8/18/2019 The Morant Bay Rebellion

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The Morant Bay Rebellion

 Jamaica

1865

 A short introduction…….

The Morant Bay Rebellion started on October 7 1865 when Paul Bogle led a march with some

2 men whom were all armed with stic!s" cutlasses and a #ew e$en %ossessed guns& Theymarched down to the court house in 't& Thomas in the east o# (amaica" to witness the trial o# an

e)*sla$e& +hen the #urious mob arri$ed at the courthouse they were met by a small militia but

the crowd began %elting the militia with roc!s and stic!s& ,owe$er" the militia o%ened #ire on thegrou%" !illing se$en blac!s be#ore they retreated& -n succeeding days" rebellious blac!s too! to

di##erent %arts o# the island& Panic swe%t the island" and .o$ernor /yre declared martial law in

the country&

Causes of the Rebellion

The cost o# im%orted #oodstu## and clothing rose #rom 0 to 1 %er cent as a result o# an

interru%tion in merican trade during the i$il +ar  Ordinances or laws were im%lemented to %re$ent s3uatting on crown land and abandoned

 %lantations where many %easants were already established +ages on estates were e)tremely low as a result o# the #all o# sugar %rices on the mar!et

Two years o# drought in (amaica in the early si)ties damaged %ro$ision grounds and so

there was a demand #or labour on the %lantations in which they were unable to recei$e

,unger and star$ation %re$ailed during those years Blac!s #elt that they were not being #airly re%resented in go$ernment4 unust treatment

 etters to the secretary of state

-n (anuary 1865" r& /dward nderhill a#ter ha$ing recei$ed countless letters o# lamentation#rom his subordinates in (amaica"" wrote a letter to the 'ecretary o# 'tate" describing the horrors

that the %easants in (amaica #aced& They were na!ed" star$ing" o$erta)ed and underem%loyed&

!nderhill Meetin"s

-n the island e)*sla$es held meetings called nderhill meetings9 throughout the colony& -n thesemeetings they discussed %ossible solutions to relie$e the %oor o# (amaica o# their distress& They

 %re%ared letters to the :ueen as!ing her to rent them crown lands at minimal rates& The :ueen9s

ad$ice was #or e)*sla$es to return to %lantations&

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