In 1645, British imperialists established colonial rule over Jamaica and exploited enslaved African to capitalize on the islands’ rich resources. An estimated 700,000 descendants of Africa were subjugated to slavery and shipped to Jamaica over the course of the following two centuries. Additionally, civilizations of indigenous people were destroyed, pre-Columbian economies were eliminated, and New World ideologies, particularly racial stratification, were established. Transatlantic slave trade was discontinued by Britain in 1807, yet, slavery continued to thrive in Jamaica until August 1, 1834 when Parliament sanctioned an indenture system that required all slaves over the age of six years to complete an involuntary four – six year term of apprenticeship prior to being granted their freedom. This system was comparatively as disparaging to blacks as slavery because oppressors sought to utilize this timeframe to further weaken and or diminish the morale of blacks before they gained their freedom. The wrath of colonization and slavery completely debilitated the black community in Jamaica and inhibited their ability to establish self-sovereignty until 1958. In 1962 Jamaica finally gained independence from Britain, yet, to this day, the economic, social, and political infrastructure of Jamaica remains dilapidated and the nation struggles to establish itself above the grade of a third world country.
Legendary reggae artist, Robert Nesta Marley, played an influential role in agitating change on behalf of disenfranchised descendants of Africa by using his music as a voice and outlet to spread awareness of the social and financial problems afflicting his people. His grassroots band, Bob Marley and the Wailers, was founded in the

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...romote the establishment an atmosphere throughout society that is completely unencumbered by forces that oppress or impede on a individual’s freedom to execute will of power. In a world that is void of imposed ideologies (e.g. racism or Christianity), both men agree that mankind is designed to establish and accomplish necessary goals to evolve to an ultimate level of being, happiness. Centuries upon centuries of established laws, religions, and stratifications have fostered a society in which man is excessively dependant on being told what is right and what one ought to do. Nietzsche and Marley call for the relinquishment of all such complacency and urge people to follow what they devise is right and what they believe they ought to do. Freedom to exercise free will is the utmost triumphant, and thus sings the prose of such Friedrich Nietzsche and Robert Nesta Marley.
In document 10, it tells how the British traded a little for a lot, this means the British traded finished goods that the African people didn't have, like powder, bullets, iron bars, copper bars, brass pans, british malt spirits etc… for slaves “but in the main, with very little that is not of our own growth or manufacture”. In document 9, it shows Jamaica's (British colony)time span of the years 1703-1789 and how the slave population was at 45,000 at 1703 and now it's at 250,000 at 1789. Threw all of these slaves
The system of justice that Nietzsche employs although somewhat cynical has a substantial amount of merit as a form of justice, which is present in our society. This is demonstrated through the depiction of the creditor/debtor relationship that exists in our democratic societies, and the equalization process that occurs, and furthermore that Nietzsche is correct to assess justice as such a principle. The issue is most obvious in the penal system; however it is also prevalent in personal day-to-day relationships as well as political structures.
"The Rastafarians emerge as a loosely organized inspirational group (or groups?) of men and women concerned at the plight of black people, especially the plight of those whose ancestors were forcibly removed from Africa to become the slaves of the white man on his plantations in the islands of the Caribbean"(Cashmore, 1). The English takeover of Jamaica in 1660 started the terrible beginning of the African Diaspora. Millions of Africans were stolen off of their continent and were shipped over to the Caribbean where they were fashioned to do slave labor so the Europeans could make money. Over 80 million Africans died in the process of departing to the islands. The slaves were denied any form of religion and were treated like animals. They were also denied food and were made to grow their own food so they could feed themselves. Many years went by till the slaves started to rebel. The 'Maroons' were a group of runaway slaves who started a powerful group of guerrilla warriors who lived in the most dangerous woods in Jamaica. But the Maroons gave in and signed a peace treaty in 1738 and were paid to catch the runaway slaves and became supporters of slavery.
As Madeleine L’Engle aptly said, “because to take away a man's freedom of choice, even his freedom to make the wrong choice, is to manipulate him as though he were a puppet and not a person,” taking away freedom of choice is equivalent to stripping off humanity. Mankind has evolved to have the ability to use the mind for reason and understanding, which separates humans from beasts and machines. It is this ability that allows man to analyze and formulate different choices, and have the freedom over them. Despite the knowledge that freedom of choice is fundamental in making humans human, social control has always been one of the leading reasons to justify the removal of that freedom. Through showing the need for the loss of freedom for social stability and the resulting problems, both The Unincorporated Man and A Clockwork Orange highlight the conflict between control and freedom.
Eventually they started importing slaves because they were not only cheaper, but easier to replace when they died, as most people who came to these islands did. By 1650, there were approximately 20,000 black slaves in Barbados; and by 1700, nearly as many as 45,000 black slaves in Jamaica (the prevalent sugar producer at this point in time). It was in these West Indian Islands that slavery not only got started for the English, but grew the fastest.
Reggae music is a meaningful channel for social change. Reggae music portrays resistance to oppression, it is a symbolic action, part of a nonviolent revolution. It is a type of rhetoric; a method of communication designed to influence and persuade. It is a message with a purpose, it represents a crystallization of fundamental issues. Reggae music asks the listener to reconsider our daily lives and to hear the cry of the sufferer, because so many people are suffering. The lyrics and music of Robert Nesta Marley gave reggae music international recognition. Bob was a charismatic performer who truly stands out as a prophet. There is clearly a prophetic overtone to his lyrics yet he was only given the prophetic status after he died. His lyrics operate on a deep level, yet they typically relate to everyday occurrences. Bob's music was and is a powerful force to ease the pain of life in the ghetto. He embodied a feeling of empowerment, and encourages all listeners to 'chant down Babylon'.
