British Jamaicans

British Jamaicans

:"This article is about Jamaican people of British descent, for British people of Jamaican descent, see Jamaican British".

British Jamaicans are Jamaican born persons of British descent.

History

On the morning of May 10, 1655, two Spanish fishermen likely out searching for turtles off of Port Morant, looked up to see a most surprising sight ­ a fleet of 38 ships with large cannons moving towards them (Sherlock and Bennett, 1998, p.77). The British had arrived, led by Admiral Penn and General Venables, who were seeking to win favour with English Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell. Turtles forgotten, the fishermen spread the word and messengers set off for the capital Villa de la Vega (present-day Spanish Town) to warn the settlers. Close to 9,000 men were said to have disembarked from those 38 ships ­ some 3,000 more than the actual population of the island at the time. Villa de la Vega fell within days.Those events marked the beginning of over 300 years of English (not British) control of Jamaica. British control began some 50 years later in 1707, when England and Scotland were formally united with one Parliament, known as the nation of Britain. With the English came a new language, a new political system, a new economic base, new recreational, musical and artistic pursuits, as well as new culinary influences and four other cultural groups ­ the Irish, Scots, Welsh and Africans. In the early days of slavery, the Irish (many of whom were political prisoners of the English under Cromwell) were not much better off than the African slaves. The Scots, many of the earliest of whom were also political prisoners of the English under Cromwell, were accountants/bookkeepers, while the Welsh were mainly sailors and artisans, and the Africans, slaves.

The English were long seen as the dominant player in the political partnership between England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, loosely begun under James I and increasingly solidified during the 17th century. Not surprisingly, they firmly established themselves as Jamaica's colonial power with the creation of a civil government in 1663. English settlers were recruited from England and from neighbouring islands such as Surinam, Barbados, and Nevis ­ many died from disease. They tended to be small farmers, men given plots of land by Cromwell and later by his successor, Charles II. They were promised the rights and privileges of free-born citizens of England. Eventually, these small landholders gave way to plantation owners with the consolidation into large landholdings ­ better suited to the advent of massive sugar cultivation ushered in during the late 18th century. The English have the dubious honour of presiding over both the large scale growth of the slave trade in the 18th century as well as its abolition in 1804.

By1775, 30 per cent of the island's landholdings were held by absentee English owners ­ persons who resided in England and managed their plantations through Jamaican-based (often Irish and/or Scottish) overseers. At the time of emancipation in the 1830s, that number had risen to 80 per cent.Yet, despite their lack of presence in numbers, the English influence, (which formally ended with Jamaican independence in 1962) their legacy, is strong.

Reminders of English colonisation are everywhere in Jamaica. They encompass all aspects of our daily lives, from the side of the road we drive on and the language we speak, to our government and judicial systems, the structure of our civil service, military, police and education systems, religious institutions (protestant churches), numerous place names ­i.e., Kingston and Queen Street ­ and even some of our traditional food and drink ­Easter bun, Christmas pudding and coffee, to name a few. Up until the 20th century, our literature, art, music and development of sport (cricket and football) were greatly influenced by the English, and the Jamaican versions that exist today, like our language, are considered to have evolved out of resistance to our colonization.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Jamaicans of African ancestry — Ethnic group group= Jamaicans of African ancestry poptime= Over 2.7 million caption=Notable Jamaicans of African ancestry: Bob Marley Bunny Wailer Jimmy Cliff Desmond Dekker Peter Tosh Lee Scratch Perry popplace= JAM 2,500,000 region1 = USA pop1 …   Wikipedia

  • British African-Caribbean community — For Caribbeans in the UK of Indian origin, see British Indo Caribbean community. British African Caribbean (British Afro Caribbean) Total population UK, 2001: 565,900 …   Wikipedia

  • Chinese Jamaicans — Chinese Jamaicans …   Wikipedia

  • Jamaican Canadian — Ethnic group group=flagicon|Jamaica Jamaican Canadians flagicon|Canada poptime=231,110 0.7% of Canada s population [http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/highlights/ethnic/pages/Page.cfm?Lang=E Geo=PR Code=01 Table=2 Data=Count StartRec=1 …   Wikipedia

  • Jamaica — /jeuh may keuh/, n. 1. an island in the West Indies, S of Cuba. 4413 sq. mi. (11,430 sq. km). 2. a republic coextensive with this island: formerly a British colony; became independent in 1962, retaining membership in the Commonwealth of Nations.… …   Universalium

  • Jamaican American — Infobox Ethnic group group =flagicon|Jamaica Jamaican American flagicon|USA caption = Notable Jamaican Americans: Colin Powell, David Paterson, Anthony G. Brown, Alicia Keys, Paul Hewitt, Yvette D. Clarke, Sanya Richards, Tyson Beckford, Olivia… …   Wikipedia

  • Jamaica — Infobox Country native name= conventional long name =Jamaica common name = Jamaica national motto = Out of many, one people national anthem = Jamaica, Land We Love royal anthem = God Save the Queen official languages = English regional languages …   Wikipedia

  • Jamaican English — or Jamaican Standard English is a dialect of English spoken in Jamaica. It encompasses, in a unique way, parts and mergers of both American English and British English dialects. Typically it uses British English spellings but does not reject… …   Wikipedia

  • Chinese Jamaican — Ethnic group group=flagicon|China Chinese Jamaicans flagicon|Jamaica caption =Notable Chinese Jamaicans: Tyson Beckford• Naomi Campbell• Sean Paul• Bunny Lee• Clive Chin• Jully Black poptime=Approx. 70,000 [ [http://www.joshuaproject.net/peopctry …   Wikipedia

  • Jamaican diaspora — NOTOC The Jamaican diaspora refers to Jamaicans who are forced or induced to leave their traditional homelands, the dispersal of such Jamaicans, and the ensuing developments in their culture.The Jamaican diaspora exists in the United States,… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”