At a meeting on 16 March 1934, he took over the movement, which became the Labourers and Unemployed Association (LUA). For

297-679: A change in the locus and form of power in the colony's political economy that had evolved during the preceding half-century. The change moved power from the old settler oligarchy to the boardrooms of British companies and to the Colonial Office in London. In 1875, the British Honduras Company became the Belize Estate and Produce Company, a London-based business that owned about half of all the privately held land in

396-531: A civilian unit due to time constraints preventing the recruitment, outfitting, and training of a military unit. Recruitment commenced promptly as per the agreement of the Commission of Government , who gathered the required labor force. On 17 November, the Commissioner of Natural Resources made a public appeal for volunteers from across Newfoundland through a radio broadcast. Subsequently, on November 19,

495-709: A labour leader imprisoned in a police station before the riot eventually subsided. A brief revival in the forestry industry took place early in the next century as new demands for forest products came from the United States. Exports of chicle , a gum taken from the sapodilla tree and used to make chewing gum, propped up the economy from the 1880s. Much of the gum was tapped in Mexican and Guatemalan forests by Mayan chicleros who had been recruited by labour contractors in British Honduras. A short-lived boom in

594-515: A legislative assembly, part of which was elected by a restricted franchise. The assembly was presided over by the British superintendent, an office created in 1784. From 1749 until 1884, British Honduras was governed as a dependency of the British colony of Jamaica. Upon its designation as a Crown colony in 1871, a Lieutenant Governor under the Governor of Jamaica replaced the superintendent, and

693-452: A literacy test, an all- elected Legislative Council, an Executive Council chosen by the leader of the majority party in the legislature, the introduction of a ministerial system, and the abolition of the Governor's reserve powers. In short, PUP pushed for representative and responsible government. The colonial administration, alarmed by the growing support for the PUP, retaliated by attacking two of

792-417: A nominated legislative council replaced the legislative assembly. When the colony was finally severed from the administration of Jamaica in 1884, it gained its own Governor. In 1935 legislative franchise was reintroduced with a lower income qualification. Universal adult franchise was adopted in 1954, and a majority of seats in the legislature were made elective. A ministerial system was introduced in 1961, and

891-519: A public meeting system, similar to the town meeting system used in New England . A set of regulations called " Burnaby's Code " was adopted in 1765, which continued in force until 1840, when an executive council was created. Also in 1840, the colony formally became known as British Honduras, although it was also referred to as "the Belize". In 1853 the public meeting system was abandoned in favour of

990-451: A result of the emerging independence movement. This development was a prelude to the process of constitutional decolonisation. The origins of the independence movement also lay in the 1930s and 1940s. Three groups played important roles in the colony's politics during this period. One group consisted of working-class individuals and emphasised labour issues. This group originated with Soberanis's LUA between 1934 and 1937 and continued through

1089-647: A sub foreman supervised every group of twenty men. Every camp managed its administrative and catering needs independently. Essential supplies were sourced from the District Office, supplemented by perishables procured from local vendors. There were 71 NOFU camps across Scotland with sawmills in Dounie Hill, Fairburn , Whitebridge , Grantown-on-Spey and Laggan and base camps in Kielder , Kershopefoot , Glenfinart , Glenbranter and Lochgilphead . At

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1188-590: A succession of military and right-wing governments in Guatemala frequently whipped up nationalist sentiment, with incursions in 1957 and 1958. Negotiations between Britain and Guatemala began again in 1961, but the elected representatives of British Honduras had no voice in these talks. As a result, in 1965 the United States President Lyndon Johnson agreed to mediate and proposed a draft treaty that gave Guatemala control over

1287-633: A wave of feeling against a British proposal for a federation of its colonies in the Caribbean. Price was an eclectic and pragmatic politician whose ideological position was often obscured under a cloak of religious values and quotations. He remained the predominant politician in the country from the early 1950s until his retirement in 1996. The CSAG also started a newspaper, the Belize Billboard edited by Philip Goldson and Leigh Richardson . The event that precipitated Price's political career and

1386-687: Is Dingwall to the north-east. The ruined Fairburn Tower was a castle of the Clan Mackenzie . During the war, the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit had a sawmill and camp named Fairburn nearby, at Aultgowrie. A NOFU member who died during his time in Scotland is buried at Urray Cemetery. A church dedicated to St Constantine existed since medieval times and was under the control of Fortrose Cathedral . As with many Highland parishes Urray gravitated to

