Independence of Jamaica

Independence Proclamation of Jamaica

TheColony of Jamaicagained independence from theUnited Kingdomon 6 August 1962. InJamaica,this date iscelebratedas Independence Day, a national holiday.

The island became an imperial colony in 1509 whenSpainattempted to erase the IndigenousTainopeople from not only the face of the earth, but history itself. The Spaniards used grotesque tactics in order to smother out the Taino blood and culture; such as raping and chemical/biological warfare. In 1655, British forces took the island and the British Empire claimed it. Over the years, escaped slaves joined the IndigenousTainoin the mountains, forming a society known asMaroons.Maroons won a war against British forces (1728–1740) but lost a second war (1795–1796). In the 1800s, slavery was abolished and Jamaicans gained suffrage, although the British still held power. Early in the 20th century,Marcus Garveypromoted Black nationalism and became the most notable Black leader of his day. During the Great Depression, workers protested inequality and fought the authorities in Jamaica and other Caribbean colonies. In 1943, labor leaderAlexander Bustamantewon an electoral victory and established a new, more liberal constitution. AfterWorld War II,Jamaican leaders developed the government structure to prepare for independence. In 1962, Bustamante’s party won the election and he became premier. That same year, the UKgranted Jamaica its independence,and Bustamante became prime minister.

History up to independence

Main article:History of Jamaica

Indigenous origins

TheCaribbeanisland now known as Jamaica was settled first by hunter-gatherers from the Yucatán and then by two waves ofTainopeople fromSouth America.GenoanexplorerChristopher Columbusarrived in Jamaica in 1494 during hissecond voyageto theNew World,and claimed it forCrown of Castile.At this time, over two hundred villages existed in Jamaica, largely located on the south coast and ruled bycaciques,or "chiefs of villages".

Spanish rule

Main article:Colony of Santiago

TheSpanish Empirebegan its official rule in Jamaica in 1509, with formal occupation of the island byconquistadorJuan de Esquiveland his men. The Spaniards enslaved many of the native people, overworking and harming them to the point that many perished within fifty years of European arrival. Subsequently, the Spanish Empire’s continuing need for labor was no longer filled by the capacity of the surviving indigenous population. Spanish colonialists adapted by turning to the trade inenslaved Africans.Disappointed by the lack of gold on the island, the Spanish mainly used Jamaica as amilitary baseto supply colonizing efforts in the mainland Americas.

British colony

Main articles:Invasion of JamaicaandColony of Jamaica

After 146 years of Spanish rule, a large group of British sailors and soldiers landed in theKingston Harbouron 10 May 1655, during theAnglo-Spanish War.The English, who had set their sights on Jamaica after a disastrous defeat in an earlier attempt to take the island ofHispaniola,marched towardVilla de la Vega,the administrative center of the island. Spanish forces surrendered without much fight on 11 May, many of them fleeing toSpanish Cubaor the northern portion of the island.

Britishcolonial jurisdiction over the island was quickly established, with the newly renamedSpanish Townnamed the capital and home of the local House of Assembly, Jamaica's directly elected legislature.

Rebellions and brewing nationalism

Jamaican Maroons

Main articles:First Maroon WarandSecond Maroon War

The Anglo-Spanish war afforded the opportunity to escape slavery to people enslaved by Spanish colonizers, and many fled into the mountainous and forested regions of the colony to join the ranks of survivingTainos.Asinterracial marriagebecame extremely prevalent, the two racial groups underwentassimilation.The formerly enslaved and their descendants, known as theJamaican Maroons,were the source of many disturbances in the colony, raiding plantations and occupying parts of the island's interior.Imported African slaves would frequently escape to Maroon territory, known asCockpit Country.Over the first seventy-six years of British rule, skirmishes between Maroon warriors and the British colonial militia grew increasingly common, along with rebellions by enslaved Blacks.

These conflicts culminated in 1728, when theFirst Maroon Warbegan between the English and Maroons. Largely owing to the easily defendable, dense forest of Cockpit Country, the British were unsuccessful in defeating the Maroons.Following negotiations, the Maroons were granted semi-autonomy within their five towns, living under a British supervisor and their native leader.

In 1795, tensions between the Maroons ofCudjoe's Town (Trelawny Town)and the British erupted into theSecond Maroon War.The conflict ended on a less favorable term for Maroons, with a bloody stalemate reigning over the island for five months. Following the killings of plantation owners and their families and the release of slaves by the Maroons,Major-GeneralGeorge Walpoleplanned to trap the Maroons in Trelawney Town via the use of armed posts andbloodhounds,pushing them to accept peace terms in early January 1796. Fearing British victory, the Maroons accepted open discussions in March. This delay was used as a pretext to have the large majority of the Trelawney Maroons deported toNova Scotia.They were later moved toSierra Leone.

Garvey

Main article:Marcus Garvey

Slavery was abolished in the British Empire by theSlavery Abolition Actin 1834.Following a period of intense debate, the native and African populace of Jamaica were granted the right to vote; as the 19th century continued the government allowed some of them to holdpublic office.Despite these accomplishments, the white members of Jamaican colonial society continued to hold the real power.

