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The History Of Jamaica
From Taino To Independence

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History of Jamaica | Black River Parish Church

The ancient history of Jamaica is vague, but we do know enough of perhaps what we need.

And much appreciation and thanks to Mammy and Nana my belated great grand mothers, I garnered valuable knowledge in relation to Jamaica's post-emancipation history and the dynamics of life then as well.

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This proved an invaluable supplement my high school, college, and later independent studies on Jamaica's history.

The Arawaks (Tainos) were the earliest recorded settlers in this blessed island. They were a sea-loving, kindhearted and dutiful tribe that migrated from Latin America -who probably were trying to evade the jaws of the Caribs - who were carnivorous.

They made a lasting impression on the history of Jamaica- as you will later learn, especially on language, culture and food.

The lived a very organized way of life that featured religion, politics and other social structures-albeit not as complex as we claim to have in Jamaica now.

And in 1494, the Spanish explorer, Christopher Columbus found these warm-hearted people on the island when he 'discovered' Jamaica.

Sadly though, they were brainwashed and exploited and they quickly diminished. Incidentally, Jamaica became a colony of Spain officially in 1509.

On May 10, 1655, though the English, under the leadership of Sir William Penn conquered a depleted Spanish fleet and took the island from them. The Spanish, we understood, offered very little resistance.

New! See Place Names In Jamaica based on ethnic association.

During the latter part of the 17th Century, the agricultural sector blossomed, particularly with respect to produce such as cocoa and sugar cane.

This led to the necessity for increased labour. The English turned to the importation of slaves from the African continent, this continued despite growing opposition to the idea of slavery.

The Trans-Atlantic Slave trade was outlawed in 1807 and slavery was eventually abolished in 1838. This monumental achievement (abolition of slavery) brought increased unrest as a result of the new found freedom.

Jamaica would have recorded minor and major uprisings in the island. Two of the larger ones were the 1865 Morant Bay rebellion and the 1938 sugar riots (More on the key events here).

At the hearts of the riots were concerns over rights, working conditions and improvement in the standard of living.

After the 1938 riots a new Jamaica began to evolve, political consciousness was at an all time high.

The two now major political parties were soon established-The Jamaica Labour Party and The Peoples' National Party.

The country lobbied for independence from British rule and in August 1962, Jamaica raised its own national flag! A defining moment in the history of our country.

Alexander Bustamante was installed as the first prime minister of Jamaica.

Since then, control of the government has changed hands only between these two traditional parties.

Today, we have many informal (and formal) public debates as to which party brought improvement (economic, social, political etc.) to Jamaica.

The sad truth though is that we are still very far way from where we might have been, considering the abundance of natural resources, our strategic location, and the warm spirit of our people.

Remember to read my article on the key moments, or should I say, the significant dates and events in Jamaica's history.

We have also accomplished quite a lot since our Independence, check out a few of our historic moments and events since 1962.

Recommended: Learn about Jamaica's History against subjugation, injustice, economic deprivation and the fight for full freedom by Sherlock and Bennett in...

The Story Of The Jamaican People

The Story of the Jamaican People is the first general history of Jamaica to be written in almost 40 years.

It differs significantly from earlier "imperial" histories which have been written from the perspective of the coloniser and which have relegated Jamaicans to an inferior and passive role.

In this book, the authors offer a new interpretation of Jamaica's history, recounting the epic resistance to slavery; from the acts of sabotage on the estates, the legendary exploits of Maroon heroes Cudjoe, Nanny (one of your National Heroes), and Tacky, to the final blow delivered by Sam Sharpe which ended slavery in Jamaica. Click Here To Read More About The Story Of The Jamaican People At Amazon.com

References & Sources For History of Jamaica

What did the different ethnic groups bring to Jamaica?,https://www.my-island-jamaica.com/what-did-the-different-ethnic-groups-bring-to-jamaica.html
Jamaica – The Foods We Like And Where They Came From, https://www.my-island-jamaica.com/jamaica-the-foods-we-like-and-where-they-came-from.html

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A patriotic Jamaican who adores its culture, Wellesley has been using this medium to share what he calls 'the uniqueness of Jamaica with the world' since April 2007.

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