1485-560: Is a scattered village and coastal parish, consisting of Easter, Old and Wester Urray and is located in the county of Ross in the Scottish council area of the Highland . Urray is also a parish in the district of Wester Ross and Cromarty . It comprises the parishes of Carnoch and Kinlochlychart, with the ancient parish of Kilchrist. Urray is located 2 miles northwest of Muir of Ord and 1.5 miles east of Marybank . The closest town

1584-550: Is not easy to train a man, however strong and fit he may be, to become a good lumberjack. " Many of these volunteers also enlisted in the Home Guard , balancing their duties with camp work and local service. In 1942, the NOFU formed their own Home Guard unit, the 3rd Inverness (Newfoundland) Battalion Home Guard which was composed of over seven hundred men and, uniquely, all foreign recruits. Transport from Newfoundland to Scotland

1683-529: The Caribbean coast. The UK never built the road, and Guatemala said it would repudiate the treaty in 1884 but never followed up on the threat. The dispute appeared to have been forgotten until the 1930s when the government of General Jorge Ubico claimed that the treaty was invalid because the road had not been constructed. Britain argued that because neither the short-lived Central American Federation (1821–1839) nor Guatemala had ever exercised any authority in

1782-660: The Hondo and Belize rivers. The Convention of London (1786) expanded this concession to include the area between the Belize and Sibun rivers. In 1862, the Settlement of Belize in the Bay of Honduras was declared a British colony called British Honduras, and the Crown's representative was elevated to a lieutenant governor , subordinate to the governor of Jamaica . As the British consolidated their settlement and pushed deeper into

1881-671: The West India Regiments (WIR) sent to San Pedro was defeated by the Maya later that year. Early in 1867, more than 300 WIR troops marched into the Yalbac Hills and destroyed several Mayan villages, provision stores, and granaries in an attempt to drive them out of the district. The Maya returned, however, and in April 1870, Canul and his men marched into Corozal and occupied the town. Two years later, Canul and 150 men attacked

1980-566: The 1860s that resulted in a large influx of Americans from the Southern United States, especially Louisiana , during and after the American Civil War. The Confederate settlements in British Honduras introduced large-scale sugar production to the colony and proved that it could be profitable where others had previously failed. The lack of diversification in the economy left the colony very susceptible to swings in

2079-526: The 1930s were the labour reforms passed between 1941 and 1943. Trade unions were legalised in 1941, but the laws did not require employers to recognise these unions. Furthermore, the penal clauses of the old Masters and Servants Act rendered the new rights ineffectual. Employers among the unofficial members at the Legislative Council defeated a bill to repeal these penal clauses in August 1941, but

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2178-634: The CSAG) took over the leadership of the union and gave Betson the dubious honorific title of "patriarch of the union". On 29 September 1950, the People's Committee was dissolved and the People's United Party (PUP) formed in its place. Between 1950 and 1954, the People's United Party consolidated its organisation, established its popular base, and articulated its primary demands. Belize Billboard editors Philip Goldson and Leigh Richardson were prominent members of

2277-517: The Colonial Office to discuss the possibility of selling the company to buyers in the United States. The British government rescued the company by granting it an area of virgin mahogany forest and a loan of US$ 200,000 to erect a sawmill in Belize Town. When the government almost doubled the land tax, the large landowners refused to pay. The government accepted some virtually worthless land in lieu of taxes and in 1935 capitulated completely, reducing

2376-465: The Employers and Workers Bill passed on 27 April 1943, finally removed breach-of-labour-contract from the criminal code and enabled British Honduras's infant trade unions to pursue the struggle for improving labour conditions. The General Workers' Union (GWU), registered in 1943, quickly expanded into a nationwide organisation and provided crucial support for the nationalist movement that took off with

2475-758: The GWU. The second group, a radical nationalist movement, emerged during World War II. Its leaders came from the LUA and the local branch of Marcus Garvey 's Universal Negro Improvement Association . The group called itself variously the British Honduras Independent Labour Party, the People's Republican Party and the People's National Committee. The third group consisted of people such as the Christian Social Action Group (CSAG) who engaged in electoral politics within

2574-543: The Governor promptly appointed Brown to the council, presumably to maintain the influence of what had for so long been the colony's chief business. But Brown's defeat by Turton, one of the company's chief local business rivals, marked the decline of old British enterprises in relation to the rising Creole entrepreneurs with their United States commercial connections. Meanwhile, the Belize Estate and Produce Company drove Maya villagers from their homes in San Jose and Yalbac in

