Jamaica's Timeline

A historical timeline of Jamaican events

This timeline of Jamaica's history is filled with a number of events, both big and small. Each item is itself a link to an article where you can read more about the event.

While most articles' events are grouped together, some articles have overlapping chronologies. If there is a particular time period you're interested in reading more about, you may find yourself reading several in-depth articles.

Year (A.D.)	Event
650	First Arawak Arrival
850-900	Second Arawak Arrival
1493	Columbus departs on second voyage
1494	Columbus arrives in Jamaica
1502	Columbus' fourth voyage departs
1503	Columbus lands at St. Ann's again
1504	Columbus leaves Jamaica
1506	Columbus dies
1508	Diego Columbus is appointed Governor of the Indies
1510	First town founded on Jamaica (Sevilla la Nueva, New Seville)
1512	Motion to move Jamaican colonists to Cuba
1520	A plague kills many Arawaks
1524	New Seville abandoned Moved to Villa de la Vega/St. Jago de la Vega, now Spanish Town
1555	Chased away French ships
1580	Portuguese and Spanish monarchs marry, many Portuguese Jews immigrate
1581	Brother Francisco Marques de Villalobos became the first abbot on Jamaica
1597	Sir Anthony Shirley landed and sacked Spanish Town Fernando Megarejo becomes Governor
1598	Governor Megarejo proposes a reservation for the Arawaks, it is rejected
1624	Britain begins colonizing the Caribbean
1640	Spanish crown took control of the colony
1643	Captain William Jackson plunders Spanish Town
1644	Jamaicans send word to Spain about frequency of attacks
1653	Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, plans Western Design
1654	Admiral Penn attacks Santo Domingo on Hispaniola
1655	English capture Jamaica at Kingston Harbour, Arawaks have been wiped out
1656	Governor of Nevis Luke Stokes moves to Jamaica with colonists to Port Morant
1658	Cromwell dies, Charles II ascends to English throne Spanish forces attempt to reclaim Jamaica
1660	Spanish combatants flee to Cuba
1661	D'Oyley becomes first civil governor of Jamaica
1662	D'Oyley leaves Jamaica, unhappy with the government policies Lord Windsor leads for 10 days
1663	Offer made to Maroons of land and freedom in exchange for surrender
1664	Sir Thomas Modyford appointed Governor of Jamaica Began sugar cultivation
1670	Jamaica ceded to England officially in the Treaty of Madrid
1677	Charles II puts Jamaica under Poyning's Law
1678	The Earl of Carlisle arrives to put in place the new law
1690	Slaves in Clarendon rebel and join the Maroons Cudjoe begins to organize First Maroon War
1694	Buccaneer du Casse from French Hispaniola attacks the island
1702	War of the Spanish Succession causes heightened defenses in the Caribbean
1713	Peace treaty between Britain and Spain signed
1717	King's Pardon offered to pirates who surrendered within a set time First printing press in Kingston
1718	War between Britain and Spain broke out
1720	Calico Jack caught off the north coast of Jamaica
1721	Treaty of Madrid ends war between Britain and Spain
1722	Hurricane destroys much of Jamaica, including Kingston Harbour
1728	Planter Lawes introduces coffee at Temple Hall estate
1729	Revenue Act passed by the Assembly, ensuring Jamaican self-government
1734	Captain Stoddart attacks Maroons at Nanny Town in the Blue Mountains successfully
1738	Colonel Guthrie offers Cudjoe of the Maroons peace terms
1739	Colonel Guthrie and Cudjoe agreed to peace, giving Maroons freedom War of Jenkins' Ear between British and Spanish
1741	Quao of the Maroons makes peace with British British attack Cartagena, Colombia
1744	France joined Spain in the war Hurricane and earthquake hit Jamaica, Kingston Accidental introduction of guinea grass to Jamaica
1745	Unsuccessful slave conspiracy
1748	War ends with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
1754	Moravian missionaries arrive in Jamaica, teach slaves Christianity
1755	Governor Admiral Knowles attempts to transfer capital from Spanish Town to Kingston
1756	Seven Years' War between France and Britain
1758	Spanish join French in war
1760	Tacky's Rebellion, Jamaica's most serious slave revolt, began
1763	Treaty of Paris ends Seven Years' War Britain gains Dominica, Grenada, Grenadines, St. Vincent, and Tobago Spain regains Florida and Havana
1765	Slave uprising in St. Mary Britain passes the Stamp Act
1766	Slave uprising in Westmoreland
1768	Slave uprising against Kingston discovered and stopped
1775	Fighting begins in American Revolution Jamaica writes bill slowing the importation of slaves, crown does not pass bill
1777	Slave uprising in Hanover and Westmoreland stopped before it could begin
1778	France joins the North American colonies against England in the war Ackee plant brought to Jamaica
