The Guyana Story
(From Earliest Times to Independence)
By Dr. Odeen Ishmael
© 2005 - Odeen Ishmael

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The Guyana Story is a collection of short essays which attempt to relate the story of the Guyanese people in a generally chronological order. It is obvious that not all the details of the periods described are included, but the aim of the author is to build an awareness among young Guyanese in particular, of the rich heritage of the people of Guyana.

It is hoped, too, that The Guyana Story will encourage readers to do further research into various aspects of Guyanese history. By knowing about our past, we will be in a better position to understand and appreciate the present.

 

Revised in September 2013

Read also The Trail Of Diplomacy by Dr. Odeen Ishmael:

CONTENTS (Each link below opens in a new window)

1.  The Early Amerindian Settlements

2.  The Later Amerindian Settlements

3.  Main Amerindian Groups up to the Nineteenth Century

4.  The fate of other Amerindian Groups

5.  The arrival of Europeans in the Guyana Region

6.  Raleigh's first expedition to Guyana

7.  Raleigh's second expedition to Guyana

8.  Early Dutch exploration

9.  Early Dutch Settlements

10.  The Dutch West India Company

11.  Treaty of Munster

12.  The beginning of the Colony of Berbice

13.  A new charter for Berbice

14.  Extent of Dutch Settlement

15.  Invasions of Guyana (1665-1712)

16.  The Berbice - Suriname Boundary

17.  Dutch progress

18.  The arrival of Laurens Storm Van Gravesande

19.  Dutch progress in Mazaruni and Cuyuni

20.  Plans by Spain and Portugal against the Dutch

21.  Spanish raids on Dutch Territory (1758-1768)

22.  Further problems with the Spaniards

23.  Religion among the Dutch in Guyana

24.  Establishment of Demerara

25.  The Slave Trade

26.  Slavery on the Plantation

27.  The work on the Plantation

28.  Religion of the Slaves

29.  Dutch control of Essequibo

30.  The Beginning of the Berbice Slave Rebellion

31.  The Collapse of the Rebellion

32.  Spanish Ideas of a Western Frontier

33.  Guyana under British, French and Dutch (1781-1783)

34.  From Dutch to British hands (1783-1803)

35.  Berbice at the end of the Eighteenth Century

36.  Growth of Georgetown

37.  The Beginning of British Guiana

38.  Control of Essequibo after 1750

39.  Early British Administrative Reforms

40.  Amerindian Loyalty to the British

41.  The Anti-Slavery movement in British Guiana

42.  Rumors of freedom

43.  The Demerara Slave uprising

44.  The end of Slavery

45.  Damon and the Essequibo Rebellion

46.  The apprenticeship period

47.  The arrival of the Portuguese

48.  Consequences of the labour shortage

49.  West Indian and African migration to Guyana

50.  The arrival of the East Indians

51.  New Indian Immigration after 1845

52.  The beginning of the Guyana-Venezuela border dispute

53.  The Guyana-Suriname Border (1831-1899)

54.  The Village Movement

55.  The Arrival of the Chinese

56.  The Chinese on the Plantations

57.  The Work of O Tye Kim

58.  The “Angel Gabriel” riots of 1856

59.  The growth of education before 1840

60.  Expansion of Public Education (1844-1876)

61.  The Development of the Creolese Language

62.  Hardships Faced by the Indians

63.  The Des Voeux Letter

64.  Riot at Devonshire Castle

65.  Indian Settlements

66.  The Cent Bread Riots

67.  Development of Local Government

68.  Resistance to Taxation at Friendship

69.  Building the sea defence and drainage system

70.  Central Government

71.  The Surveys of Brown and Sawkins

72.  Further Claims by Venezuela (1876-1890)

73.  The early period of road and railway transport

74.  Establishment of a money system

75.  The beginning of the gold industry

76.  The Growth of Georgetown

77.  Early Administration of New Amsterdam

78.  The beginning of the Rice industry

79.  The Immigration of Ordinance of 1891

80.  Political changes (1891-1917)

81.  Indian Settlements

82.  Early education of Indians

