Trinidad and Tobago celebrates Independence Day, reflecting on historic journey to sovereignty

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: Trinidad and Tobago wished the general public of Trinidad and Tobago on the occasion of Independence Day.

“Happy Independence Day Trinidad and Tobago!” it expressed through social media.

According to the update, on this day in 1962, Trinidad and Tobago became the fifth independent country in the Caribbean region—after Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Jamaica–and the second independent Commonwealth country in the Caribbean, after Jamaica.

It outlined that independence represented a new and exciting journey into uncharted waters—especially for those who had only known Trinidad and Tobago as a British colony.

That year, the Government Printing Office published a booklet called “What Independence Means to You” that opens with this quote: “It is impossible to understand the full meaning of Independence, to appreciate the seriousness of this new status of ours, or to see clearly the road we must take in the future if we do not pause or look back at the past and see the weary road that we have walked since our ancestors came to these shores.”

The end of the document reads, “For the first time, the people of Trinidad and Tobago have full power to shape their own destiny. The task which faces us is great. The contribution of each one of us is needed; it will be a contribution to the common good. It deserves our best efforts to weld this society into a nation. If we succeed, the glory will belong to each one of us.”

The National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago shared a photo that shows independence greetings to the nation from the Trinidad Guardian Independence Supplement, published on August 26th 1962. These newspapers are part of The National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago Newspaper Collection.