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citizens overthrew the Girondin-led National Convention, and the Jacobins, led
by Maximilien Robespierre, took control.
Backed by the newly approved Constitution of 1793, Robespierre and the
Committee of Public Safety began conscripting French soldiers and implementing
laws to stabilize the economy. For a time, it seemed that France’s fortunes might be
changing. But Robespierre, growing increasingly paranoid about
counterrevolutionary influences, embarked upon a Reign of Terror in late 1793–
1794, during which he had more than 15,000 people executed at the guillotine.
When the French army successfully removed foreign invaders and the economy
finally stabilized, however, Robespierre no longer had any justification for his
extreme actions, and he himself was arrested in July 1794 and executed.
The Thermidorian Reaction and the Directory
The era following the ousting of Robespierre was known as the Thermidorian
Reaction, and a period of governmental restructuring began, leading to the
new Constitution of 1795 and a significantly more conservative National
Convention. To control executive responsibilities and appointments, a group known
as the Directory was formed. Though it had no legislative abilities, the Directory’s
abuse of power soon came to rival that of any of the tyrannous revolutionaries
France had faced.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Meanwhile, the Committee of Public Safety’s war effort was realizing unimaginable
success. French armies, especially those led by young general Napoleon Bonaparte,
were making progress in nearly every direction. Napoleon’s forces drove through
Italy and reached as far as Egypt before facing a deflating defeat. In the face of this
rout, and having received word of political upheavals in France, Napoleon returned
to Paris. He arrived in time to lead a coup against the Directory in 1799, eventually
stepping up and naming himself “first consul”, effectively, the leader of France.
With Napoleon at the helm, the Revolution ended, and France entered a fifteen-
year period of military rule.

SLAVE REVOLTS
The 1763 Revolt in Berbice
The Berbice Revolt occurred in British Guiana and began on 23 February,
rd

1763 and lasted into 1764.

Causes of the revolt:
➢ The slaves wished for permanent freedom from the Dutch and felt that a
revolt was the only way to achieve this.
➢ The slaves wanted revenge on the managers and overseers because of the ill-
treatment they received at their hands.
➢ Some slaves received little or no provisions because the planters did not grow
enough on the estates and the Berbice Association cut down on food imports.
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➢ The slaves knew that the whites were weak as a group (both in size and
physically).
➢ The slaves were inspired to start a revolt by a Maroon revolt in Suriname in
1762.
Course of the revolt
The revolt began on 23 February, 1763 at Plantation Magdelenenberg owned by a
rd

widow, Madame Vernesobre, on the Caje River. The slaves killed the manager and
carpenter, burned down the owner’s house, and moved onto neighbouring
plantations along the Berbice River. Coffy, a house slave, became the leader and set
up headquarters at Plantations Hollandia and Zeelandia. This forced the whites to
retreat to Fort Nassauand Peerboom.
On March 8 , Governor Van Hoogenheim received a shipload of 10 soldiers from a
th

British ship from Suriname and was able to attack for the first time. Van
Hoogenheim led the main party of the Berbice River to Plantation Dageraad, but his
three attacks were unsuccessful. In April, Coffy and the Governor sought to divide
Berbice but in that time the Governor received reinforcements from Gravesande,
the Governor of Essequibo.
On May 13 , Coffy attacked Dageraad unsuccessfully. Eight whites and 58 slaves
th

were killed. Coffy’s Deputy: Akara deserted him. Divisions plagued the black forces
(slaves). Ultimately, Coffy committed suicide.

Reasons for Initial Success of the revolt:

➢ The quality of the leadership was good. Initially, the rebellion was well
organized under the leadership of Coffy, Akara and Atta, and there was
cooperation between the Akan slave rebels and the Congolese and Angolans.
➢ The discipline and the military organization of the rebels were at first fairly
strong, so they were able to take control of almost the entire colony, leaving the
whites in control of the swampy and malaria-infested area at the mouth of the
Canje River.
➢ The slave rebels outnumbered the whites.
➢ Many of the slaves in the colony were newly imported Africans who had not
been socialized into the slave systems, and so were anxious to get out of it.
➢ The rebellion took the whites by surprise.
➢ The rebels were able to seize some arms and ammunition from some estates.

