The House of Assembly held its first meeting on 20 January 1664 at
Spanish Town. Originally, there were twelve districts represented. 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. 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. ==See also==