2673-459: The Hoare family had been principal directors and maintained a controlling interest in the company. Sir Samuel Hoare , a shareholder and former director, had been a British cabinet member and a friend of Leo Amery , the British secretary of state for the colonies. In 1931, when the company was suffering from the aftereffects of the hurricane and the depression, family member Oliver V.G. Hoare contacted

2772-474: The LUA endorsed Robert Turton and Arthur Balderamos, a Creole lawyer, who formed the chief opposition in the new council of 1936. Working-class agitation continued, and in 1939 all six seats on the Belize Town Board (the voting requirements allowed for a more representative electorate) went to middle-class Creoles who appeared more sympathetic to labour. The greatest achievements of the agitation of

2871-564: The Legislative Council. The Governor's action angered the nationalists because it reflected the limits of the legislature and revealed the extent of the colonial administration's power. The devaluation enraged labour because it protected the interests of the big transnationals, such as the Belize Estate and Produce Company, whose trade in British pounds would have suffered without devaluation while it subjected British Honduras's working class, already experiencing widespread unemployment and poverty, to higher prices for goods—especially food—imported from

2970-504: The Masters and Servants Act of 1883, made it a criminal offence for a labourer to breach a contract. The offence was punishable by twenty-eight days of imprisonment with hard labour. In 1931 the Governor, Sir John Burdon , rejected proposals to legalise trade unions and to introduce a minimum wage and sickness insurance. The conditions, aggravated by rising unemployment and the disastrous hurricane, were responsible for severe hardship among

3069-1049: The Newfoundland Forestry Act was enacted, enabling the establishment of the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit (NOFU) and outlining its operations. Officials implemented an interview process and medical evaluations to assess applicants' suitability. Within two months, approximately 2,150 volunteers aged between 18 and 55 were chosen, numbers increased to about 3,600 during the war. Its members were engaged in six-month contracts, receiving equivalent pay to their wages back home, totaling two dollars per day or twelve dollars weekly, men had their accommodation and medical services provided for them as part of their contract however personal needs, such as clothing, were their own responsibility. In 1941, NOFU forrester Edgar Baird told Illustrated London News that: " They are needed here on work of national importance, and cannot be replaced. Moreover, it

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3168-494: The Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit were located in Edinburgh and in operation during the duration of the war until 1946. The NOFU were split up into districts 1, 2, 3, 4, A, B and C. J.G Martin (1943-1944) Tom Curran (1944-1946) Charles Cahill J.G Martin (1944-1946) Each district accommodated a population of approximately 400 to 600 men. Each camp was overseen by one foreman and one assistant foreman, while

3267-451: The PUP and gave the party their full support through anti-colonial editorials. A year later, George Price, the secretary of the PUP, became vice-president of the GWU. The political leaders took control of the union to use its strength, and in turn the union movement declined as it became increasingly dependent upon politicians in the 1950s. The PUP concentrated on agitating for constitutional reforms, including universal adult suffrage without

3366-567: The UN passed a resolution that demanded the independence of Belize, with all its territory intact, before the next session of the UN in 1981. A last attempt was made to reach an agreement with Guatemala prior to the independence of Belize and a proposal, called the Heads of Agreement , was initialled on 11 March 1981. However, the Guatemalan government refused to ratify the agreement and withdrew from

3465-476: The Unemployed Brigade marched through Belize Town on 14 February 1934, to present demands to the Governor and started a broad movement. Poor people, in desperation, turned to the Governor, who responded by creating a little relief work—stone-breaking for US$ 0.10 a day. The Governor also offered a daily ration of two kilograms of cooked rice at the prison gates. The leaders of the Unemployed Brigade gave up hope of further action and resigned. The unemployed, demanding

3564-500: The United States, challenged the traditional political-economic connection with Britain as trade with the United States intensified. Men such as Robert S. Turton, the Creole chicle buyer for Wrigley's , and Henry I. Melhado, whose merchant family dealt in illicit liquor during prohibition , became major political and economic figures. In 1927, Creole merchants and professionals replaced the representatives of British landowners, (except for

3663-454: The United States. Devaluation thus united labour, nationalists and the Creole middle classes in opposition to the colonial administration. On the night that the Governor declared the devaluation, the People's Committee was formed and the nascent independence movement suddenly matured. Before the end of January 1950, the GWU and the People's Committee were holding joint public meetings and discussing issues such as devaluation, labour legislation,

