Morant Bay Riot
The Morant Bay Uprising took place on October 11, 1865 in Morant Bay in Saint Thomas Parish , Jamaica . The uprising, led by Paul Bogle , marked a turning point in the island's history and sparked a controversial political debate in Britain .
Situation before the uprising
On August 1, 1834, ended Slavery Abolition Act , the slavery in Jamaica. The former slaves were supposed to be given the right to vote, but their poverty and an election tax prevented them from taking part in elections. In the 1864 election there were 32 times as many potential black voters as white voters. Nevertheless, of the 436,000 eligible voters, hardly 2,000 actually went to the polls, almost all of them white. A drought between 1864 and 1865 made the situation even worse for the former slaves, and rumors of the reintroduction of slavery circulated.
In 1865 Edward Underhill, secretary of the Baptist Missionary Society of Great Britain , wrote a letter to the colonial administration, in which he pointed out the grievances. Jamaica's Governor Edward John Eyre tried to gloss over the situation. The former slaves organized themselves in Underhill meetings . Farm workers in Saint Ann wrote a letter to Queen Victoria asking for crown land to cultivate. Eyre added his own comment to the letter, which apparently influenced the Queen's opinion.
In her response, she urged the poor to work harder without offering help. Wealthy ex-slave George William Gordon encouraged people to express their anger. One of his followers was the deacon Paul Bogle. He and another clergyman were invited to Spanish Town to speak to the governor. Eyre didn't want to see them though.
The riot
On October 7, 1865, a black man was sentenced to imprisonment by a court for entering an abandoned plantation. The verdict led to demonstrations led by Bogle. After one of the protesters was arrested, Bogle lost control of his men. They released the prisoner from prison. Thereupon Bogle and another 27 people were wanted by the police.
The real uprising began four days later on October 11th. Bogle moved with a group to the courthouse in Morant Bay for a meeting. The guards panicked and shot seven people. The protesters began to revolt and took control of the city. 18 other people, including the guards, were killed. A day later the uprising reached its climax. Around 2,000 people took part across Saint Thomas. White plantation owners were killed or forced to flee in the countryside.
Governor Eyre imposed martial law on all of Saint Thomas and sent troops. The weakly armed insurgents were unable to offer organized resistance. Many former slaves were killed, whether they were involved in the uprising or not.
439 people were killed and another 354 (including Paul Bogle) were arrested and later executed . 600 people, including pregnant women, were flogged and many were detained for long periods. More than 1,000 houses were destroyed.
Gordon, who had nothing to do with the uprising itself, was arrested in Kingston. In order to be able to try him before a military tribunal, he was taken to Morant Bay on the orders of Eyres, where martial law still existed. A court martial left him hanging on October 23 .
Debate in Britain
News of the suppression of the uprising sparked heated discussion in Britain. Representatives of different political directions spoke out for or against Eyre. A commission of inquiry was sent to Spanish Town. The knowledge she gathered led to Eyres' recall. After his return home, his supporters received him with a banquet, while his opponents tried to hold him accountable. Some felt that he should be charged with murder, which also happened twice. However, he was never tried.
Long term effects
After the uprising ended, Eyre asked parliament to dissolve the constitution in November. He wanted to make Jamaica a crown colony . Against the resistance of a small group of parliamentarians, he prevailed. A few months later he was recalled and replaced by the more liberal Sir John Peter Grant . This ended one of the most deprived phases in Jamaican history. The now more carefully elected and better monitored governors were able to solve many of the island's problems. Gordon and Bogle are among Jamaica's seven national heroes today.
Based on experience, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) was founded on November 18, 1867 .
literature
- Black, Clinton V. 1958. History of Jamaica. Collins Educational. London. ISBN 0-00-329345-9 (Chapter 17 "Morant Bay Rebellion")
- Roll, Bernard. 1962. "The Governor Eyre Controversy."
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jamaica Constabulary Force ; In: International Police Academy Review , Ed. 2, No. 3, Office of Public Safety - Agency for international Development, Washington DC, United States, July 1968, pp. 6 ff.