Jamaica

Jamaica was first settled by Native American tribes, predominately the ‘Arawaks’. Christopher Columbus was the first European to arrive in 1494. Years later, the Spanish took over and settled on the island in 1510. Disease, war, and slavery wiped out all the Arawaks tribes. Slaves were brought in from Africa to work on the land and grow sugarcane, a large economical contributor. In 1655, Britain took control of the island from Spain and Jamaica became a British colony. When the English arrived, the Spanish fled but freed their slaves first, escaping into the mountains. These survivors became known as the Jamaican Maroons and would eventually come to fight the British during the 18th century. They established free communities in the mountains of Jamaica and remained free and independent from the British for many years. In the early 1900s, Jamaica gained self-government and control from Britain and in 1962, Jamaica became a fully independent country!