Jamaica: Historical Overview

813 Words2 Pages

A little a dis, a little a dat
I am sure that everyone in the audience has heard about Jamaica. My question is what do you know about Jamaica?
I don't mean to put you on the spot, but if what you know about Jamaica goes something like "rum, beaches, waterfalls, tropical climate and jerk food", then chances are that's all you'll expect from a vacation. I'm just saying there's a whole lot more to Jamrock than that. Informing you about Jamaican history, early settlers, culture and migration might attract your appetite for more than just the beaches.
History
Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean behind Cuba and Hispaniola. It is also the largest English speaking island in the Caribbean. Jamaicans speak English and speak it eloquently, but with their own musical lilt. Jamaica is 51 miles wide and 146 miles long. She was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1494. She was a slave colony until 1833 when slavery was abolished. Some of its history is told by the food Jamaicans eat. The cassava the Arawaks grew is used today as "bammie, with fried fish. The Maroons, who were always on the run from being enslaved, devised a way of spicing and slow cooking pork that they called "jerking". (Information and Background on Jamaica, October 1, 2011)
Early Settlers
The island was first inhabited by a group of peaceful settlers called the Arawaks Indians who had lived there as early as 600 A.D. When the first tourist (Christopher Columbus) arrived in 1494, he described the island as “the fairest land my eyes have ever seen,” (Discover Jamaica.) Like the majority of visitors today he could not stay away and on his fourth voyage he captured the island for Spain. In 1655 The British attacked and captured the island from the Spaniards, ...

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...” Personally, I am one of those immigrants. My family moved here in the early seventies. Why? Jamaicans are ambitious and predominantly migrate for economic reasons. Jamaicans also went overseas in search of opportunities. Jamaican perceptions of the US are, it is a land of opportunity. Jamaicans has been migrating to the United States as early as the 1800s. Before long, Jamaicans
In conclusion
So, when you visit Jamaica enjoys her beauty, sample her history, experience her culture, and learn her people. Jamaican People are an example to the world ... they show how people of different cultures, skin colors, religious backgrounds, and ethnic origins can come together and live together as one people ... in friendship, in harmony, happy and smiling, and with a laid-back attitude of "No Problem Mon - Soon Come" ... whatever fate brings our way. (Jamaica-no-Problem.com)

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