1980 – First Black Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Resigns

On June 6, 1980, Eric Williams, the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and a towering intellectual figure, resigned from his post due to health issues. Often referred to as the \”Father of the Nation,\” Williams led the country to independence from Britain in 1962 and remained in power for nearly two decades. A historian by training, he authored Capitalism and Slavery, a seminal work that redefined the understanding of the transatlantic slave trade\’s economic drivers. Williams’s governance was marked by modernization efforts, education reform, and the establishment of a national identity. His resignation marked the end of a significant era in Caribbean political history. Williams passed away a year later, in 1981, but his contributions to post-colonial governance and historical scholarship remain influential.