The History of Jamaican Maroons Essay

” For many, the economic structure of slavery still held strong and it established status in British America. Slavery had begun in the later half of the 17th century and in many ways, it had made Atlantic commerce and overseas settlement possible. Thousands of Africans had been shipped overseas to work in the fields of staple crops. In the years leading up to the American Revolution, high concentrations of slaves remained in the southern colonies where they continued to labour on cotton and tobacco plantations. Of the thirteen colonies, Georgia, Virginia and the Carolinas held the highest concentrations of slaves. In 1775, it is estimated that of the 2.5 million people living in the thirteen colonies, 500,000 were blacks. The vast majority of these blacks were slaves, with many labouring for their masters under harsh conditions. Although their experiences were difficult, blacks rarely revolted or staged rebellions against their masters. This has often been associated with the plantation system, and the role it played in severing blacks’ ties to one another. As highlighted by historian Silvia Frey, “The North American plantation organization, with the dominating presence of the master, inhibited the development of the tribal cohesiveness that characterized the islands’ plantation organization and produced widespread violence against whites by black guerrilla bands.” However, despite the absence of any significant

The country that I chose to conduct a culture analysis on is Jamaica. Jamaica is a third world country located in North America and the 3rd largest island in the Caribbean Sea. There is a 2.5 million population, which equally divided between urban and rural areas. The country runs approximately 146 miles long and varies between 21- 52 miles wide. The climate is tropical and its main tourist attraction is their beautiful beaches. The capital of Jamaica is Kingston, which has a population of more than 645,000. Kingston is the chief port of Jamaica and is along the southeastern coast of the island. It is covered by the “Blue Mountains”, which is thickly covered which tree ferns. The Blue Mountains experiences an average of 200 inches of rain annually, resulting in topsoil erosion and an abundance of streams. Peasants nurture coffee, usually grown on large plantations, in the valleys of the mountains. It is amongst the most expensive coffees in the world and is exported mainly to Japan.

“The imposition of structural adjustment programs in the Third World since the 1970s has been characterized as a war against the poor, a process of [neo] recolonization” (Turner, 1994: 37). This statement is particularly applicable to the country of Jamaica. The island has been susceptible to a variety of neocolonial acts including the presence of multinational corporations, structural adjustment programs, and loan organizations that have sucked Jamaica’s economy dry. This neocolonial presence has devastated the population in more ways than one. It is apparent that neocolonialism has had and continues to have a large impact on society as a whole in Jamaica. This

Like many other aspects of the Jamaican way of life, colonialism has shaped the way the media in Jamaica functions, but the country has managed to maintain large elements of its culture.

The origins and development of slavery within Britain’s North American colonies in the period 1607 to 1776 was majorly in part by the English need for economic power. England had just arose as the strongest naval of the North Atlantic had they had to keep their high standing in the world. Bacon’s Rebellion, the profit received by cash crops, and the ability to easily purchase slaves through trade highly boosted Britain’s economy. The colonists within the British colony kept through economic standing and power by making themselves higher than any other through slavery.

There is evidence that confirms enslaved Africans were able to execute successful ship mutinies, while at sea, and control their destiny by establishing maroon societies wherever they landed in the Caribbean. These maroon societies would later act as sanctuaries for escaped slaves throughout the Caribbean. In Antigua, one prominent maroon society was located around the summit of Antigua’s extinct volcano, Boggy Peak now known as Mount Obama (Dash). Maroon societies allowed groups of escaped slaves and their descendants to maintain a free community in close proximity of society, but independent of European influence. “Maroon communities developed their own distinctive cultures. Since most maroon communities were founded by African-born people, they incorporated and preserved many aspects of African culture, including language, religious practices, and craft styles” (Jaede). All maroon communities lived in

The transition from colonial era to Revolutionary era brought many variations that greatly affected indentured servants that would later be slaves. In the colonial era, indentured servants were individuals who signed a contract that tied them to a land under the authority of a master. They usually worked in plantations to cultivate crops especially tobacco. They were bound to the land from four to seven years to pay off their transportation to America. Once they worked off their time, they were assured land and freedom. At this time, indentured slaves were both black and white people. The profit from tobacco was growing therefore the demand for labor increased. For planters, the issue of indentured servants escaping was becoming common. African people were easier to identify and catch if they escaped because of the color of their skin and lack of resources.

