On August 6th 1962, Jamaican independence day was born!
After years of Spanish and subsequent British colonial rule, Jamaica was finally allowed to govern it's own political, economical, and social affairs.
The Spanish claimed the Island in 1494 when Christopher Columbus discovered it on one of his voyages to the Caribbean.
The British took over in 1655, after a short battle with the Spanish, but that only lasted until 1834 when slavery was abolished, and Jamaica gained more and more control of its affairs.
In time, the emergence of Marcus Garvey preaching black nationalism, Alexander Bustamante leading a national labor strike, Norman Manley and his cousin (Bustamante) forming opposing political parties, and the first national election of 1944, the stage was set for eventual independence.
Independence would finally arrive on August 6, 1962. With it, Jamaica was officially recognized as an independent nation... For more information read about the country's history.
Throughout the years, the Jamaican population would transform from the original Taino Indians to a mixture of Africans, caucasians, indians, Asians among others...
Jamaican Independence Day Celebratons
Every year Jamaicans around the world celebrate August 6th as the day when Jamaica was finally given the power to rule its own.
On this day, we remember our history, our descendants, our battles, and the sacrifices our ancestors made to make this country one of the greatest nation on earth.
We celebrate our people, our government, our beliefs, our principles, our traditions, our excellence in... education, sports, in business, and more...
...but most importantly we celebrate the gift of this beautiful island given to us by The Lord God Almighty himself to enjoy with our families, friends, loved ones, and visitors.
As a people, we are united in our struggles, our goals, our dreams, and our aspirations...and we are proud to be Jamaicans.
We celebrate this with our cultural dances, dresses, music, food, drink, and much more as we remember the Journey that brought us to where we are today...a proud little Island in the midst of the caribbean sea, yet a GIANT at heart.
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