THE HISTORY OF JAMAICAN POLITICS: The Morant Bay Uprising

Paul Bogle walked forty-five miles to ask Governor Edward John Eyre to hear the cries of the poor people of St. Thomas. The governor refused. What followed became one of the most important turning points in Jamaican history. In this episode of The History Of Jamaican Politics, we look at Paul Bogle, George William Gordon, and the 1865 Morant Bay Rebellion. This is the story of poverty, land hunger, colonial power, political silence, courthouse fire, martial law, execution, and the rebellion that helped end the old plantocracy-controlled system in Jamaica. Paul Bogle was not simply a riot leader. He was a Baptist deacon, a landowner, a community organizer, and a man who understood that the post-emancipation promise had been broken. This is the story of what happened when the people asked to be heard, and the government sent them home. Watch now and follow The History Of Jamaican Politics for more stories from Jamaica’s political past.