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Paul Bogle is a beloved figure in Jamaica. although his legal status at the time of his birth is unclear, most scholars believe that he was born free in Stony Gut, St. Thomas, in 1822. He operated a small independent farm there and became a lay preacher in the Native Baptist church. His affiliation with this antislavery branch of the Baptist Church brought him into contact with British and Jamaican abolitionist, including activist George Gordon. Methodist and Baptist leaders, as well as leaders of other religious denominations, were active participants in the antislavery struggle. As a result, members of local black congregations like Bogle's were often exposed to antislavery debates, pamphlets, and sermons.
When slavery was abolished in 1834 blacks in Jamaica were promised freedom at the end of what turned out to be a four-year period known as apprenticeship. The apprenticeship policy forced slaves to enter into labor contracts with their former owners. Although the period of apprenticeship was determined by the type of work and the plantation involved, the underlying rationale behind the policy was to help white planters make the difficult transition from chattel slavery to a system of wage labor.
The apprenticeship period gave white plantation owners time to adjust to the radical economic changes stemming from abolition. Many of them exploited this opportunity when they imposed strict labor contracts on black workers. The conditions set out in these contracts reduced the ability of workers to pursue alternative employment, keeping many beholden to jobs meted out by plantation owners. Apprenticeship was immediately challenged by abolitionists, many of whom called it another form of slavery. Bogle added his voice to the chorus, courageously criticizing the policies of colonial officials, including their failure to place limits on the power of Jamaica's white sugar planters. He translated these criticisms into political action during the 1840's when he became one of the few registered nonwhite voters in St. Thomas.
Although Bogle's educational background is unclear, his leadership in the Native Baptist Church, his ability to meet the steep property requirements for nonwhite voters, and his friendship with George Gordon made him a respected leader in St. Thomas' predominantly black peasant community. Bogle's leadership in the black community and his willingness to challenge colonial officials was called upon during the economic crisis that hit the island in the 1860's. The removal, years earlier, of protective duties on the Jamaican sugar exports placed a severe strain on many of the island's smaller sugar plantations. White landowners faced mounting economic challenges as the prices of sugar, rum, and molasses - all major Jamaican exports - fell around the world. They attempted to recoup their economic losses by overtaxing, overregulating, and exploiting the colony's black workers. These policies were met with militant resistance.
As the grievances of black peasants increased, an organized movement emerged, and Bogle was chosen as its leader. The peasants demanded reductions on taxes, restrictions on the rights of white employers to fire black workers at will, and the higher wages. Bogle attempted to present these demands to the colony's governor but was refused a meeting. Colonial officials had little interest in the demands of peasants and were unwilling to entertain any notions of reform.
Bogle responded by organizing small, armed peasant militias who trained in the hills above Morant Bay. Although the peasants would have preferred a peaceful resolution, Bogle prepared them for armed resistance. Among the reasons for forming a militia were rumors circulating in the black community that Britain intended to re-enslave black workers at the first opportunity. The fear of slavery provoked a climate of militant defiance that expressed itself when the protesters marched into Morant Bay on October 11, 1865.
The demonstration was disbanded by the police, and Bogle and his followers returned to Stony Gut.. When the police arrived three days later to arrest Bogle a large crowd gathered to protect him. The police withdrew, but an even more defiant Bogle led a second march to the Morant Bay Courthouse. When the police attacked the demonstrators, a riot engulfed the city. Twenty-eight people were killed, including the Custos, who was the highest administrative official in the parish. When calm was finally restored colonial officials whipped more than 500 blacks, burned down nearly 1000 cottages and huts, and executed nearly 500 protesters, including Bogle and Gordon.
It was in death that Paul Bogle had the greatest impact on the black resistance movement in Jamaica. His legacy is revered by political activists and laborers all throughout the Caribbean and was recalled during the turbulent labor strikes of the 1930's. Currently Paul Bogle is one of the most beloved figures in Jamaica: His face appears on the national currency (the $2 bill) and on stamps, and his statue stands on the site where he was executed by British officials in 1865. Cuban president Fidel Castro even laid a wreath at Bogle's grave when he visited the country. Jamaicans of all races celebrated Bogle's role in the emergence of black nationalism and workers' rights, and the leader was named a National Hero' in 1965.
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