Christopher Columbus claimed Jamaica for Spain in 1494 and it became a Spanish colony in 1509. The local population was enslaved. When they started dying off from overwork and abuse, enslaved Africans were brought in to take their place. Disappointed with the lack of gold, the Spanish mainly used Jamaica as a naval base. A group of British sailors took over the island in 1655, maintaining control until independence in 1962 when local leaders formed a democratic government
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