Europeans in Jamaica - 1509 Words

When did they come? Jamaica was first colonized by a native group of South American origin who, in the early history of Jamaica, called their home a paradise of wood and water. The Arawak were there to greet Christopher Columbus when he arrived in Jamaica in 1494, beginning a long period of European colonization there. The history of Jamaica as a European outpost saw the island under Spanish rule for 150 years, during which the city now known as Spanish Town was established and flourished as the colonys economic hub. In the 1650s, Jamaica was captured by the British. Despite turning Jamaica into a profitable colony, continued harassment by a group of ex-slaves - brought over throughout the Spanish period and set free during their†¦show more content†¦They were laborers on plantations, domestic servants, and skilled artisans (tradesmen, technicians, and itinerant traders). The wealth created in Jamaica by the labor of black slaves has been estimated at  £18,000,000, more than half of the estimated total of  £30,000,000 for the entire British West Indies. It has been postulated that the profit generated by the triangular trade (involving sugar and tropical produce from the British Caribbean colonies, the trade in manufactured goods for slaves in Africa, and the trade of slaves in the British Caribbean) financed the Industrial Revolution in Britain. More than 1 million slaves are estimated to have been transported directly from Africa to Jamaica during the period of slavery; of these, 200,000 were reexported to other places in the Americas. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Akan, Ga, and Adangbe from the northwestern coastal region known as the Gold Coast (around modern Ghana) dominated the slave trade to the island. Not until 1776 did slaves imported from other parts of Africa-Igbos from the Bight of Biafra (southern modern Nigeria) and Kongos from Central Africa-outnumber slaves from the Gold Coast. But slaves from these regions represented 46 percent of the total number of slaves. The demand for slaves required about 10,000 to be imported annually. Thus slaves born in Africa far outnumbered those who were born in Jamaica; on average they constituted more than 80 percent ofShow MoreRelatedJamaicas Original Inhabitants Were The Arawak Indians1046 Words   |  5 Pages Jamaica s original inhabitants were the Arawak Indian s, who called the island Xaymaca, meaning either â€Å"land of wood and water† or â€Å"land of springs.† Columbus landed on the island in 1494. The Arawaks were decimated within a few decades by European diseases and the harsh life settlers imposed on them. The Spanish occupied the island until 1655, when it was captured and colonized by the English. By the late 17th century, the English had established sugarcane plantations and were importing large numbersRead More History of Jamaica Essay1402 Words   |  6 PagesHistory of Jamaica Columbus discovered Jamaica on May 5, 1494, one year after he heard of the existence of the island. However, the true history of Jamaica begins with the African-Jamaican people who came to the island twenty years after the English took control from the Spaniards. The history of Jamaica can be broken up into different time periods, which were defined by watershed moments or events. Jamaican historyRead MoreOverview of Cultural Anthropology1117 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Cultural Anthropology The nature of the culture: farming, hunting, gathering, fishing, cattle raising, industrialization etc. The uses and measures of wealth. Jamaica has a history of farming, hunting, gathering and fishing going back to colonial days. This is when the British colonized the country in order to provide them with a number of agricultural products they could sell on the world markets. The most notable include: sugar cane, coffee, bananas, yams, citrus fruits, vegetables and fishRead More Colonialism in the Caribbean Essay1563 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Spanish. According to Mintz, the Hispanic Caribbean was settled by Europeans who had come to stay and to become creoles; nowhere and at no time in the Hispanic islands did African slaves ever outnumber freeman of European origin (Mintz 28). Therefore, contemporary Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Cuba are all very culturally diverse places who all have distinctive combinations of African, Native American, and European influences. For historical reasons, different regions of these islandsRead MoreEconmics973 Words   |  4 Pagesdistinguishing where we are and where we are g oing. For this assignment our CLC will take a look and begin to better understand how Germany has developed, while simultaneously understanding how Jamaica is developing. Our CLC group will prepare a report incorporating the following information on Germany and Jamaica. We will employ the country s top five exported and imported products for the most recent year available. Furthermore, we will employ the country s top five trading partners. Note it is importantRead MoreEssay on Jamaica: History, Government, People, Religion1238 Words   |  5 PagesJamaica: History, Government, People, Religion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jamaica is a tropical island, located in the heart of the Caribbean Sea. Around the coastlines are beautiful beaches with crystal clear blue-green water. In some respects, this is the majority of what people know about Jamaica. In this orientation text you will better understand Jamaica’s history, the people who live there, the many different religions, geography, and governments that have ruled the land.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The land of Jamaica is veryRead MoreJamaican History Essay1309 Words   |  6 PagesJamaica: History, Government, People, Religion Jamaica is a tropical island, located in the heart of the Caribbean Sea. Around the coastlines are beautiful beaches with crystal clear blue-green water. In some respects, this is the majority of what people know about Jamaica. In this orientation text you will better understand Jamaicas history, the people who live there, the many different religions, geography, and governments that have ruled the land. The land of Jamaica is very small. TheRead MoreThe Island Of Jamaica, Jamaica1464 Words   |  6 Pagesproject I chose the island of Jamaica, a place that I have been longing to visit for quite sometime. Jamaica is an island that is a part of the Greater Antilles located 90 miles south of Cuba and 100 miles west of Haiti. The island has an area of 4,243 square miles and a 635-mile coastline. This beautiful island is covered in rugged mountains, with some being volcanic, and has its highest peak on Blue Mountain at 7,401 feet! (Briney) As of July 2014 the population of Jamaica is 2,930,050 people, whichRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Bay Leaves And Cinnamon Sticks1244 Words   |  5 Pages pathos, and logos. Jamaica, formerly known as â€Å"Xaymaca† is where Millie is from, and where she leaves her family while she works to support them in New York. Like other civilizations, In the 1400’s, European powers colonized Jamaica. Precisely, Christopher Columbus and the Spaniards, they were the ones to extort, deprive, and execute the inhabitants. Furthermore, even though slavery in Jamaica ended in 1808, England was still in control, important politicians in Jamaica helped push towards JamaicanRead MoreGateway to Sexual Attraction1235 Words   |  5 Pagesbyproduct of deep-seated and haunting identity trauma inflicted by Europeans through slavery and colonialism of the Americas and Caribbean. Due to this trauma, women have interpreted bleaching their skins as a way to increase their sexual attractiveness. Colorism, as defined by Margaret Hunter of the Sociology and Anthropology Department of Mills College is â€Å"a function of racism and social stratification, first introduced by Europeans during the colonization of the New World.† Through colorism, an