Although politically turbulent, the years following the French Revolution were quiet on Jamaica. Few slave uprisings occurred, and wars seemed to be finally at an end. However, when Britain called for the end of slavery, Jamaica's planters were faced with a situation they certainly did not want (Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom).
The idea to abolish slavery in Britain had been brewing for a few centuries before finalizing in the early 1800s with the ban on importing slaves into the Caribbean colonies, as well as claiming all aspects of slave trade illegal (Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom). However, the new laws impact in Jamaica was minute – England’s distance from the Caribbean made it easy for the colonies to ignore.
1827 marked the year an Act of Parliament was passed in England that declared the smuggling of slaves to be a form of piracy. Piracy was punishable by death; this scared many away from the illegal actions happening mostly in the West Indies (Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom). Bills provisioning the emancipation of the slaves soon followed the abolition of the slave trade (Abolition of Slavery).
The abolition of slavery was the result of the work of many people in England who believed that slavery was inherently bad. Pressures in England by the Anti-Slavery Society led to the historic idea of a gradual abolition of slavery in the colonies (Abolition of Slavery). The government drew up laws defining the abolition of slavery, which also included instructions for the improvement of the slaves' way of life (Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom).
In Jamaica, however, the House of Assembly met these measures with refusal. The Assembly claimed that the slaves were content with life as they were, and they objected to Parliament's interference in island affairs (Abolition of Slavery). Jamaica’s governor, Duke of Manchester, did little to implement Britain's laws (Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom). England had high hopes that Jamaica would eventually come around to this new way of thinking (Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom). However, this was not the case.
The whites' dislike of the new policies led to unrest in the slave population (Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom). The whites would discuss these matters openly in front of slaves, and they slaves started to believe that the Jamaican government, along with the white masters, were withholding rights and their freedom that Britain had apparently granted them (Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom).
Revolts due to this unrest occurred in the British colony of Jamaica. Jamaican whites used this unrest to serve their own purposes, claiming that the slaves “had been happy until they began to believe the crown had made them free (Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom).” The Jamaican Assembly wrote to Britain asking for financial assistance in putting down these uprisings, claiming that it was the fault of their propaganda that led to revolts (Abolition of Slavery).
The Jamaican slaves, organized on the western part of the island, under the leadership of Samuel "Daddy" Sharpe. Sharpe was a Baptist preacher and slave and went on strike in 1831 (Jamaica in Slavery in Freedom). This strike grew into one of the biggest slave rebellions Jamaica ever experienced. It would also prove to be the last rebellion (Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom). This event inched towards their final goal of freedom.
Jamaica was also home to a large mulatto population, which would play an important role in the political changes of the island. The mulattoes were the descendants of white planters (Abolition of Slavery). Although the children were by law slaves, most fathers freed their children. By the 1820s, Jamaica's mulatto population was larger than the white population (Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom). Many had even acquired a great deal of wealth. Many were also involved in the militia (Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom). Edward Jordon was the leader of the free mulatto portion of the population, and he edited a newspaper that called for an end to slavery (Abolition of Slavery).
Jordon became an important part of Jamaican life in the next few years. The island's mulatto residents were also becoming dissatisfied with their position and lack of legal rights (Abolition of Slavery). Although they could work for themselves and own property, they could not vote or hold office (Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom). In 1820, the mulattoes of Jamaica had begun to organize behind Jordon. They managed to push through an act giving themselves full civil rights (Abolition of Slavery).
One of the strongest arguments for slavery had been the cheap cost of sugar production (Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom). However, negligence and other effects allowed the cost of sugar to ride dramatically in the British West Indies. The government decided to harshly tax sugar imported from other sources. By 1829, most British people could not afford sugar because the prices had skyrocketed (Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom). British laws to improve the quality of slave life were continuously rejected in Jamaica, but the argument for cheap labor had dissipated (Abolition of Slavery). Parliament was now no longer sympathetic to the troubles of the white plantation owners (Abolition of Slavery).
In 1833 a bill to free all slaves was introduced in the British Parliament, called the Abolition of Slavery Act (Jamaican in Slavery and Freedom). This Act eventually led to Jamaican independence.
*All information found via:
"Jamaica History: Abolition of Slavery | Jamaica-guide.info." Jamaica Guide - Culture, History, Vacations, Travel, and More | Jamaica-guide.info. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://jamaica-guide.info/past.and.present/history/slavery.emancipation/>.
Monteith, Kathleen E. A., and Glen Richards. Jamaica in Slavery and Freedom: History, Heritage and Culture. Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies, 2002. Print.
Google Images
Youtube
Jamaicanisms:
Jamaican Fried Dumplings Recipe (courtesy of allrecipes.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment