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Arawaks are the original inhabitants of Jamaica. Arawaks also known as Tainos came from South America over 2500 years ago. Tainos actually named the island Xaymaca which meant "land of wood and water". The Arawaks were destroyed by the Spaniards after Christopher Columbus discovered Jamaica in 1494. Christopher Columbus heard of Jamaica from Cubans who described Jamaica as "the land of blessed gold" but later found out that wasn't true.
The Spaniards tortured and killed the Arawaks. The European brought over diseases that took over the Arawaks and they had no chance of survival. They first settled in St.Ann's Bay. Spanish town was the only town that was developed also known as the old capital of Jamaica which is now called St. Jago de la Vega. This was the center of trade and also had many convents and churches.
In 1655 The english led a successful attack on the Spaniards in Jamaica. The Slaves were freed and the Spaniards headed to Cuba. These freed slaves were known as the "Maroons". The Jamaican Constitution guaranteed the freedom, and rights to every citizen of Jamaica in 1962. Jamaica gained its independence from England and gave freedom to all who lived in the country of Jamaica. Jamaica was the first Caribbean nation to gain independence in 1962.
Jamaica established a parliamentary system that followed the legal traditions of the United Kingdom. Jamaicans are known to have a love hate relationship with the British due to racism, and British domination.
Jamaica has had major accomplishments since their independence. Jamaica was the first country in the western worlds to build a railroad system. Jamaica built their railroads 18 years after Britain built theirs. The major telephone company AT&T copied Jamaica's telephone system, they were impressed by how well developed it was.
Today Jamaica is flourishing as one of the number one tourist attractions in the world. Tourist love to come to Jamaica for their famous dishes such as ackee and saltfish, oxtail and rice and peas, Jamaican beef patties, curry goat, jerk chicken and curry chicken. The national drink is rum. Tourist love to have rum and coconut water as their choice for an island drink. Jamaica is also known for its stunning Blue Mountains which is home to the Blue Mountain Coffee.
Jamaica is also known worldwide for its Reggae music and one of the biggest music legends in the World Bob Marley. Reggae has contributed to the development of new cultural movements against war and racism. It is only one of two countries in the world that does not have similar colors of the United States flag. Jamaica is home to resilient, strong creative people of all backgrounds. "Out of Many, One People."
Sources:
Jamaica History https://www.britannica.com/place/Jamaica
Embassy of Jamica http://embassyofjamaica.org/about_jamaica/history.htm
This was a really informative post about Jamaica. Previously, I didn't know much about the country before this post. For instance, I didn't know it uses a parliament. There was a lot of good information here and I appreciate that.
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ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this blog post. I have never known much about Jamaica. The only thing I really knew was that it was a major tourist destination. As a history buff I really appreciate your deep dive into Jamaicas past. My only recommendation would be trying to hook more. You jump right into the information without really giving us an introduction or hook.