A Brief History of Jamaica

Jamaica's original inhabitants are the Arawaks, also called Tainos. They named the island Xaymaca, which means "land of wood and water". The Arawaks have quiet and peaceful lives until they were destroyed by the Spaniards years after Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1494. Jamaica served mainly as a supply base in conquering the American mainland. Later in 1509, the first Spanish colonist came. On May 10, 1655 English had a successful attack on Jamaica. The Spaniards surrendered to the English. It was this set of slaves and their descendants who became known as Maroons. The slave trade became a popular and profitable venture for the colonist. The slaves however were unhappy with their status so they rebelled. The Maroon also had several wars against the English. In 1740 a treaty was signed with the British stating they were given the land and rights as free men. In return they were to stop fighting and help recapture runaway slaves but this result in a rift because other Maroons did not agree to return runaway slaves. On January 1, 1808 the Abolition Bill was passed. Trading African slaves be utterly abolished and declared to be unlawful. Emancipation and apprenticeship came into effect in 1834 and full freedom was granted in 1838.

On August 6, 1962, Jamaica was granted its independence from England. Jamaica now has its own constitution which sets laws by which the people are governed. Jamaica’s modern history has been characterized by a political seesaw between the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP). The principles of these 2 parties have changed over time.