From Slavery to Independence - Happy 53rd Indepenpence Jamaica!
Eternal Father bless our land - Jamaica "Land of wood and water". The path to independence pretty much started from around 1945, right at the end of World War 11. During this period there was a move by the British Government to relieve the country from under its rule as being a crown colony and into an independent state. On August 6, 1962, the country saw the last of the Union Jack which is the national flag of the United Kingdom being lowered and replaced by the Jamaican Flag - The black, Green and Gold! What a celebration this must have been!
The journey to independence was harsh and fatal for many of the natives - the Arawaks and Tainos who lived on the island. This was so as the people were constantly fighting those who sought to; and managed to capture, claimed and ruled the island which they inhabited. The natives were enslaved by their capturers. The island was first invaded by the Spanish voyager/explorer Christopher Columbus who landed in the island in 1494 and then claimed it for Spain.
As the Spanish occupied the island they officially began governance of Jamaica in 1509. As aforementioned the natives had a harsh life which sometimes ended up fatal as they were enslaved by the Spaniards. As a result of the inhumane treatment meted out to these slaves; many perished. The Spaniards basically used the native people to plunder the resource filled Jamaica and to repatriate the resources to Spain. When the native population dwindled they had no choice but to import African Slaves to do their work. The Spanish later used the Isle as their military base to support colonizing efforts in the Americas.
In another era the natives were ruled by the British who invaded the island in 1655 and captured the island from the hold of the Spaniards. The enslavement continued throughout. However the natives were becoming "fed up" with the whole enslavement and so under the rule of the British they fled into the mountainous parts of the island; where they met up with other natives who had survived the brutal treatment of their former slave masters and was hiding away. Even the imported African slaves (Jamaican Maroon) began fleeing into the mountains and so it began interracial marriages and cultural assimilations. The escaped African slaves formed Maroon territories in parts of the mountains, one which is known today as the "Cockpit Country". Throughout the seventy six years of British enslavement there were however outbreaks of war between the Maroon warriors and the British Army.
The natives and the Maroons were finally pushing back. They no longer desire to sit and be enslaved, but to fight for their God given freedom; and so the rebellions were more frequent. In 1728 the rebellions ended up with the first maroon war between them both. This led to the unsuccessful defeat of the Maroons owing to the fact that the British army was not familiar with the densely forested hills in the cockpit country. Subsequently there were talks between the British and the Maroons which saw the Maroons gaining a sort of semi-autonomy within five towns under the supervisions of a British Leader and a Maroon leader; "if you can't beat them join them".
Tensions were still riling in the camps and so in 1795 a second Maroon war broke out which was unfavourable for the fighting Maroons which was saw bloody encounters for about five months. The Maroons were trapped in the Trelawney Town by Major- General George Walpole, who used armed posts and bloodhounds to force the Maroons to accept defeat. The Maroons only accepted the defeat later under the pretext to see the strong majority of the group deported to Nova Scotia.
In 1834, the official abolishment of slavery in the British Empire was enacted by the British Parliament. The African Jamaican populace also was 'granted' the right to vote.
The fight continued...and continues.
The journey to independence was harsh and fatal for many of the natives - the Arawaks and Tainos who lived on the island. This was so as the people were constantly fighting those who sought to; and managed to capture, claimed and ruled the island which they inhabited. The natives were enslaved by their capturers. The island was first invaded by the Spanish voyager/explorer Christopher Columbus who landed in the island in 1494 and then claimed it for Spain.
As the Spanish occupied the island they officially began governance of Jamaica in 1509. As aforementioned the natives had a harsh life which sometimes ended up fatal as they were enslaved by the Spaniards. As a result of the inhumane treatment meted out to these slaves; many perished. The Spaniards basically used the native people to plunder the resource filled Jamaica and to repatriate the resources to Spain. When the native population dwindled they had no choice but to import African Slaves to do their work. The Spanish later used the Isle as their military base to support colonizing efforts in the Americas.
In another era the natives were ruled by the British who invaded the island in 1655 and captured the island from the hold of the Spaniards. The enslavement continued throughout. However the natives were becoming "fed up" with the whole enslavement and so under the rule of the British they fled into the mountainous parts of the island; where they met up with other natives who had survived the brutal treatment of their former slave masters and was hiding away. Even the imported African slaves (Jamaican Maroon) began fleeing into the mountains and so it began interracial marriages and cultural assimilations. The escaped African slaves formed Maroon territories in parts of the mountains, one which is known today as the "Cockpit Country". Throughout the seventy six years of British enslavement there were however outbreaks of war between the Maroon warriors and the British Army.
The natives and the Maroons were finally pushing back. They no longer desire to sit and be enslaved, but to fight for their God given freedom; and so the rebellions were more frequent. In 1728 the rebellions ended up with the first maroon war between them both. This led to the unsuccessful defeat of the Maroons owing to the fact that the British army was not familiar with the densely forested hills in the cockpit country. Subsequently there were talks between the British and the Maroons which saw the Maroons gaining a sort of semi-autonomy within five towns under the supervisions of a British Leader and a Maroon leader; "if you can't beat them join them".
Tensions were still riling in the camps and so in 1795 a second Maroon war broke out which was unfavourable for the fighting Maroons which was saw bloody encounters for about five months. The Maroons were trapped in the Trelawney Town by Major- General George Walpole, who used armed posts and bloodhounds to force the Maroons to accept defeat. The Maroons only accepted the defeat later under the pretext to see the strong majority of the group deported to Nova Scotia.
In 1834, the official abolishment of slavery in the British Empire was enacted by the British Parliament. The African Jamaican populace also was 'granted' the right to vote.
The fight continued...and continues.
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