3762-443: The area or even protested the British presence in the 19th century, British Honduras was clearly under British sovereignty. In its constitution of 1945, however, Guatemala stated that British Honduras was the twenty-third department of Guatemala. In February 1948, Guatemala threatened to invade and forcibly annex the territory, and the British responded by deploying two companies from 2nd Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment . Since 1954

3861-570: The barracks at Orange Walk . After several hours of fighting, Canul's group retired. Canul, mortally wounded, died on 1 September 1872. That battle was the last serious attack on the colony. In the 1880s and 1890s, Mopán and Kekchí Maya fled from forced labor in Guatemala and came to British Honduras. They settled in several villages in southern British Honduras, mainly around San Antonio in Toledo District . The Maya could use Crown lands set aside as reservations, but they did had rights over

3960-474: The centre of Guatemala's oldest claim was the 1859 treaty between the United Kingdom and Guatemala. From Britain's viewpoint, this treaty merely settled the boundaries of an area already under British dominion. Guatemala had an alternative view that this agreement stated that Guatemala would give up its territorial claims only under certain conditions, including the construction of a road from Guatemala to

4059-423: The colony achieved self-government status in 1964. Forestry dominated the economy of British Honduras. Initially, the focus was upon logwood , which was used in dye manufacture. Falling prices for logwood in the 1770s led to a shift toward logging mahogany, which would dominate the economy until the mid-20th century. As the logging of mahogany was far more labour-intensive, this also led to a significant increase of

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4158-593: The colony firm titles to their vast estates in 1855 but did not allow the Maya to own land. The Maya could only rent land or live on reservations. Nevertheless, most of the refugees were small farmers, who by 1857 were growing considerable quantities of sugar, rice, corn, and vegetables in the Northern District (now Corozal and Orange Walk districts). In 1857, the town of Corozal, then six years old, had 4,500 inhabitants, second in population only to Belize Town, which had 7,000 inhabitants. Some Maya who had fled

4257-436: The colony than the Maya of the north. The Mopán and Kekchí Maya maintained their languages and a strong sense of identity. But in the north, the distinction between Maya and Spanish was increasingly blurred, and a Mestizo culture emerged. In different ways and to different degrees, then, the Maya who returned to British Honduras in the 19th century became incorporated into the colony as poor and dispossessed ethnic minorities. By

4356-500: The colony's politics, partly because it was guaranteed representation on the wholly appointed Legislative Council. The manager of the Belize Estate and Produce Company, for example, was automatically a member of the council, while members of the emerging Creole elite were excluded from holding seats on the council. The Creoles requested in 1890 that some seats on the council be opened to election (as had occurred in Canada and New Zealand) in

4455-412: The colony's revenues and expenditures. Some of the landowners also had involvement in commerce, but their interest differed from those of the other merchants of Belize Town. The former group resisted the taxation of land and favoured an increase in import duties; the latter preferred the opposite. Moreover, the merchants in the town felt relatively secure from Mayan attacks and reluctant to contribute toward

4554-424: The colony. Eventually, a contingent of ex-servicemen loyal to the colonial government subdued the riots, and order was restored. In the 1920s, the Colonial Office supported agitation for an elective council as long as the Governor had reserve powers to allow him to push through any measures he considered essential without the council's assent. But the council rejected these provisos, and the issue of restoring elections

4653-611: The colony. The new company was the chief force in British Honduras's political economy for over a century. This concentration and centralisation of capital meant that the direction of the colony's economy was henceforth determined largely in London. It also signalled the eclipse of the old settler elite. By about 1890, most commerce in British Honduras was in the hands of a clique of Scottish and German merchants, most of them newcomers. This clique encouraged consumption of imported goods and thus furthered British Honduras's dependence on Britain. The European minority exercised great influence in

4752-426: The development of agriculture and the diversification of the economy. In many parts of the Caribbean, large numbers of former slaves, some of whom had engaged in the cultivation and marketing of food crops, became landowners. British Honduras had vast areas of sparsely populated, unused land. Nevertheless, land ownership was controlled by a small European monopoly, thwarting the evolution of a Creole landowning class from

4851-591: The east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony , renamed Belize in June 1973, until September 1981, when it gained full independence as Belize . British Honduras was the last continental possession of the United Kingdom in the Americas . The colony grew out of the Treaty of Versailles (1783) between Britain and Spain, which gave the British rights to cut logwood between

4950-403: The economic depression of the mid-19th century. Exports of mahogany peaked at over 4 million linear metres in 1846 but fell to about 1.6 million linear meters in 1859 and 8,000 linear meters in 1870, the lowest level since the beginning of the century. Mahogany and logwood continued to account for over 80 percent of the total value of exports, but the price of these goods was so low that the economy

