Independence of Jamaica Independence of Jamaica The Colony of Jamaica gained independence from the United Kingdom on 6 August 1962. In Jamaica, this date is celebrated as Independence Day, a national holiday. The Caribbean island now known as Jamaica was first settled by the Arawak and Taíno peoples, who originated in neighboring South America. Genoan explorer Christopher Columbus discovered Jamaica in 1494 during his second voyage to the New World, and claimed it for Crown of Castile. At this time, over two hundred villages existed in Jamaica, largely located on the south coast and ruled by "caciques," or "chiefs of villages". The Spanish
Independence High School (San Jose, California) Independence High School (San Jose, California) Independence High School, also referred to as IHS, is a public high school located in the Berryessa district of Santa Clara County, California, United States. The school is operated by the East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD). Its namesake is the United States Declaration of Independence, which celebrated its bicentennial in the same year Independence High was established in 1976. Independence is considered a magnet school, with three specialized programs, called "academies": electronics, finance, and teaching. Later magnet programs were extended into the performing arts and space technology, which were cut in 2009