The roots of the national movement for independence reach back into the struggles for land in the 19th century. More immediately, it was inspired by the political ideas and agitation of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, one of Jamaica's national heroes, and precipitated by the reaction of the sugar and dock workers to the economic crisis spawned by the Great Depression. The movement emerged as a political force in the context of the rebellion in 1938. Its most enduring political institutions are the two major political parties and the labor unions affiliated with them. Both Alexander Bustamante, the founder of the Jamaica Labor Party (JLP) and the Bustamante Industrial Trades Union (BITU), and Norman Manley,the founder of the People's National Party (PNP) and the National Workers Union (NWU), have been declared national heroes for their individual and combined efforts in securing political independence from England. The constitutional changes that facilitated the emergence of these parties was the granting of adult suffrage and a measure of self-government in 1944.

Political Independence was granted in 1962, following Jamaica's rejection, by referendum, of membership in the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica was given a Westminister style constitution, with a Governor-general as the representative of the British Crown, and a bicameral Parliament. There is a House of Representatives consisting of elected representatives and a Senate appointed by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. The government is headed by a Prime Minister, who is required to consult with the Governor General and the Leader of the Opposition on certain matters. The first two governments were formed by the JLP (Jamaica Labor Party) and PNP ( People’s National Party).