Results/consequences of the revolt:

➢ In the months of March and April of 1764, 40 slaves were hanged, 24 broken
at the wheel and 24 were burned.
➢ February 23 was changed to Guyanese National Day.
rd

➢ In 1970 when Berbice became a Republic, Coffy was chosen as a National

Hero.
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➢ The revolt marked the first serious attempt by a large group of enslaved people
to win their freedom in Guyana.
Reasons for failure of the revolt:
➢ Coffy’s hesitation on attacking Fort Nassau.
➢ The leaders of the revolt were divided in their struggle for power which
deterred their aim.
➢ The Dutch soldiers were far superior in weaponry and skill compared to the
rebels (slaves).
➢ Betrayal among leaders also led to the failure of this revolt.

The 1816 Revolt in Barbados (Bussa’s Rebellion)

Prior to 1816, Barbados had not had a major revolt for over 100 years, and the
enslavers boasted of having succeeded in creating a stable slave society. That notion
of stability and contentedness was shattered on Sunday April 14 , 1816, when
th

enslaved blacks launched an island wide assault on the enslavers. This revolt was
carefully planned and organized by the senior enslaved men and women who
worked on several estates. The leader of the revolt was Bussa. Bussa was born a
free man in Africa in the 18c. and captured and brought to Barbados as a slave. He
had a job as a Head Ranger at Bayley’s Plantation. He was also brave, strong and
determined to enforce change.
Causes of the revolt:
➢ Harsh treatment inflicted by white society created a desire for permanent
freedom and revenge.
➢ The efforts of the Non-Conformists Missionaries and Abolitionists in England
gave the enslaved population the moral justification for the revolt.
➢ An able leader called Bussa emerged among the slaves.
➢ The news of the success of the Haitian Revolution reached the other
Caribbean countries and so the slaves in Barbados believed that they too could
obtain freedom by an uprising. Slaves such as Nanny Grigg (senior domestic
slave), who aided in the revolt, frequently spoke of the Haitian struggle for
freedom.
➢ Marronage on the island of Barbados was difficult because of the flat terrain
and lack of dense forest. So for the enslaved blacks the best option to obtain
freedom and establish themselves as a dominant force was to attack the
enslavers.
➢ The enslaved made a decision to revolt because they were conscious of
international efforts aimed against enslavement. Washington Franklin, a free
man, often read newspaper reports of anti-slavery reports to the slaves.
➢ Slaves in Barbados enjoyed some measure of freedom and this measure of
freedom helped them to organize the revolt.
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➢ The slave trade had been abolished in 1807. In 1815, the British Parliament
came up with an Imperial Registry Bill to register all slaves so as to monitor the
treatment of the slaves and to stop excessive cruelty. The planters were
infuriated over the passing of this bill and saw it as an interference in their
domestic affairs. The slavesmisinterpreted this as being anger about a plan for
their emancipation. The slaves then decided to take their own freedom.
Courses of the revolt
Bussa and his collaborators decided to start the revolt on 14 April, Easter Sunday. It
th

commenced in the eastern parishes of St. Phillip and Christ Church spreading into
the parishes of St. Thomas, St. George, St. John, and parts of St. Michael, putting a
temporary halt to the sugar harvest as enslaved persons, the militia and the imperial
troops, clashed in a war for freedom and independence. Bussa commanded about
400 men and women against the troops. Bussa was killed in battle and his troops
continued to fight until they were defeated by superior firepower. By the time the
soldiers had crushed the revolt, 25% of the island’s sugarcane had gone up in
smoke. Some accounts say that no whites lost their lives, others said that one died.
Several hundred slaves were killed by the soldiers and many others were executed
afterwards. Also, some slaves were sent to other islands. Other key persons in this
revolt besides Bussa were: Washington Franklin, John and Nanny Grigg, Johnny,
King Wiltshire, Jackey, and Dick Bailey. The two major plantation that were
involved in the revolt were Bailey’s Plantation and Simmons Plantation. John and
Nanny Grigg and Jackey were from Simmons Plantation while King Wiltshire, Dick
Bailey, Johnny, and Bussa were from Bailey’s Plantation.The revolt
finally ended on April 16 .th

