In 1939, Williams migrated to the United States to teach at Howard University. He became an assistant professor of social and political sciences and organized several courses, especially a humanities course for which he developed a three-volume work called Documents Illustrating the Development of Civilization (1947). While at Howard, Williams began to work as a consultant to the Anglo-American Caribbean Commission, a body set up after the war to study the future of the region. In 1948, he left Howard to head the Research Branch of the Caribbean Commission. He later (1955) resigned from the Commission in protest against its crypto-colonialist policies.
Williams returned to Trinidad and Tobago and became more involved in politics. His first major political speech was titled My Relations with the Caribbean Commission (1955). A year later, Williams formed the People's National Movement (PNM), a political party of which he became the leader. In September of 1956, the PNM won the national elections and he became the chief minister of the country from 1956 to 1959, premier from 1959 to 1962, and prime minister from 1962 to 1981. During his term as prime minister, Williams led Trinidad and Tobago into the Federation of the West Indies and to independence within the Commonwealth in 1962. Williams died in office on March 29, 1981. Often called the "Father of the Nation," Williams remains one of the most significant leaders in the history of modern Trinidad and Tobago.
Reference: Eric E. Williams Speaks: Essays on Colonialism and Independence. Edited by Selwyn R. Cudjoe. Copyright ©1993 by Calaloux Publications. Distributed by the University of Massachusetts Press.
Dr. Eric Williams considered himself a teacher,
historian and a philosopher. Before and during his tenure as prime
minister of Trinidad and Tobago, he wrote many articles and books on the
Caribbean, education, and politics. The following is a bibliography of
his works in chronological order:
"The Golden Age of the Slave System in Britain." Journal of Negro
History 25 (1940).
"British West Indian Slave Trade After Its Abolition in 1807."
Journal of Negro History 27 (1942).
The Negro in the Caribbean. Washington, DC: Associates in Negro
Folk Education, 1942.
"Laissez Faire, Sugar and Slavery." Political Science Quarterly
Capitalism and Slavery. Chapel Hill: University of North
Carolina Press, 1944.
"Race Relations in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands." Foreign
Affairs 23 (January 1945).
"Historical Background of British Guiana's Problems." Journal of
Negro History 30 (1945).
"Proposed British West Indian University." School and Society
63 (April 1946).
"Education in Dependent Territories in America." Journal of Negro
Education 15 (Summer 1946).
Ed. Documents Illustrating the Development of Civilization. 3
vols. Washington, DC: Kaufman Press, 1947.
Education in the British West Indies. Port of Spain: Guardian
Commercial Printery, 1950.
Ed. Documents on British West Indian History, 1807-1833. Port
of Spain: Trinidad Publishing Company, 1952.
Ed. The British West Indies at Westminster: Extracts from the
Debates in Parliament. Port of Spain: Historical Society of
Trinidad and Tobago, 1954.
Constitutional Reform in Trinidad and Tobago. Port of Spain:
Teachers' Economic and Cultural Association, Public Affairs Pamphlet, no.
2, 1955.
Historical Background of Race Relations in the Caribbean. Port
of Spain: Teachers' Economic and Cultural Association, Public Affairs
Pamphlet, no. 4, 1955.
Economic Problems of Trinidad and Tobago. Port of Spain:
Teacher's Economic and Cultural Association, Public Affairs Pamphlet, no.
1, 1955.
The Case for Party Politics in Trinidad and Tobago. Port of
Spain: Teacher's Economic and Cultural Association, Public Affairs
Pamphlet, no. 4, 1955.
My Relations with the Caribbean Commission. Port of Spain:
Teachers' Economic and Cultural Association, 1955.
Federation: Two Public Lectures. Port of Spain: PNM Publishing,
1956.
Perspectives for Our Party. Port of Spain: PNM Publishing, 1958.
From Slavery to Chaguaramas. Port of Spain: PNM Publishing,
1959.
Economics of Nationhood. Port of Spain: Government Printing
Office, 1959.
People's National Movement: Major Party Documents, Vol. 1 Port
of Spain: PNM Publishing, n.d.
Massa Day Done: A Masterpiece of Political and Sociological
Analysis. Port of Spain: PNM Publishing, 1960.
Perspectives for the West Indies. Port of Spain: PNM
Publishing, 1960.
Our Fourth Anniversary. Port of Spain: PNM Publishing, 1960.
History of the People of Trinidad and Tobago. Port of Spain:
PNM Publishing, 1962.
"Speech on Independence." Nation, August 31, 1962.
Documents of West Indian History. Port of Spain: PNM
Publishing, 1963.
Reflections on the Caribbean Economic Community: A Series of Seven
Articles. Port of Spain: PNM Publishing, 1965.
British Historians and the West Indies. London: André
Deutsch, 1966.
Britain and the West Indies. London: Longmans for the
University of Essex, 1969.
Inward Hunger: The Education of a Prime Minister. London:
André Deutsch, 1969.
PNM Perspectives in the World of the Seventies: An Address.
Port of Spain: PNM Publishing, 1970.
From Columbus to Castro: The History of the Caribbean,
1492-1969. London: André Deutsch, 1970.
Nationwide Broadcast. Port of Spain: Government Printery,
1970.
Some Historical Reflections on the Church in the Caribbean: An
Address. Port of Spain: Public Relations Division, Office of the
Prime Minister, 1970.
The Chaguaramas Declaration. Port of Spain: PNM Publishing,
1970.
"The Blackest Thing in Slavery Was Not the Black Man." Revista
Interamericana (Puerto Rico) 3, no. 1 (1973).
"The Case Against Proportional Representation." Round Table
(Great Britain) 249 (1973).
"A New Federation for the Commonwealth Caribbean." Political
Quarterly (Great Britain) 44, no. 3 (1973).
PR: To Dissolve Present PNM Majorities. Port of Spain: PNM
Publishing, 1973.
"The Threat to the Caribbean Community." Port of Spain, 1977.
The Political Leader's Address. Port of Spain: PNM
Publishing, 1977.
Political Leader's Address to a Special Convention of the
PNM. Twentieth Anniversary, 1981.