During the first half of the 20th century the most notable Black leader wasMarcus Garvey,a labour leader and advocate ofBlack nationalism.Garvey, rather than advocating independence of Jamaica and other colonies, promoted theBack-to-Africa movement,which called for everyone ofAfrican descentto return to the homelands of their ancestors.Garvey, to no avail, pleaded with the colonial government to improve living conditions for indigenous peoples in theWest Indies.Upon returning from international travels, he founded theUniversal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities Leaguein 1914, which promotedcivil rightsfor blacks in Jamaica and abroad.Garvey served a five-year prison sentence at theAtlanta Federal Penitentiaryfor defrauding investors in the league, following which he was deported to Jamaica in November 1927, after having his sentence commuted byPresidentCalvin Coolidge.After returning to his place of birth, Garvey tried and failed to be elected into public office. The latter defeat is attributed to his followers lacking the proper voter qualifications. Despite these shortcomings, Marcus Garvey is regarded as a national hero in present-day Jamaica.

Party politics

The spike of nationalist sentiment in colonial Jamaica is primarily attributed to theBritish West Indian labour unrest of 1934–39,which protested the inequalities of wealth between native and British residents of theBritish West Indies.Through these popular opinionsAlexander Bustamante,a White native-bornmoneylender,rose to political prominenceand founded theBustamante Industrial Trade Union.Bustamante advocated autonomy of the island, and a more equal balance of power. He captured the attention and admiration of many black Jamaican youths with his passionate speeches on behalf of Jamaican workers. After a waterfront protest in September 1940, he was arrested by colonial authorities and remained incarcerated for the better part of two years.

As Bustamante Industrial Trade Union gained support, a cousin of Alexander Bustamante's,Norman Manley,founded thePeople's National Party(PNP), ademocratic socialistmovement which also advocated trade unions. Although Bustamante was originally a founding member of the PNP, he resigned from his position there in 1939, citing itssocialisttendencies as "too radical."

In July 1943, Bustamante launched theJamaica Labour Party(JLP), which his opponents brushed aside as just a political label of Bustamante Industrial Trade Union. In the following elections, the JLP defeated the PNP with an 18-point lead over the latter in theHouse of Representatives.

The following year, the JLP led government enacted a new constitution that granted universal adultsuffrage,undoing the high voter eligibility standards put in place by British. The new constitution, which was made official on 20 November 1944, established abicameral legislatureand organised an Executive Council made up of ten members of the legislature and chaired by the newly created position ofPremier,the head of government. Achecks and balancessystem was also established for this council.

Path to independence, 1945–1962

AsWorld War IIcame to a close, a sweeping movement ofdecolonizationovertook the world. British Government and local politicians began a long transition of Jamaica from acrown colonyinto an independent state. The political scene was dominated by PNP and JLP, with the houses of legislature switching hands between the two throughout the 1950s.

AfterNorman Manleywas elected Chief Minister in 1955, he sped up the process of decolonisation via several constitutional amendments. These amendments allowed for greaterself-governmentand established acabinetof ministers under aPrime Minister of Jamaica.

Under Manley, Jamaica entered theWest Indies Federation,apolitical unionof colonial Caribbean islands that, if it had survived, would have united ten British colonial territories into a single, independent state. Jamaica's participation in the Federation was unpopular, and the results of the 1961West Indies referendumheld by Premier Manley cemented the colony's withdrawal from the union in 1962. The West Indies Federation collapsed later that year following the departure ofTrinidad and Tobago.

Independence

Main article:Jamaica Independence Act 1962

Front page ofThe Daily Gleanerannouncing Jamaican independence.

In the elections of 1962, the JLP defeated the PNP, resulting in the ascension of SirAlexander Bustamanteto the premiership in April of that year. On 19 July 1962, theParliament of the United Kingdompassed theJamaica Independence Act,granting independence as of 6 August with The Queen as Head of State. On that day, theUnion Jackwas ceremonially lowered and replaced by theJamaican flagthroughout the country.Princess Margaretopened the first session of theParliament of Jamaicaon behalf of The Queen.

With the independence of Jamaica, theCayman Islandsreverted from being a self-governing territory of Jamaica to direct British rule.

Since independence

Main article:Politics of Jamaica

SirAlexander Bustamantebecame the firstPrime Minister of Jamaicaand joined theCommonwealth of Nations,an organisation of ex-British territories.Today, Jamaica continues to be aCommonwealth realm,with theBritish monarch,Charles III, remaining as King of Jamaica andhead of state.

Jamaica spent its first ten years of independence underconservative governments,with its economy undergoing continuous growth.However, as it had been throughout much of its history, the independent Jamaica was plagued by issues of class inequality. After theglobal economyunderwent deterioration, the leftist PNP returned to power after the 1972 elections. Uncertain economic conditions troubled the country well into the 1980s.

Michael Manley,the son of Norman Manley, who led what was largely the opposition party throughout the development of independent Jamaica, went on to become the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica and maintained the People's National Party's status as one of two major political factions of the country.

Colonial legacy

While independence is widely celebrated within Jamaican society, it has become a subject of debate. In 2011, a survey showed that approximately 60% of Jamaicans "think the country would be better off today if it was still under British rule", citing years of social and fiscal mismanagement in the country.