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 Jamaica |  United States |
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Jamaica and theUnited States maintain productive diplomatic relations.
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England established a sugar colony in 1655 following the successfulinvasion of Jamaica during theAnglo-Spanish War.Spain acknowledged English possession of Jamaica in the 1670 Treaty of Madrid led byRobert Venables after it was made an ambitious plan byOliver Cromwell to acquire new colonies in theWest Indies. In 1662, there were about 400African slaves on the island. As the cultivation ofsugar cane was introduced, the number of slaves grew to 9,504 by 1673. The landowners acquired more slaves to work on the estates, and in 1734 there were 86,546 slaves imported fromAfrica to theAmericas. Enslaved people from Jamaica arrived in theThirteen Colonies, asMassachusetts was the first English colony to legally recognize slavery in 1641. In 1662,Virginia passed a law that the children of enslaved women took the status of the mother, rather than that of the father, as undercommon law. This legal principle was calledpartus sequitur ventrum. During the 1770s, Africans fromJamaica, both enslaved and free, participated on both sides of theAmerican Revolutionary War.
Most slaves[clarification needed] were loyal toBritain after thewar. The eruption of theFrench Revolution inspired the August 1791Haitian Revolution on the former French colony ofSaint-Domingue, where JamaicanvoodoopriestDutty Boukman fromBois Caïman served as a key leader of the slave revolt in theCap-Haïtien region of the north of the island. Following the capture of Louverture in 1802 and his death atFort de Joux in 1803, his successorJean-Jacques Dessalines defeated the French army ofNapoleon Bonaparte to its withdrawal after theBattle of Vertières. On 1 January 1804,Saint-Domingue proclaimed its independence and renamed the island nationAyiti, meaning Land of Mountains.Haiti became the world's first black-led republic in theNew World and the second independent nation after theUnited States.
In 1807, following the abolition of theAtlantic slave trade, the British in Jamaica agreed to abolish slavery on behalf of the government of Prime MinisterCharles Grey after the death ofWilliam Wilberforce in 1833 that ended the nightmare of all slaves with full freedom that was granted in Jamaica on 1 August 1838. On 6 August 1962,Jamaica gained independence from theUnited Kingdom where both the QueenElizabeth II and KingCharles III have become bothJamaican Monarchs. The United States recognized Jamaica's independence on 16 August 1962 with the establishment of U.S. Embassy inKingston.
Former Prime MinisterPatterson visited Washington, DC, several times after assuming office in 1992. In April 2001, Prime Minister Patterson and other Caribbean leaders met with PresidentGeorge W. Bush during theSummit of the Americas in Quebec, Canada, at which a "Third Border Initiative" was launched to deepen U.S. cooperation with Caribbean nations and enhance economic development and integration of the Caribbean nations.Portia Simpson Miller attended the "Conference on the Caribbean--A 20/20 Vision" in Washington in June 2007.
The United States is Jamaica's most important trading partner; the bilateral trade in goods in 2005 was over $2 billion. Jamaica is a popular destination for Americantourists; more than 1.2 million Americans visited in 2006. In addition, some 10,000 Americancitizens, including many dual-nationals born on the island, permanently reside in Jamaica.
The Government of Jamaica also seeks to attract U.S. investment and supports efforts to create aFree Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). More than 80 U.S. firms have operations in Jamaica, and total U.S. investment is estimated at more than $3 billion. An office of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, located in the embassy, actively assists American businesses seeking trade opportunities in Jamaica. The country is a beneficiary of theCaribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA). TheUnited States Chamber of Commerce, which is also available to assist U.S. business in Jamaica, has offices inKingston.U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) assistance to Jamaica since its independence in 1962 has contributed to reducing the population growth rate, the attainment of higher standards in a number of critical health indicators, and the diversification and expansion of Jamaica's export base. USAID's primary objective is promoting sustainable economic growth. Other key objectives are improved environmental quality and natural resource protection, strengthening democratic institutions and respect for the rule of law, as well asfamily planning. In fiscal year 2006, the USAID mission in Jamaica operated a program totaling more than $21 million in development assistance.
ThePeace Corps has been in Jamaica continuously since 1962. Since then, more than 3,300 volunteers have served in the country. Today, the Peace Corps works in the following projects: Youth-at-Risk, which includes adolescent reproductive health,HIV/AIDS education, and the needs of marginalized males; watersanitation, which includes rural waste water solutions and municipal waste water treatment; andenvironmental education, which helps address low levels of awareness and strengthens environmental nongovernmental organizations. The Peace Corps in Jamaica fields about 70 volunteers who work in every parish on the island, including some inner-city communities in Kingston.
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Jamaica is a major transit point forcocaine en route to the United States and is also a key source ofmarijuana and marijuana derivative products for the Americas. During 2006, the Government of Jamaica seizednarcotics destined for the United States, arrested key traffickers and criminalgang leaders, and dismantled their organizations. Jamaica remains the Caribbean's largest producer and exporter of marijuana. The efforts of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) enabledcannabis seizures to increase by over 200% in 2006. In 2006, the JCF arrested 5,409 persons on drug related charges, including 269 foreigners. Additionally, more than 20,000 kilograms of marijuana were seized, and 6,300,000 marijuana plants eradicated in 2006. Operation Kingfish is a multinational task force (Jamaica, U.S., United Kingdom, and Canada) for coordinating investigations leading to the arrest of major criminals. From its October 2004 inception through December 2006, Operation Kingfish launched 1,378 operations resulting in the seizure of 56 vehicles, 57 boats, one aircraft, 206 firearms, and two containers conveying drugs. Kingfish was also responsible for the seizure of over 13 metric tons of cocaine (mostly outside of Jamaica) and over 27,390 pounds of compressed marijuana. In 2006 Operation Kingfish mounted 870 operations, compared to 607 in 2005. In 2006, throughcargo scanning, the Jamaican Customs Contraband Enforcement Team seized over 3,000 pounds of marijuana, ten kilograms of cocaine, and approximately $500,000 at Jamaican air and seaports.
Principal Jamaican officials:
Embassy of Jamaica inWashington, D.C.
The U.S.embassy in Jamaica is inKingston, as are the USAID Mission and the Peace Corps headquarters.
TheEmbassy of Jamaica is located inWashington, D.C. Thegovernment of Jamaica also maintains threeconsulates inMiami,Florida andNew York City.[3]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromU.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets.United States Department of State.
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