5049-482: The economy. By the time of the colony's 1790 census, three-quarters of the population of British Honduras were Creole people". They were the ancestors of the original Belizean-Creole population, who were, and still are, the biological offspring of African men enslaved African women. The original Belizean-Creole people consisted mainly of west African slaves descendants . The abolition of the slave trade in 1807, high death rates and low birth rates substantially reduced

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5148-660: The end of the 19th century, the ethnic pattern that remained largely intact throughout the 20th century was in place: Protestants largely of African descent, who spoke either English or Creole, lived in Belize Town; the Roman Catholic Maya and Mestizos spoke Spanish and lived chiefly in the north and west; and the Roman Catholic Garifuna who spoke English, Spanish, or Garifuna and settled on the southern coast. The forestry industry's control of land and its influence in colonial decision making hindered

5247-487: The end of the war and many made the journey on the RMS Aquitania and SS Drottningholm . The NOFU not only supplied timber to the United Kingdom but also contributed to defence efforts. When the threat of a Nazi invasion loomed in 1940, the British government called for civilian volunteers to form a Home Guard. Many Newfoundland foresters answered this call and by 1942, their presence in northern Scotland allowed for

5346-582: The end of the war and the disbandment of the unit, many camps were taken down and in some areas there are no visible indications that the camp existed. Many archaeological surveys carried out by Historic Environment Scotland have been carried out at the sites of camps including Strathmasie (near Laggan) and Dalmochie. During their time in Scotland, 34 members of the NOFU died with the majority of them being buried in cemeteries local to their camps. An example of cemeteries where members are buried are Urray , Carrbridge and Grantown-on-Spey . However, 335 members of

5445-464: The establishment of a Newfoundland-based Home Guard unit. On September 30, 1942, the 3rd Inverness (Newfoundland) Battalion Home Guard was formed, comprising over 700 individuals. These volunteers underwent training on weekends and evenings. Like other British Home Guard units, the battalion was disbanded at the end of the war, with each member receiving the Defence Medal. The Headquarters of

5544-537: The establishment of direct British rule in return for the greater security of Crown colony status. The new constitution was inaugurated in April 1871 and the Legislative Council became the new legislature. Under the new constitution of 1871, the Lieutenant Governor and the Legislative Council, consisting of five ex-officio or "official" and four appointed or "unofficial" members, governed British Honduras. This constitutional change confirmed and completed

5643-471: The ethnic African portion of the population. The white portion of the population left back to Europe and imported other whites to live in Belize The largest portion of the population the creole people, now about 45% of modern Belize. The Mayans are still present in Belize and comprise around 11% of the population. The population of the colony was always fairly small. In 1790 it was around 4,000. In 1856 it

5742-437: The formation of the People's United Party (PUP) in 1950. The 1930s were therefore the crucible of modern Belizean politics. It was a decade during which the old phenomena of exploitative labour conditions and authoritarian colonial and industrial relations began to give way to new labour and political processes and institutions. The same period saw an expansion in voter eligibility. Between 1939 and 1954, less than 2 percent of

5841-425: The formation of the PUP, was the devaluation of the British Honduras dollar on 31 December 1949. In September 1949, the British government devalued the British pound sterling. In spite of repeated denials by the Governor that the British Honduras dollar would be devalued to maintain the old exchange rate with the British pound, devaluation was nevertheless effected by the Governor, using his reserve powers in defiance of

5940-465: The former slaves. Rather than the former slaves, it was the Garifuna , Maya and Mestizos who pioneered agriculture in 19th-century British Honduras. These groups either rented land or lived as squatters. However, the domination of the land by forestry interests continued to stifle agriculture and kept much of the population dependent on imported foods. Landownership became even more consolidated during

6039-401: The hope of winning seats, but the Legislative Council refused. In 1892, the Governor appointed several Creole members, but whites remained the majority. On 11 December 1894, a crowd of 200–600 rioters rampaged throughout the Belize Town central business district in response to Sir Cornelius Alfred Moloney 's rejection of a petition to improve working conditions. The crowd looted stores and freed

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6138-480: The importation of African slaves to the colony, mainly from Britain's Caribbean colonies. Due largely to extremely harsh working conditions, the colony experienced four slave revolts, the first in 1765 and the last in 1820. Slavery was finally abolished in 1838. Exports of mahogany continued as an economic mainstay, as commercial agriculture remained unprofitable due to unfavourable colonial tax policies and trade restrictions. Colonial officials provided incentives during

