Jamaica's+History

In 1494 came Christopher Columbus to Jamaica. Already there was about 100 000 peaceful Arawak Red Indians on the island and they came about 700 b.C.
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In 1510 the Spaniards came to the island and started farming. They brought also two things that Jamaica is known for: sugar and slaves to work on the sugar plantations.

In the late 1600s was the Arawak-people completely exterminated: exhausted after hard work, bad treatment and diseases the Europeans brought and the townspeople could not fight.

In 1654 poorly organized British armed forces came to the Caribbean. After they failed taking Haiti, a gang of swindlers and thieves tried to defense Jamaica, but they were too weak, and the British took control over the island.

Because the british were in war against France and Spain, the control of Jamaica was given to pirates, political refugees and criminals. They wanted to do anything to stop the Spaniards.

The slave revolt didn’t make it easier for the British. The slaves ran away and joined the maroons (released Spanish slaves) and forced the British to give back the island in 1739.

The final and biggest of the slave revolts on Jamaica was “the Christmas Rebellion” in 1831. 20 000 slaves destroyed the plantations and killed the plantation owners. About 400 slaves were hanged before they got their freedom the 1st of August 1834.

Even though the old classes (Europeans and slaves) were gone, the white plantation owners had still got a political gain and only the landowners could vote. The mulattoes got the right to vote in 1830.

In 1872 became Kingston the capital of Jamaica

In 1944 was Jamaica hard hit by a hunger-stricken.

The United Kingdom gave back the whole self-government to Jamaica in 1947 and Jamaica dropped out from the West Indies Federation (it consisted of several Caribbean colonies of the United Kingdom) in 1962.

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