Reasons for the Initial Success of the revolt:

➢ The planters were complacent and they were misguided in their belief that the
slaves were content and happy. This caused them to be caught off guard.
➢ The leaders of the revolt were elite slave drivers and other privileged slaves
from various estates including Bussa, Nanny Grigg, and some free coloureds
such as Joseph Washington Franklin. They provided effective leadership for
the slaves.
➢ The revolt had spread to over seventy of the largest estates in the island.
➢ Some slaves were threatened and were forced to join the rebellion.
➢ Some slaves used guerrilla tactics against the troops.
Results/consequences of the revolt:
➢ The whites now lived in constant fear of another slave uprising.
➢ Bussa was killed in the revolt.
➢ The whites turned against the missionaries in the island, chapels were
damaged and missionaries like the Methodist, William Shrewsbury, were
threatened. Some poor whites pulled down Shrewsbury Chapel and forced
him to leave the island and take refuge in St. Vincent.
➢ Many slaves were killed during the revolt.
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➢ Many slaves were executed including Washington Franklin and others were
sent to other islands.
➢ 25% of the sugarcane crop in Barbados was destroyed. This slowed down the
sugar production process.
➢ There was a reduction in the size of the labour force.
➢ Plantation machinery was damaged and destroyed along with planters’ homes
or great houses. This caused the planters great expense. Property damage was
estimated at 175 000 pounds.
➢ Bussa (leader of the revolt) became a Barbadian National Hero in 1998.
➢ In 1985, 169 years after his rebellion, the Emancipation Statue, created by
Karl Broodhagen, was unveiled in Haggatt Hall, St. Michael.
Reasons for the failure of the revolt:
➢ The whites had superior weapons compared to the slaves.
➢ The number of slaves who participated in the revolt was relatively small. A
large force would have been needed in order to overpower the whites.
➢ Limited ammunitions for the slaves to use.
➢ Martial law was imposed to help suppress the revolt.
➢ The free coloureds supported the whites.
➢ The slaves lacked proper, effective means of communication and proper
military training.
➢ The unfavourable nature of the terrain did not allow the slaves to use their
guerrilla tactics effectively which could have led to victory.
➢ The plan for an island-wide mobilization of the slaves was not realized.

The 1823 Revolt in Demerara

The Demerara Revolt was a slave uprising involving more than 10 000 slaves that
took place in the Crown colony of Demerara-Essequibo (now part of Guyana). The
rebellion took place on August 18 , 1823 and lasted for two days and was held by
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slaves of the highest status.

Causes of the revolt:
➢ In 1823, Amelioration proposals (improvement in slave conditions) were
sent from the British Colonial Secretary to the Governor of Demerara so
that the amelioration proposals could be adopted. The Court of Policy in
Demerara examined the proposals on July 21 , 1823, and postponed
st

making a decision. The slaves believed that their masters were concealing
news of the slaves’ emancipation decided to seek their own freedom by
revolting.
➢ The slaves also wanted freedom from their enslavement.
➢ They also wanted revenge on the whites because of the harsh treatment
they were subjected to and poor living conditions they were forced to live
under.
 77