6237-576: The interior in search of mahogany in the late 18th century, they encountered resistance from the Maya . In the second half of the 19th century, however, a combination of events outside and inside the colony redefined the position of the Maya. During the Caste War of Yucatán , a devastating struggle that halved the population of the area between 1847 and 1855, thousands of refugees fled to British Honduras. The Legislative Assembly had given large landowners in

6336-487: The lands. Under the policy of indirect rule , a system of elected alcaldes (mayors), adopted from Spanish local government, linked these Maya to the colonial administration. However, the remoteness of the area of British Honduras in which they settled, combined with their largely subsistence way of life, resulted in the Mopán and Kekchí Maya maintaining more of their traditional way of life and becoming less assimilated into

6435-461: The mahogany market. The Great Depression of the 1930s and an especially destructive hurricane in 1931, further depressed the economy and already low living conditions. From 1914 on, the forestry industry was in steady decline, except for a brief revival during World War II (1939–1945). In the 1950s agriculture finally became a dominant part of economy, and in the 1970s fishing became significant. Land reform after World War II aided this expansion of

6534-402: The mahogany trade occurred around 1900 in response to growing demand for the wood in the United States, but the ruthless exploitation of the forests without any conservation or reforestation depleted resources. On 22 July 1919, a riot erupted in Belize Town, as a mob consisting of hundreds of rioters, many of them demobilised Belizean servicemen, protested racial discrimination and rising prices in

6633-493: The manager of the Belize Estate and Produce Company) on the Legislative Council. The participation of this Creole elite in the political process was evidence of emerging social changes that were largely concealed by economic stagnation. These changes accelerated with such force in the 1930s that they ushered in a new era of modern politics. The Great Depression shattered the colony's economy, and unemployment increased rapidly. The Colonial Report for 1931 stated that "contracts for

6732-1058: The military-dominated regimes in Guatemala, began to state their case for self-determination at international forums such as a meeting of the heads of Commonwealth of Nations governments in Jamaica , the conference of ministers of the Nonaligned Movement in Peru, and at meetings of the United Nations (UN). The support of the Nonaligned Movement proved crucial and assured success at the UN. Latin American governments initially supported Guatemala, however Cuba , Mexico , Panama and Nicaragua later declared unequivocal support for an independent Belize. Finally, in November 1980, with Guatemala completely isolated,

6831-584: The narrow limits defined by the constitution and whose goals included a "Natives First" campaign and an extension of the franchise to elect a more representative government. In 1947 a group of graduates of the elite Catholic Saint John's College formed the CSAG and won control of the Belize City Council. One member of this group, George Cadle Price , topped the polls in the 1947 election when he opposed immigration schemes and import controls and rode

6930-418: The negotiations, and the opposition in Belize engaged in violent demonstrations against it. With the prospect of independence celebrations in the offing, the opposition's morale fell and independence came to Belize on 21 September 1981, without an agreement with Guatemala. Before 1884 the colonial administration of British Honduras was rather haphazard. In the early days, the colonists governed themselves under

7029-481: The new Legislative Assembly. Further constitutional reform was unequivocally on the agenda. British Honduras faced two obstacles to independence: British reluctance until the early 1960s to allow citizens to govern themselves, and Guatemala 's complete intransigence over its long-standing claim to the entire territory. By 1961, the United Kingdom was willing to let the colony become independent and from 1964 controlled only defence, foreign affairs, internal security, and

7128-514: The newly independent country in areas including internal security, defence and external affairs. All parties in British Honduras, however, denounced the proposals. A series of meetings, begun in 1969, ended abruptly in 1972 when tensions flared over a possible Guatemalan invasion. Talks resumed in 1973, but broke off again in 1975 when tensions flared once more. Between 1975 and 1981, the Belizean and British governments, frustrated at dealing with

7227-424: The next few weeks, Soberanis and his colleagues in the LUA attacked the Governor and his officials, the rich merchants, and the Belize Estate and Produce Company at biweekly meetings attended by 600 to 800 people. The workers demanded relief and a minimum wage. They couched their demands in broad moral and political terms that began to define and develop a new nationalistic and democratic political culture. Soberanis

7326-433: The northwest and treated workers in mahogany camps almost like slaves. Investigators of labour conditions in the 1930s were appalled to discover that workers received rations of inferior flour and mess pork and tickets to be exchanged at the commissaries , in lieu of cash wages. As a result, workers and their families suffered from malnutrition and were continually in debt to their employers. The law governing labour contracts,

