Jamaican History
From Jamaica2Rhatid
Contents |
Taino Inhabitants
Prior to the discovery of Jamaica by Christopher Columbus, Jamaica was inhabited by a peaceful people – the Tainos also known as the Amerindians. They were cave-dwellers who used basic tools for fishing and farming. One of their primary produce was cassava. It is also said that they slept in hammocks. Not much is known about these people and they were eradicated within 80 years of the Spanish occupation.
Spanish Occupation
In 1494, Columbus occupied Jamaica in the name of the king and queen of Spain. The island was renamed Santiago for the Spanish St. James. Attempts to colonize the nation failed due to poor leadership skills, greed and the mistreatment of the locals. The Spanish managed to keep the island for about 200 years.
For the century between 1555 and 1655, Santiago was prone to pirate attacks. The most dramatic one – led by Admiral Sir William Penn and General Robert Venables – resulted in the island changing hands from Spanish to British.
British Occupation
The British began colonization in 1661 but it wasn’t until the Treaty of Madrid in 1670 that the other European powers formerly acknowledged Britain’s right to the island. At this time however, it was still partially occupied by the Maroons. A treaty was signed with them on March 1, 1738. Jamaica was a base for pirates especially before the destruction of Port Royal in 1692.
Slavery & Sugar Cane
The cultivation of sugar cane and coffee resulted in the island being one of the most valuable possessions of the British crown. To facilitate the large-scale production of these commodities, the African slave trade became big business. Though the enslavement of the Africans was begun by Spain in 1517 on the suggestion of a Spanish priest Bartolomé de Las Casas, it was not as widespread as it became under British rule. For 150 years sugar was ‘king’- a major commodity in every British household.
Rebellion
The colony’s slaves who outnumbered the whites by 20:1 in 1800 mounted over a dozen major uprisings throughout the 18th century. The British used many measures including use of the Maroon and free coloured population to quell the slaves.
The large-scale revolution known as the Baptist War led by Baptist preacher Samuel Sharpe during Christmas of 1831 and resulted in the death of some 500 slaves and 14 whites is thought to have expedited the emancipation of the slaves.
Emancipation & Abolition
It began in 1833 with partial emancipation of the slaves – full emancipation for children 6 years and under and 6 years apprenticeship for all over 6 in 1834. Full unconditional emancipation was granted for all in 1838.
Independence
Jamaica attained some degree of political independence in the mid-1940s. The Peoples National Party, (PNP), was founded in 1938; the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) in 1943. In 1944, the first election under universal suffrage was held. Independence was granted on August 6, 1962. Bustamante served as the islands first Prime Minister until 1967.
