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May 5, 1492
Discovery of Jamaica
Christaphor Columbus sailed west to find the East Indies and found the West Indies. Christaphor heard about Jamaica which was called Xaymaca. Cubans described Jamaica as "the land of blessed gols" but Columbus soon found out Jamaica had no gold. -
English Attack
Admiral William Penn and General Robert Venables led an attack on Jamaica. The Spinards surrendered to English, freed their slave and then fled to Cuba. The buccaneers based at Port Royal were drawn attention from the Jamaica. The buccaneers took their loot of fold, silver, and jewels to Port Royal. -
Passage Fort, Kingston Harbor
English sailors and soldiers arrived at Passage Fort and began to march towards Spanish Town. Admiral Penn and General Venables, who were sent by Oliver Cromwell to capture the island of Hispaniola. They failed to take the city Santo Domingo and sailed to Jamaica. The Spaniards surrendered. -
Government of Jamaica
Commission arrived from England formally appointing Doyley as Governor of Jamaica, and commanding him to establish a Council to assist him in the government of the colony. This Council was to be elected by the colonists. -
House of Assembly
The first House of Assembly was called together. It consisted of twenty people all voted by the people. It took place at Spanish Town and passed 45 laws for the governemnt of the colony. -
Lord Vaughan
Lord Vaughan arrived as Governor. The next year 1,200 settlers from Surinam came to Jamaica and started sugar plating. Three years later, Lord Vaughan left Jamaica. -
Sir Hans Sloane
The Duke of Albemarle as Gavernor came with Sir Hans Sloane as his physician. Hans wrote two large volumes on Jamaica. Albemarle favoured Sir Henry Morgan, who died in in 1688. -
Port Royal
When a voilent earthquake struck Port Royal the survivors resettled in Kingston and abandoned the Port. Later, the Port Royal became an important naval base in the eighteenth century. -
Slavery
The Abolition Bill was passed. Trading African slaves was declared "utterly abolished, prohibited and declared to be unlawful" in Jamaica. Emancipition and apprenticeship came into effect in 1834 and full freedom was granted in 1838. -
Independence
Jamaica was granted there independence from England. Jamaica now has its own constitution which sets out the laws by which peple are governed.