83.  Efforts of Christian Churches to convert Indians

84.  American intervention in the Guyana - Venezuela Border dispute

85.  Arbitration agreement between Guyana and Venezuela

86.  The Arbritral Award

87.  Marking the Guyana - Venezuela Boundary

88.  The Guyana - Suriname Boundary (1840-1926)

89.  Disturbances at Plantation Friends

90.  Sugar Workers' strikes in 1905

91.  The 1905 Riots

92.  Labour unrest (1906-1910)

93.  The Lusignan Riot in 1912)

94.  The Rose Hall disturbances in 1913?

95.  Workers' protests in 1917

96.  Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow: The early years

97.  Critchlow in the workers' struggle

98.  Gandhi and the immigration proposals

99.  Continuing efforts to revive Indian immigration

100.  The Ruimveldt shooting in 1924

101.  The start of the Bauxite Industry

102.  The boundary with Suriname: The tri-junction point

103.  The boundary with Suriname: The draft treaty

104.  The maritime boundary with Suriname

105.  New Constitution of 1928

106.  The beginning of the MPCA

107.  The Leonora disturbances

108.  The Moyne Commission

109.  The Early Years Of Aviation

110.  The World's Most Famous Stamp

111.  Guyana during the second World War

112.  The Bookers Empire

113.  Dr. Giglioli and the fight against malaria

114.  Constitutional changes (1941-1947)

115.  Cheddi Jagan's entry into politics

116.  The political affairs committee

117.  The PAC and the 1947 Elections

118.  The formation of the GIWU

119.  The Enmore Martyrs

120.  The Venn Commission

121.  Some events of 1947-1949

122.  The Establishment of the PPP

123.  Appointment of the Waddington Commission

124.  The Report of the Waddington Commission

125.  The PPP in 1951-1952

126.  The Dunce Motion

127.  The Election campaign in 1953

128.  The General Election of 1953

129.  The PPP Government of 1953

130.  The overthrow of the PPP Government in 1953

131.  The British "CASE" for suspending the Constitution

132.  The PPP rebuttal of the British Accusations

133.  American involvement in Guyana in 1953

134.  Visit by Jagan and Burnham to England and India -- 1953

135.  Establishment of the Interim Government

136.  The split in the TUC

137.  The Robertson Commission

138.  Repression against the PPP - 1953-1955

139.  The split in the PPP

140.  The aftermath of the split

141.  The all-party conferences

142.  Failure of the interim government

143.  The shooting at Skeldon, 1957

144.  The "Ultra - Leftist" split - 1956

145.  The 1957 General Election

146.  The programme of the new PPP Government

147.  The Constitutional Committee, 1958

148.  The organisation of the PNC

149.  Establishment of The United Force

150.  Economic and Social Issues (1958-61)

151.  The Constitutional Conference (1960)

152.  Political developments in 1959-60

153.  The elections in 1961

154.  Brewing anti-PPP challenges in 1961

155.  The Jagan - Kennedy meeting

156.  The 1962 Budget

157.  Street protests by the opposition

158.  The Disturbances

159.  The Wynn-Parry Commission

160.  The Constitutional Conference in 1962

161.  Attempts to reach a political solution in 1963

162.  The 80-day strike

163.  Anti-Government violence in 1963

164.  The Constitutional conference in 1963

165.  Protests against The Sandys' "Formula"

166.  Economic and social development in 1963

167.  Establishment of the University of Guyana

168.  Renewal of Venezuelan claim to Essequibo

169.  The outbreak of racial disturbances in 1964

170.  The escalation of the racial disturbances

171.  Mediation by Ghana and Trinidad in 1964

172.  Jagan's coalition proposals

173.  Betrayal by the British Labour Party Government

174.  The 1964 election campaign

175.  The December 1964 election

176.  The PNC-UF coalition Government in control

177.  The ICJ mission

178.  Emergency rule in 1965

179.  The 1965 Independence Conference

180.  Government - opposition discussions on the border issue

181.  The Geneva Agreement

182.  Independence granted to Guyana

General References