On 20 May 1655, English forces began the siege of Spanish-held Jamaica after their failed attempt to take Santo Domingo. The invasion changed the colonial power controlling the island; it did not mark the beginning of slavery in Jamaica. Africans already enslaved under Spanish rule and Taíno survivors lived through the conquest, while some Africans left Spanish control and formed independent Maroon communities. The surviving Spanish account also records Black and mixed-race fighters in the resistance to the English.
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Which event changed the European colonial power ruling Jamaica in 1655?
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Explanation
English forces began their siege in May 1655. Slavery in Jamaica existed before this change of colonial rule.
The English siege of 1655 marks the beginning of slavery in Jamaica.
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Explanation
Slavery existed under Spanish colonial rule before the English conquest.