7425-401: The party would not agree to fly the British flag at public meetings. The removal of three of four chief leaders was a blow to the party, but the events left Price in a powerful position. In 1952 he comfortably topped the polls in Belize City Council elections. Within just two years, despite persecution and division, the PUP had become a powerful political force, and George Price had clearly become

7524-491: The party's chief public platforms. In July 1951, the Governor dissolved the Belize City Council on the pretext that it had shown disloyalty by refusing to display a picture of King George VI . Then, in October, the Governor charged Belize Billboard publishers and owners, including Richardson and Goldson, with sedition. The Governor jailed them for twelve months with hard labour. Soon after, PUP leader John Smith resigned because

7623-563: The party's leader. The colonial administration and the National Party , which consisted of loyalist members of the Legislative Council, portrayed the PUP as pro-Guatemalan and even communist. The leaders of the PUP, however, perceived British Honduras as belonging to neither Britain nor Guatemala. The Governor and the National Party failed in their attempts to discredit the PUP on the issue of its contacts with Guatemala, which

7722-449: The poor. The poor responded in 1934 with a series of demonstrations, strikes, petitions and riots that marked the beginning of modern politics and the independence movement. Riots, strikes and rebellions had occurred before, during and after the period of slavery, but the events of the 1930s were modern labour disturbances in the sense that they gave rise to organisations with articulate industrial and political goals. A group calling itself

7821-507: The population elected six members in the Legislative Council of thirteen members. In 1945 only 822 voters were registered in a population of over 63,000. The proportion of voters increased slightly in 1945, partly because the minimum age for women voters was reduced from thirty to twenty-one years. The devaluation of the British Honduras dollar in 1949 effectively reduced the property and income voter-eligibility standards. Finally, in 1954 British Honduras achieved suffrage for all literate adults as

7920-428: The proposed West Indies Federation , and constitutional reform. The GWU was the only mass organisation of working people, so the early success of the independence movement would have been impossible without the support of this union. In fact, the GWU president, Clifford Betson was one of the original members of the People's Committee. On 28 April 1950, the middle-class members of the People's Committee (formerly members of

8019-483: The protection of mahogany camps, whereas the landowners felt that they should not be required to pay taxes on lands given inadequate protection. These conflicting interests produced a stalemate in the Legislative Assembly, which failed to authorise the raising of sufficient revenue. Unable to agree among themselves, the members of the Legislative Assembly surrendered their political privileges and asked for

8118-492: The purchase of mahogany and chicle, which form the mainstay of the Colony, practically ceased altogether, thereby throwing a large number of the woodcutters and chicle-gatherers out of work". On top of this economic disaster, the worst hurricane in the country's recent history demolished Belize Town on 10 September 1931, killing more than 1,000 people and destroying at least three-quarters of the housing. The British relief response

8217-437: The restrictive franchise demanded by the appointed majority of the Legislative Council, which had no interest in furthering democracy. High voter-eligibility standards for property and income limited the electorate to the wealthiest 2 percent of the population. Poor people, therefore, could not vote; they could only support members of the Creole middle classes that opposed big-business candidates. The Citizens' Political Party and

8316-573: The strife in the north, but had no wish to become British subjects, settled in the remote Yalbac Hills, just beyond the woodcutting frontier in the northwest. By 1862, about 1,000 Maya established themselves in 10 villages in this area, with the center in San Pedro . One group of Maya, led by Marcos Canul, attacked a mahogany camp on the Bravo River in 1866, demanding ransom for their prisoners and rent for their land. A detachment of soldiers from

8415-405: The tax to its former rate and annulling the landowners' arrears by making them retroactive to 1931. But small landowners had paid their taxes, often at a higher rate. Robert Turton, the Creole millionaire who made his fortune from chicle exports, defeated C.H. Brown, the expatriate manager of the company, in the first elections for some of the Legislative Council seats in 1936. After the elections,

8514-470: The terms and conditions of the public service. On 1 June 1973, the colony's name was changed to Belize in anticipation of independence. The stalemate in the protracted negotiations between the UK and Guatemala over the future status of Belize led Belizeans after 1975 to seek the international community's assistance in resolving issues associated with independence. Even after Belize became independent in 1981, however,