Course of the revolt

On the morning of Sunday, 17 August, 1823, slaves at Mahaica met together at
Plantation Success and three of them, Jack Gladstone, a cooper on that plantation,
Joseph Packwood and Manuel, assumed some kind of leadership of the group. All
of them began to plan an uprising, but Gladstone's father, Quamina, who arrived at
the meeting later, objected to any bloody revolt and suggested that the slaves should
go on strike. When someone asked if they should get guns to protect themselves,
Quamina said he would have to seek the advice of the Rev. Smith on this matter.
Quamina departed for Bethel Chapel at Le Ressouvenir and after the Sunday
service, he and two other slaves, Manuel and Seaton, went to Smith's home. There
they told the priest that the managers of the plantation should go to Georgetown
to ’’fetch up the new law.’’ Smith rebuked them and advised them against speaking
to any of the managers about this, saying if they did so they would provoke the
Governor. He begged them to wait until the Governor and their masters inform
them about the new regulations. When Quamina told Smith of the uprising being
planned, the priest asked them to request the other slaves, particularly the
Christians, not to rebel. Quamina promised to obey Smith and he sent his two
companions to urge other slaves not to rebel. He also told Smith he would send a
message in the evening to the Mahaica slaves not to rise up against their masters.
But despite Quamina's efforts, the slaves were determined to rebel from the
following evening. Their plan was to seize all guns on the plantations, lock up the
Whites during the night and then send them to the Governor on the following
morning to bring the ‘’new law’’. All Quamina could do was to implore them not to
be violent in the process.
But on the morning of Monday, 18 August, the plan was leaked by Joseph
Packwood, a house slave, who revealed it to his master, John Simpson, of Le Reduit
plantation, located about five miles east of Georgetown. Simpson immediately gave
this information to Governor Murray who with a group of soldiers rode up to the
area of Le Ressouvenir and La Bonne Intention where he met a large group of
armed Africans on the road. He asked them what they wanted and they replied,
‘’Our right.’’ He then ordered them to surrender their weapons, but after they
refused he warned that their disobedience would cause them to lose whatever new
benefits the new regulations aimed to provide. Further, Murray asked them to go
home and to meet with him at Plantation Felicity the next morning, but the slaves
bluntly refused this invitation.
It was very late that afternoon when Rev. John Smith first heard of the uprising. In a
note to his informant, Jackey Reed, a slave who attended his church, he stated that
hasty, violent measures were contrary to Christianity and begged Reed not to
participate in the revolt.
Shortly after, while Smith and his wife were walking on the plantation, they saw a
large group of noisy African slaves outside the home of Hamilton, the manager of Le
Ressouvenir. Smith begged them not to harm Hamilton but they told him to go
home.
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That night the slaves seized and locked up the White managers and overseers on
thirty-seven plantations between Georgetown and Mahaica in East Demerara. They
searched their houses for weapons and ammunition, but there was very little violence
since the slaves apparently heeded Quamina's request. However, some slaves took
revenge on their masters or overseers by putting them in stocks; this action resulted
in some violence a few white men were killed. The white population naturally were
very terrified and feared they would be killed. But the slaves who were mainly
Christians did not want to lose their religious character so they proclaimed that their
action was a strike and not a rebellion. At the same time, not all slaves joined the
rebels and they remained loyal to their masters.
The next day an Anglican priest, Wiltshire Austin, suggested to Governor Murray
that he and Smith should be allowed to meet with the slaves to urge them to return
to work, but the Governor refused to accept this suggestion and immediately
declared Martial law.
The 21 Fusileers and the 1 West Indian Regiment under the command of
st st

