The House of Assembly was the
legislature
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...
of the
British colony of Jamaica.
It held its first meeting on 20 January 1664 at
Spanish Town.
[ Cundall, Frank. (1915]
''Historic Jamaica''.
London: Institute of Jamaica. p. 15. As a result of the
Morant Bay Rebellion, the Assembly voted to abolish self-governance in 1865. Jamaica then became a direct-ruled
crown colony.
Originally there were twelve districts represented.
For many years, a high property qualification ensured that the House of Assembly was dominated by the
White Jamaican
White Jamaicans also known as European-Jamaicans are Jamaican people whose ancestry lies within the continent of Europe, most notably Great Britain and Ireland. There are also communities of people who are descendants of people who arrived from ...
planter class
The planter class, known alternatively in the United States as the Southern aristocracy, was a racial and socioeconomic caste of pan-American society that dominated 17th and 18th century agricultural markets. The Atlantic slave trade permitted ...
. However, to elect these representatives, the bar was lower for "freeholders", who just had to be white men with a house, pen or plantation, and owned black slaves.
[Christer Petley, ''White Fury'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018), p. 42.]
A law passed in 1840 allowed some blacks and mixed-race men to vote in elections to the Assembly, though they had to own property, so the white planters continued to dominate it.
See also
*
Jamaican general elections, 1677–1863
Jamaican may refer to:
* Something or someone of, from, or related to the country of Jamaica
* Jamaicans, people from Jamaica
* Jamaican English, a variety of English spoken in Jamaica
* Jamaican Patois, an English-based creole language
* Culture ...
*
List of speakers of the House of Assembly of Jamaica
This is a list of speakers of the House of Assembly of Jamaica (1664-1865). Cundall, Frank. (1915''Historic Jamaica''.London: Institute of Jamaica. pp. xvi-xviii.
17th century
* 1664. Robert Freeman
* 1664. Sir Thomas Whetstone
* 1671. Samuel ...
*
Parliament of Jamaica
The Parliament of Jamaica is the legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. It consists of three elements: The Crown (represented by the Governor-General), the appointed Senate and the directly elected House of Representatives.
The S ...
References
{{Jamaican elections, state=collapsed
Colony of Jamaica
Historical legislatures
Politics of Jamaica
Political organisations based in Jamaica
1664 establishments in Jamaica
1865 disestablishments in Jamaica
Members of the House of Assembly of Jamaica
Speakers of the House of Assembly of Jamaica