Jamaica became a British colony in 1655 and until the mid 1830s the Negro
population was enslaved. Yet when slavery ended blacks were still faced with
labour exploitation and racial domination. Many of the ex-slaves became
peasants but suffered hardships from highly priced goods, heavy taxation and
a justice system which worked against peasants. The government remained
oblivious to the growing discontent of the citizens, and riots and
resistances took place, culminating in the Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865, as
these ex-slaves fought for equity and a better standard of living.
In 1866, the Old Representative form of Government was replaced with the
Crown Colony Government which comprised the Legislative Council, a Governor,
six officials and 3 non-official members. Legislations concerning land were
implemented and there was an improvement in the education system. Still, the
majority of Jamaicans reaped little benefits from Crown Colony government.
Agitation for change in the system of government began immediately after
1866 but change was achieved very slowly.
The right to vote was restricted to every sane adult who owned, had paid
taxes, or paid an annual rent or paid direct taxes to the amount of £3 a
year. In 1938, Jamaica had a unicameral legislature (one chamber
legislature) consisting of a small number of elected members- one from each
parish- and a larger number of nominated and official members. Because
Jamaica was a colony, many top positions in government were reserved for
British people. During the 1930s the number of blacks in the council and
civil service were rising. Riots broke out in 1938 as they demanded better
working conditions and representation for workers. The
agitation/disturbances of the 1930s led to the granting of Universal Adult
Suffrage in 1944 which meant that every Jamaica over 21 years would be able
to vote for the government of his or her choice, whether or not he/she owned
property.
Read more for 1945-1962:
Jamaica Struggle for Independence