Lieutenant-Colonel Leahy, aided by a volunteer battalion, were dispatched to

combat the rebels who were armed mainly with cutlasses and bayonets on poles and
a small number of stands of rifles captured from plantations. At first, the movement
of the troops was hampered since many of the wooden bridges across the various
plantation canals were destroyed by the rebels.
The suppression of the rebellion saw much violence. On Tuesday, 19 August, there
were major confrontations at Dochfour Estate where ten to fifteen of the 800 rebels
were killed; and at Good Hope where six rebels were shot dead. On the morning of
20 August, six were killed at Bee Hive Plantation and forty at Elizabeth Hall.
There was also a major battle on the same day Bachelor's Adventure where more
roughly 2 000 slaves confronted the military. Lieutenant-Colonel John Thomas
Leahy who had about 300 men under his command asked them what they wanted.
They responded that they wanted to work for only two or three days a week. Leahy
told them if they lay down their arms and returned home he would tell the Governor
what they wanted. But perceiving that they were not interested in surrendering their
arms he, accompanied by one of his officers, Captain John Croal, went up to them
and again enquired what they wanted. They shouted that they wanted their freedom
which the King had granted to them. Leahy then read the proclamation of Martial
law to them. When he completed the reading, Jack Gladstone, one of the slave
leaders, showed him a copy of a letter signed by many plantation owners that they
were not abused by the rebels.
One of the other leaders then suggested that they should hold Leahy and Croal as
hostages, but Gladstone objected strongly and prevented such an occurrence. Many
other rebels suggested that all the slaves should march to Georgetown to present
their demands to the Governor, but Leahy discouraged this saying that if they did so
they would all be hanged, and suggested that they should communicate to the
Governor through him. He then gave them half an hour to decide to surrender their
arms, failing which he would order his men to shoot. However, the rebels continued
 79

to show defiance and Leahy ordered his troops to open fire. Many of the slaves fled
in confusion while some others quickly surrendered their weapons to the troops. In
this savage crushing military action, more than 250 were killed. A report prepared
by Governor Murray two days later praised Leahy and his troops and noted that only
one soldier was slightly injured while noting that ‘’100 to 150’’ slaves were shot
dead.
The uprising collapsed very quickly since the slaves, despite being armed,
was poorly organised. After their defeat at Bachelor's Adventure, the Governor
proclaimed a full and free pardon to all slaves who surrendered within 48 hours,
provided that they were not ringleaders of the rebellion. He also offered a reward of
1 000 guineas for the capture of Quamina whom he regarded as the main leader of
the rebellion.
In the military sweeping-up exercises that followed, there were impromptu court-
martials of captured slaves and those regarded as ringleaders were immediately after
executed by firing-squad or by hanging. Many of the corpses were also decapitated
and the heads were nailed on posts along the public road. Among those hanged was
Telemachus of Bachelor's Adventure who was regarded as a ‘’ringleader’’ of the
uprising at that location.
Some of the rebels who escaped were also hunted down and shot by Amerindian
slave-catchers. Quamina himself was shot dead by these Amerindian slave-catchers
in the back lands of Chateau Margot on 16 September and his body was later
publicly hanged by the side of the public road at Success. Jack Gladstone was later
arrested and also sentenced to be hanged; however, his sentence was commuted but
he was sold and deported to St. Lucia in the British West Indies.
Out of an estimated 74,000 slaves in the united colony of Essequibo-Demerara
about 13 000 took part in the uprising. And of the 350 plantations estates in the
colony, only thirty-seven were involved. No doubt, many who did not take part
sympathized with the rebels and shared their suspicion that the planters would spare
no efforts to prevent them from obtaining their freedom.
On 25 August, Governor Murray set up a ‘’court-martial’’ headed by Lieutenant
Colonel Stephen Arthur Goodman, for the trials of the arrested rebel slaves who
were considered to be ‘’ringleaders.’’ The trials which continued into early 1824
were conducted at different plantations and the prisoners were executed by shooting
or hanging and their heads were cut off and nailed to posts. Over 200 Africans were
beheaded and their heads placed on stakes at the Parade Ground in Georgetown
and from Plaisance to Mahaica in East Demerara. Of those condemned to death,
fourteen had their sentences commuted but, like Jack Gladstone, they were sold to
other slave owners in the British West Indies.
In addition, there were other sentences, including solitary confinement and flogging
of up to 1 000 lashes each. Some were also condemned to be chained for the rest of
their servitude.
Meanwhile, on the day of the Bachelor's Adventure battle, the situation took a
strange turn when Rev. John Smith was arrested and charged for encouraging the
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slaves to rebel. While awaiting trial, he was imprisoned in Colony House. His arrest,
undoubtedly encouraged by many of the planters, was seen as an act of revenge
against the priest for preaching to the slaves.
Despite being a civilian and charged for the crime allegedly committed before
Martial law was proclaimed, he faced a trial by a military court-martial presided by
Lieutenant Colonel Goodman from 13 October to 24 November, 1823. He was
tried for four offences: promoting discontent and dissatisfaction in the minds of the
slaves towards their masters, overseers and managers, and inciting rebellion;
advising, consulting and corresponding with Quamina, and aiding and abetting him
in the revolt; failure to make known the planned rebellion to the proper authorities;
and not making efforts to suppress, detain and restrain Quamina once the rebellion
was under way.
Smith denied the charges but, nevertheless, he remained imprisoned for seven
weeks in Colony House before his trial took place. He was found guilty and
sentenced to be hanged and was transferred from Colony House to the local prison.
He appealed to the British government which subsequently ordered a commutation
of the death sentence and restored his freedom. However, while awaiting
information of the results of his appeal to arrive by ship from England, he died from
pneumonia in the prison on 6 February, 1824. To avoid the risk of stirring
sentiment against the slave-owners, the colonial authorities buried his body before
daybreak but deliberately did not mark his grave.
The information that he was acquitted actually arrived in Georgetown on 30 March,
weeks after his funeral, (significantly, the appeals court in repealing his sentence also
banned him from residing in Guyana and any other British Caribbean territory and
ordered him to post a bond of 2,000 pounds.) News of his death was later published
in British newspapers; it caused great outrage throughout Great Britain and 200
petitions denouncing the actions of the colonial authorities were sent to the British
Parliament.
Results/consequences of the revolt:
➢ The numerous petitions, including some by Parliamentarians, and newspaper
comments condemning the military trial and the death sentence on Rev. Smith
finally resulted in a formal motion being raised in the British House of
Commons. It called for the members to ‘’declare that they contemplate with
serious alarm and deep sorrow the violation of law and justice’’ in the trial of
Rev. Smith and urged King George to adopt measures to enable the just and
humane administration of law in Demerara to ‘’protect the voluntary instructors
of the Negroes, as well as the Negroes themselves and the rest of His Majesty's
subjects from oppression.’’
➢ Many slaves lost their lives.