Just like how the negroes grouped together to fight in the war, they also grouped together to form the Maroons. Only this time, they formed in opposition to their oppressors, the Maroons were a bandit of runaway slaves, that were ready to bear arms against their masters. Showing that some black people used force and fear to gain their freedom. As an example, according to an account by Thomas Gage, and English Catholic priest it shoes how the Maroons gained their power and independence. Based on information on the source, the runaway slaves fled to the woods and created their own civilization, while increasing their population They also created weapons and tools, of which would prove useful if they encountered any threatful Spaniards. Too add on, in

1619, the landing of the first group of blacks in Jamestown, Virginia. Having a work span of life rather than the typical 4-6 years of an indentured servant: The growing demand for Africans would lead to the economic success of the 13 colonies especially the south. Free and enslaved blacks lived in the countryside planting and tending to the crops. The American Revolution a conflict over the issues of economic freedom and representation would set a spark within the African community over which side to join in the conflict. The idea of being “pro-black” , an ideology described as thinking of the best benefits for yourself and your people was used as guiding hand in helping enslaved and free Africans choose a side to join. The factors that led

African-Americans have been oppressed since their arrival in America in 1619. Due to their differences in physical characteristics, Whites considered them an inferior race and therefore treated them as property, disregarding their human rights. After many years of exploitation and abuse, in 1791, slaves on the small island of Hispaniola revolted against French rule and successfully gained their freedom in 1804. It gave hope to African American slaves who, in turn, decided to stand against their masters and gain their freedom. Every one of those rebellions was extremely violent. They were so passionate about the cause and have been oppressed for so long that they targeted

The island of Jamaica is very rich in culture and has many historic turnabouts throughout the years. The country has a rich and complex history including being the first country to have Arawak and Taino Indians settle there.

The migration of Jamaicans to the United States began in the early 19th century. Starting in the 1850s, there were only a couple hundred Jamaicans immigrating into the United States each year. However, by the end of the century, this number rose to approximately 1,000 per year. Between the years of 1981 and 1991, there were approximately one million immigrants from the entire Caribbean in the United States; the Jamaican immigrants made up one-fourth of that total. A common immigration scenario for this culture is for one family member to travel alone to the United States, become established, and send for other family members later. Several Jamaican families often decide to share an apartment or house, with each family occupying a bedroom, as they viewed extended family as an important resource. Jamaicans have come to the United States voluntarily, often looking for educational and occupational advancement. This immigration process was characterized by family separations (often prolonged due to the cost of flying back to Jamaica), feelings of dislocation, and adjustment to the urban settings and colder temperatures.

The beginning of slavery in the Caribbean can be traced back to the emergence of piracy in the 16th and 17th centuries. This eventually led to the promotion of slave trading and sugar plantations. While enslaved on the sugar plantations, slaves were treated very poorly. Plantation owners treated their slaves so poorly that most were undernourished and diseased. Slaves were even forced to work on their "spare" time to provide for their own needs. Needless to say, slaves encountered cruel punishment that we can’t even comprehend. The slaves however, continually resisted white supremacy causing much tension between the two social classes. Despite this, a new social class was emerging, the free coloureds. This

When the British conquered Jamaica from the Spaniards, the Spaniards left behind a large number of African slaves. These slaves created three settlements; Juan de Serras allied with the Spanish guerrillas, Juan de Bolas, and the third joined to join other runaway slaves and lived with the Arawak people. These three groups established independent communities by the interior mountainous regions of the island. To survive the runaway slaves and Maroons farmed and occasionally raid the plantations. Eventually they took control of a large areas of the interior of the island. In the eighteenth century British troops and local militia fought back against the Maroons to regain the lands they lost causing the First Maroon War. The Maroons were better

Before the slave trade ended, the Caribbean had taken approximately 47 percent of the 10 million African slaves brought to the Americas. Of this number, about 17 percent came to the British Caribbean. Although the white populations maintained their superior social positions, they became a numerical minority in all the islands. In the early nineteenth century, fewer than 5 percent of the total population of Jamaica, Grenada, Nevis, St. Vincent, and Tobago was white, fewer than 10 percent of the population of Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, and the Virgin Islands. Only in the Bahamas, Barbados, and Trinidad was more than 10 percent of the total population white. By sharp contrast, Trinidad was the only colony in the British Caribbean to have fewer than 80 percent of its population enslaved. Sugar and slavery gave to the region a predominantly African population.