U.S. Constitution vs. Jamaican Constitution - 1444 Words

Upon initial consideration, one would presume that the United States Constitution and the Constitution of Jamaica would not be similar at all. After all, the United States Constitution was ratified in 1787, whereas the Jamaican Constitution was not ratified until 1962, the year Jamaica gained its independence. At first glance, Jamaicas constitution appears to be most similar to that of England, because they both establish a parliament and share the same chief of state (Queen Elizabeth II). These similarities are understandable considering the United Kingdom owned Jamaica until Jamaica gained its independence in 1962. But if one digs deeper into Jamaicas constitution, the many resemblances with the United States Constitution begin to†¦show more content†¦As with the U.S., bills may be introduced by any member of either house, and approved by both houses. The existence of an upper house (Senate) in both Constitutions permits useful participation in public affairs to those who might not wish to run for election. Senate also encourages the patronage offerings of the major political parties. The final branch that the Constitution of Jamaica creates is the judicial branch. As is the case with the U.S. judicial branch, the Jamaican judiciary is a network of courts, ranging from petty sessions of the Court of Appeal, to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, which is essentially identical to the U.S. Supreme Court. Also like the U.S. judicial system, the head of the Jamaican judicial branch is the Chief Justice. In addition to an elected House of Representatives and an appointed Senate (upper house), the Parliament consists of a ceremonial head, the Queen, or in her absence the Governor-general. The Governor-general nominates the twenty-one members of the Senate: thirteen on the Prime Ministers advice and eight on the opposition leaders advice. The sixty House of Representative members are elected by the citizens of Jamaica based on p opular vote. The Jamaican Constitution requires that the Prime Minister call a general election no later than five years after the first sitting of the previous Parliament (Government and Politics). In order to qualify forShow MoreRelatedAfrican Transformation from 1865-19201832 Words   |  8 Pagesfor blacks to vote. Even with the right to vote blacks were suppressed by and scared out of voting be the Klu Klux Klan which used tactics such a lynchings to scare blacks of voting. Ida B. Wells was a black journalist who exposed lynchings in the U.S. Literacy test and poll taxes were also tactics used by white surprimisist to get blacks not to vote. 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