1779	The American Revolution shifted to the Caribbean French fleet arrives in Haiti Spain declares war on England - not siding with America
1780	Nelson goes to fight for Lake Nicaragua, returns with fever Admiral George Rodney commands the fleet Hurricane devastates Jamaica
1781	British capture St. Eustatius Another hurricane destroys much of Jamaica
1782	Battle of the Saints takes place, Jamaica remains in British hands Mango brought to Jamaica
1783	American Revolutionary War ends
1784	Jamaica devastated by hurricane
1785	Jamaica devastated by hurricane
1786	Jamaica devastated by hurricane
1787	Captain Bligh goes to Pacific in search of new foods for Jamaicans to grow
1789	French Revolution begins
1790	Haitian blacks begin revolting on Hispaniola
1791	Assembly decides to support cultivation of foodstuffs
1793	Breadfruit brought to Jamaica by Captain Bligh Louis XIV killed Britain wars with France Jamaica's Governor ordered to suppress the Haitian Revolution
1795	Trelawny Town Maroon uprising and Second Maroon War General Williamson takes command of troops on Hispaniola
1796	Second Maroon War ends, Maroons deported
1798	Brigadier-General Maitland made terms with Toussaint L'Overture to end the fighting Black troops left on Hispaniola
1803	French settlers evacuated from Hispaniola
1805	Martial law declared with news of a French fleet on the way
1807	British Act of Parliament makes importation of slaves illegal for British subjects
1808	Duke of Manchester arrives as Governor Law passed declaring slave trade unlawful in Britain
1812	American War of 1812 increased trade with Jamaica
1815	French Revolution officially ends
1823	Anti-Slavery Society founded in England
1827	Law passed charging slave traders as pirates, with punishment of death
1830	Law passed giving mulattoes equal rights with whites in Jamaica
1831	Sharpe's Rebellion Christmas week
1833	England passes the Abolition of Slavery Act, providing for emancipation the following year
1834	Jamaican act restricting voting Date set by Emancipation Act for young slaves to be freed and apprenticeship of older slaves
1836	Second act on Jamaica restricting voting; both acts disallowed in England
1838	Date of full freedom for non-field slaves; later re-scheduled date of all slaves' full freedom Indian immigration begins
1839	Parliament passes the West Indies Prisons Act
1840	Africans encouraged to become indentured servants on Jamaica
1846	England passed a law equalizing sugar tariffs
1850	Outbreak of Asiatic cholera
1852	Parliament steps in with the Assembly Outbreak of smallpox
1853	Second outbreak of cholera
1860	Chinese immigration begins
1862	Edward John Eyre becomes Governor
1865	Petition sent to Queen Victoria for help; Queen's Letter received Morant Bay Rebellion occurs Jamaica becomes a Crown Colony
1866	Sir John Peter Grant arrives as Governor
1870	Rio Cobre Irrigation Works began to irrigate lands near Spanish Town Captain Baker works to expand banana exports
1872	Capital transferred from Spanish Town to Kingston
1879	Baker begins widely exporting bananas to the U.S. French begin work on the Panama Canal
1883	Sir Henry Norman brings improved constitution to Jamaica
1889	Sir Henry Blake became Governor
1907	Earthquake destroys Kingston
1914	WWI begins
1915	First Jamaicans sail to join in the war
1917	Conscription Law passed
1918	WWI ends
1921	Commission sent to examine Jamaica's government
1927	Marcus Garvey returns to Jamaica, works to improve the situation of blacks
1929	Jamaica Banana Producers Association forms Great Depression causes sugar prices to drop
1936	Jamaica Banana Producers Association becomes a private trading company
1938	West Indies Sugar Company estate workers strike
1940	Britain leases air bases to the U.S. for WWII Colonial Development and Welfare Act passed
1944	New Constitution ends the Crown Colony status of Jamaica
1953	Constitution modified to create the position of Chief Minister and 7 others
1955	Norman Manley elected to head Government People's National Party (PNP) wins majority
1957	More constitutional changes creating Cabinet Government
1958	Federation of the West Indies forms with British colonies
1961	Jamaica leaves the Federation
1962	Jamaica becomes independent
1965	Bustamante retires
1969	Norman Manley dies Michael Manley takes control of PNP, cultivates Democratic Socialism
1972	PNP wins control in elections
1974	PNP under Manley affiliates itself with Castro and socialism, begins government control of businesses
1980	Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) wins in elections
1989	PNP wins in elections
1992	Manley retires; Patterson takes his place
1997	Patterson re-elected
2002	Patterson re-elected

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Jamaica's Timeline

A historical timeline of Jamaican events

Jamaica History