8613-421: The territorial dispute remained unsettled. The territorial dispute's origins lay in the 18th-century treaties in which Great Britain acceded to Spain's assertion of sovereignty while British settlers continued to occupy the sparsely settled and ill-defined area. The 1786 Convention of London , which affirmed Spanish sovereignty was never renegotiated, but Spain never attempted to reclaim the area after 1798. At

8712-404: The town were making shelters out of the wreckage of their houses. The economy continued to decline in 1932 and 1933. The total value of imports and exports in the latter year was little more than one-fourth of what it had been in 1929. The Belize Estate and Produce Company survived the depression years because of its special connections in British Honduras and London. Since 1875 various members of

8811-663: The unit were sent back to Newfoundland due to injuries or illness. They travelled together in small groups between 20 April 1940 and the 29 April 1946, overall making 47 crossings. After the Second World War ended in May 1945, the British government released all foresters from their contracts, but some 1,200 Newfoundlanders continued working until Britain's timber imports returned to pre-war levels. The Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit (NOFU) disbanded by July 1946, with most members returning home. However, reintegrating into society

8910-408: The west and south in the 1920s, but this development led again to only a temporary revival. At this time, mahogany, cedar and chicle together accounted for 97 percent of forest production and 82 percent of the total value of exports. The economy, which was increasingly oriented toward trade with the United States, remained dependent and underdeveloped. Creoles, who were well-connected with businesses in

9009-403: Was estimated to be 20,000. By 1931 this figure grew to just over 50,000, and in 1946 to just under 60,000. However, by 1970 the population doubled to just under 120,000. On the eve of independence in 1980, the population stood at over 145,000. 17°4′N 88°42′W  /  17.067°N 88.700°W  / 17.067; -88.700 Urray Urray ( Scottish Gaelic : Urrath )

9108-415: Was in a state of prolonged depression after the 1850s. Major results of this depression included the decline of the old settler class, the increasing consolidation of capital and the intensification of British landownership. The British Honduras Company emerged as the predominant landowner of the Crown colony. The firm originated in a partnership between one of the old settler families and a London merchant and

9207-402: Was jailed under a new sedition law in 1935. Still, the labour agitation achieved a great deal. Of most immediate importance was the creation of relief work by a Governor who saw it as a way to avoid civil disturbances. Workers built more than 300 kilometres of roads. The Governor also pressed for a semi-representative government. But when the new constitution was passed in April 1935, it included

9306-411: Was postponed. Despite the prevailing stagnation of the colony's economy and society during most of the century prior to the 1930s, seeds of change were being sown. The mahogany trade remained depressed, and efforts to develop plantation agriculture in several crops, including sugarcane, coffee, cocoa, cotton, bananas and coconuts failed. The introduction of tractors and bulldozers opened up new areas in

9405-565: Was provided by independent shipping companies as it was arranged at short notice. The first boat to set sail carrying the first members was RMS Antonio which left St. John's  on 13th December 1939 carrying 300 men on board. The ship arrived at Liverpool on 18 December 1939. These men were under the command of Cpt. Jack Turner. RMS Antonio made a further three trips. Other ships which took foresters from Newfoundland to Britain were SS Chrobory, SS Duchess of Richmond and SS Scythia. Many NOFU members and their families returned to Newfoundland following

9504-423: Was registered in 1859 as a limited company . The firm expanded, often at the expense of others who were forced to sell their land. Largely as a result of the costly military expeditions against the Maya, the expenses of administering the new colony of British Honduras increased, and that at a time of severe depression in the economy. Large landowners and merchants dominated the Legislative Assembly, which controlled

9603-414: Was tardy and inadequate. The British government seized the opportunity to impose tighter control on the colony and endowed the Governor with reserve powers, or the power to enact laws in emergency situations without the consent of the Legislative Council. The Legislative Council resisted but eventually passed a resolution agreeing to give the Governor reserve powers to obtain disaster aid. Meanwhile, people in

9702-420: Was then ruled by the democratic, reformist government of president Jacobo Arbenz . When voters went to the polls on 28 April 1954, in the first election under universal literate adult suffrage, the main issue was clearly colonialism—a vote for the PUP was a vote in favour of self-government. Almost 70 percent of the electorate voted. The PUP gained 66.3 percent of the vote and won eight of the nine elected seats in

9801-579: Was tough as they weren't recognized as veterans by the British or Canadian governments. The Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit was not officially recognised by the Government of Newfoundland, however with the passing of the Newfoundland Volunteer War Service Medal Act 1993, medals were authorised to be issued to members of those: British Honduras British Honduras was a Crown colony on

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