Jamaica

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at the unique make-up of the island of Jamaica. It begins by surveying its early history. It then looks at the issue of sugar farming and how this impacted the Jamaican slave trade. The history after slavery is detailed, looking at the period of independence in the 1930s.

From the Paper:

"While the people are generally of West African descent there is are also a large number of various minorities: these include East Indians, as well as Chinese, Europeans, Syrians and Lebanese. "Approximately 95 percent of all Jamaicans are of partial or total African descent, including 76 percent black, 15 percent mulatto, and 4 percent either black-East Indian or black-Chinese." (Hudson Rex A., and Seyler, Daniel J)
Religious activities also play an important part in the identity of the Jamaican people. There are a wide variety of denominations, including the popular Rastafarian regions group. One of the most striking trends in Jamaican religious life has been the increase of charismatic or evangelical Christian groups. (ibid) English is the official language of Jamaica. There is however a specific dialect spoken by many locals, which incorporates various African, French and Spanish elements."

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