The history of African-Americans has been a paradox of incredible triumph in the face of tremendous human tragedy. African-American persons were shown much discrimination and were treated as second class citizens in the colonies during the development of the nation. The first set men, women, and children to work in the colonies were indentured servants, meaning they were only required to work for a set amount of years before they received their freedom. Then, in 1619 the first black Africans came to Virginia. With no slave laws in place, they were initially treated as indentured servants, a source of free labor, and given the same opportunities for freedom dues as whites. However, slave laws were soon passed – in Massachusetts in 1641 and Virginia in 1661 –and any small freedoms that might have existed for blacks were taken away (“African American Slavery in the Colonial Era, 1619-1775”). Legislation later allowed laws permitting the act of slavery in the colonies and the areas under the Royal Crown. For example, in 1661 the Barbados Slave Code was passed by the colonial English legislature to provide a legal base for slavery in the Caribbean island of Barbados. This law allowed slave owners the right to do anything they wished to their slaves, including mutilating them and burning them alive, without any interference from the government (“Sugar and Slaves”). From the first ship of African slaves delivered in 1619 to the Revolutionary War to the Civil War and recent history, the legacy of the men, women, and children slaves lives on in the hearts of many in the United States of America through the impact of the colonies economically, socially, and politically.
“For the island colony was divided into three main groups in a political and social way. The descendants of the slaves were three-fourths of the population and classified as black or dark brown. The descendants of Europeans and slaves were about one-fifth of the population and classified as coloured or light brown. The rest were a few thousand East Indians and Chinese and perhaps the same number of pure European decent.” (Pg. 4) Claude Mckay blatantly describes the historical reality here in his novel, Banana Bottom. The reality that McKay is describing in Jamaica, directly relates to the history of the Caribbean and Jamaica specifically in the 19th Century.
Nothing in life is guaranteed, but the one thing that humans demand is freedom. Throughout history, there are countless cases where groups of people fought for their freedom. They fought their battles in strongly heated debates, protests, and at its worst, war. Under the assumption that the oppressors live in complete power, the oppressed continuously try to escape from their oppressors in order to claim what is rightfully theirs: the freedom of choice. In Emily Dickinson’s poems #280, #435, and #732 and Harriet Jacobs’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, freedom is represented by an individual’s ability to make their own decisions without the guidance, consultation, or outside opinion of others in order to find their true sense of self. Once an individual is physically and spiritually free, they can find their true sense of self.
Nietzsche attacks religion for its stance against of healthy instinctive values and the intolerance and complacency that religion breeds.(Nietzsche 52) Nietzsche believed that the Christen morality prevented us from reaching our full potential as human beings(Janaway). Nietzsche most classical explanation for how this repressing of healthy values, such as passion and ambition occurred is the slave revolt. In this theory he states that the priestly classes of the ancient world invented an evaluative system for the downtrodden, according to which what their masters considered virtues, such as pride and strength are evil(Milgram 93). A result of this is this pervasive feeling of self guilt when our natural instincts provoke such feelings from within us, which has a negative impact on our mental health (Janaway).
People are free to choose how they want to live; because of this choice individuals are responsible for shaping
Marley was born into Jamaica’s poverty and it is where he developed a strong love of reggae and became a Rastafari. Reggae, evolved from another musical style called Ska in the late 1960’s, is considered the voice of the ‘oppressed’ peoples. Many reggae lyrics are politicalised and centre on themes of freedom and fighting for it. (Cooper, 2014)
Though slavery was abolished in 1838, as a mark of continued colonial imperialism, the framers of the Jamaican Constitution (and other CCS) blindly preserved much of their colonial legacy when Jamaica gained independence on August 6th, 1962. Most notably, Jamaica retained the Westminster Style parliament (which dominates the CCR) and the Common Law legal system. Having mirrored their colonial masters, these constitutional documents of the CCR, were in no way autochthonous or the product of any sustained political discourse. In fact, history shows that that there was no ideological debate prompting a pull of ideas from the people. Instead, they were the end product of quick negotiations between the political elites of the colonies, with the stamp of approval from technocrats (lawyers and politicians) based in London looking only after their own interests and the interest of the plantocracy establishment based in the Caribbean. There were no representatives of the masses vociferously expounding their views and interests; who seemed to be powerless and forgotten. Subsequently, by being prosaic in nature, “constitutionalism has bequeathed us a legacy of democratic strictures and traditions premised on those in the UK.” However, the Constitutions of the CCR departed from the British model with the inclusion of a written bill of rights. Chapter 3 of the Jamaican Constitution accordingly entrenches the protection of individual rights enforced by judicial review, entrenching constitutional supremacy over legislative and executive actions.
Friedrich Nietzsche has probably been one of the most criticized and controversial philosophers of modern times. His philosophy and ideas offended many, as much as it attracted others for over a century after his death. Most of his work was done under ill conditions that included headaches, depression and loneliness throughout the years he lived. His philosophical ideas included, firstly, that God was death. Secondly, the concept of an “Overman”. Thirdly, the idea of master morality. Friedrich’s arguments have influenced on how different individuals see today’s concept of religion, morals and achievement of power.
Why are we who we are? Or more importantly, why are we human? Why does humanity act, think, work, live the way that it does? The answer to this statement may or may not be known, but it is generally agreed upon that this question can be explored with a thorough analysis of an abstract topic known as the Human Condition. The human condition is a philosophical idea, which revolves around figuring out what makes humans human. The human condition is a core principle in humanity, with many different interpretations; many of which can be considered contradictory, due to the nature of philosophy, and is made up of 6 core traits, 3 of which will be explored throughout this essay.