Jamaica: History, Culture, and Independence Overview

Early History and Pre-Columbian Jamaica

Jamaica is an independent state within the Commonwealth and is the largest island in the Caribbean. It is well known for its fascinating blend of music and culture and its unique mix of ethnic traditions. Jamaica's history is a culmination of various cultural influences, including Arawak Indian, Spanish, African, Indian, Middle Eastern, Chinese, and British elements that together form its unique heritage.

The history of Jamaica can be divided into four general periods: the Pre-Columbian era, the Spanish era, the period under English control, and independence. During the Pre-Columbian period, the inhabitants of the island were the Arawaks, also known as the Tainos. The Spanish were later to portray the Arawaks as a primitive and disorganized people; however, this perception has been proved incorrect by "recent studies that show their lifestyle was organized politically, economically, and socially" (JAMAICA – History – Pre-Columbian). In terms of political structure, the Tainos were well organized and had a clearly defined style of government. Islands were divided into districts and, in some instances, regional chiefdoms. Their economy was based on a form of conuco agriculture, and they relied heavily on fishing.

With the arrival of the Spanish in 1494, the indigenous life of the island's inhabitants changed forever. When Christopher Columbus was on his fourth voyage to the New World, his ships required repairs, and he stayed in a Jamaican village called Maima. He described the island as "the fairest isle these eyes have ever seen" and remained there for a year. He subsequently appointed Juan de Esquivel as Governor of Jamaica. The first Spanish settlement, called New Seville, was built in 1510 (JAMAICA – History – Pre-Columbian).

The Spanish brought both disease and servitude to the island, and many indigenous people died from imported diseases such as smallpox. "By 1598, less than half of the Taino population remained" (ibid). The island was also caught up in a power struggle among the major European powers of the time. The French attacked the island in 1555, and the English invaded in 1597. The British, under the command of Admiral William Penn and General Robert Venables, eventually drove the Spanish from the island in 1655 (JAMAICA – History – English).

The British occupation brought new prosperity. Cromwell issued a proclamation granting land to British citizens who wished to settle in Jamaica. This encouraged settlement, with approximately 1,600 immigrants from Britain arriving in 1656. The economic growth that followed was fuelled by several factors, including piracy. "Great wealth was brought to the island by the buccaneers, who operated mainly from Port Royal by plundering Spanish ships which transported gold and silver from South America" (JAMAICA – History – English). By the late seventeenth century, Port Royal "had earned the reputation of being the richest and the wickedest city in the world" (ibid). Piracy in the region was eventually ended by an earthquake in 1692, which devastated Port Royal.

Sugar and Slavery

During the second half of the seventeenth century, there was a strong emphasis on sugar cultivation and production, known as the "sugar revolution." Sugar cultivation required a large slave labor force, and African slaves were imported — mainly from the Gold Coast — to meet this demand. The introduction of African slaves changed the cultural and ethnic composition of the island, and enslaved people soon rose in rebellion against their masters. Many of the slaves, known as the Maroons, had previously fled to the hills under Spanish rule and fought against the British between 1735 and 1739 in what became known as the First Maroon War.

"Jamaica's story is one of independence that began in the seventeenth century with the Maroons, runaway slaves who resisted the British colonizers by carrying out hit-and-run attacks from the interior" (Hudson, Rex A. and Seyler, Daniel J.). During this period the sugar industry continued to develop, though it was also troubled by wider geopolitical problems. Wars throughout the eighteenth century caused a reduction in trade between the colonies and Great Britain, and "the lack of supplies adversely affected the health of the slaves, and ultimately lowered the production of sugar" (ibid).

The Abolition of Slavery

The end of slavery in this region began with the abolition of the slave trade in 1807, and by 1833 all slavery had come to an end in the West Indies. "By 1840, indentured laborers were brought in from India to replace the newly freed slaves, many of whom relocated to free settlements in central Jamaica" (Information about Jamaica). This transition ushered in a new era for Jamaican people and society.

Emancipation Day, August 1, 1834, marked the moment when chattel slavery throughout the British Empire ceased to exist. Severe limitations were initially imposed on the freedoms of formerly enslaved people — forty hours of unpaid labor per week were extracted from Jamaican "apprentices" until 1838 — but emancipation immediately established full religious freedom and transformed the missionaries' relationship with their converts (Turner, 195).