A Political and Cultural History of Jamaica Essay examples -- essays r

find just south of Cuba in the Caribbean Sea, Jamaica is well known as a popular tourist spot and the birthplace of reggae music. Populated initially by native Arawak Indians, who gave the island its name, land of wood and water (Jamaica). However, this beautiful lands almost pristine beauty was shattered by outbursts of violence ring the 1980 semipolitical elections. This fighting was sparked by the peoples mistrust of the impression socialist party at the time. The reasons for this fighting and this mistrust are non simple, they are intrinsically tied to the island nations register from the lineage of its colonial period five hundred years before.The island was first detect by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage in 1494 and became a colonisation of Spain in 1509. They founded the town now known as Spanish Town and it was the capital of the island until the 1800s. Under the Spanish, the native Arawak Indians died out because of slavery and disease, and Africans were b rought in to work in their place. The Spanish ruled the country until 1655 when Sir William Penn of the British captured the colony by force. It was later tuned over legally under the Treaty of capital of Spain in 1670(Jamaica). Once the British gained control of the island, development was swift. The industries of sugar dress down and other agricultural resources were increased, thus creating a larger demand for African slaves. Due to this explosion of growth in the late 17th century, Jamaica became sensation of the largest slave trading centers in the world. The slave trade was conducted out of the metropolis of porthole Royal, made famous for being a hideout of the robber Blackbeard, until the city was destroyed by an earthquake in 1692. The destruction of Port Royal led to th... ...arty).The nation of Jamaica has had a rich cultural and political history. From the islands days as a colony up until right away it has proven that its people are resilient, passionate, and hav e an extremely high aim of national pride. IT has been shown that the violence that marred the election of 1980 was not due to the judicatures brief flirtation with communism, but with more underlying issues. It has been shown that the history of the island has been impacted by several instances of similar violent outbursts resulting from a macrocosm feeling of frustration with the rulers at the time. From the time of Bustamante on into the 80s and 90s, the balance of might has shifted because of severe public dissatisfaction with the party in power. It is unknown whether or not this cycle will continue, but as of today, the threat of violence in Jamaica is a very serious one.