About this episode

The episode discusses Jamaica's independence and its significance in the context of Black sovereignty and nationalism in the Caribbean.

On August 6, 1962, the island of Jamaica became an independent nation, making it the first sovereign English-speaking country in the Caribbean. The tremendous victory of this likkle but tallawah island (“small but mighty” in Jamaican) was one triumph in the long history of Black sovereignty and nationalism that led to the disintegration of the British empire in the Caribbean. Written by Dr. Alexandria Miller. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. Video production by Hannah Keller, Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle, Justin Troyer, and Victoria Paige. A transcript is available at https://origins.osu.edu/index.php/read/jamaican-independence. This is a production of Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective at the Goldberg Center in the Department of History at The Ohio State University and the Department of History at Miami University. Be sure to subscribe to our channel to receive updates about our videos and podcasts. For more information about Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, please visit origins.osu.edu.

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle

Topics covered

• Jamaican Independence
• Black sovereignty
• Caribbean nationalism
• British empire
• historical perspective

Keywords

• Jamaica
• independence
• Black sovereignty
• Caribbean
• British empire
• nationalism
• history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, The Ohio State University, Miami University

Places: Jamaica

More episodes of History Talk, the history podcast from Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective

• The 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival · July 14, 2026 · 8 min
• Waitangi Day: The Complicated Story · June 21, 2026 · 8 min
• The Greco-Turkish War · June 15, 2026 · 8 min
• The Ghosts of Peleliu: The Intertwined Traumatic Memories of a World War II Battle · February 16, 2026 · 1h 0m
• Redemption: MacArthur and the Campaign for the Philippines · January 19, 2026 · 59 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the History Talk, the history podcast from Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective podcast page.