The original settlers of Jamaica were the Arawak Indians. Their colony revolved around simplicity based on fishing and hunting. In 1494 when Columbus and his people arrived the Arawak population was generally wiped out. The Spanish disrupted the economy and brought new diseases to the island. Jamaica wasn’t really a significant place to the Spanish, because they were disappointed by the lack of gold and other riches. They basically used the area as a ‘home base’ while they explored other areas such as Mexico, where gold and silver could be found. In 1655, The British took over the island, and the Spanish did little to stop this from happening.
During the eighteenth century, the need for slaves was great because of the sugar production on the island. At that point, Jamaica became the center of the English slave trade because of a treaty (Treaty of Utrecht) signed by British, France, and Spain, ending a war. As the sugar gradually gained value and quantity, the ratio of......
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