➢ The motion was presented by a Member of Parliament from the Opposition

and it was debated on 1 June and 11 June,1824.
 81

➢ Speeches opposing the motion and supporting the trial by court martial were
made by parliamentarians on the government side as well as ministers of the
government, including the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, George
Canning. Speaking in support of the motion were leading members of the
Opposition, including the famous leader of the anti-slavery movement, William
Wilberforce, but despite their strong arguments, the government majority voted
against it.
➢ The forceful speeches on both sides examined the trial of Rev. Smith through
the perspective of various laws- British common law, Dutch law, British
military law, Dutch military law and Demerara colonial law.
➢ The debate also threw light on the political feelings of British lawmakers of the
early nineteenth century regarding their opinions on slavery and British
amelioration policies in Guyana and the British Caribbean possessions. In
addition, it exposed some of their views on the East Coast Demerara slave
uprising of August 1823 which was a major blow to colonial rule and most
likely helped to hasten the end of African slavery in the British colonial
territories.
➢ In Guyana, the slaves regarded Rev. Smith's death as a sacrifice which was made
on their behalf, and soon after, they began referring to him as the ‘’Demerara
Martyr’’.
Reasons for the failure of the revolt:
➢ There was a lack of unity among the rebels. Some slaves wanted to use passive
forms of resistance while others wanted to use insurrectionary forms of
resistance.
➢ The whites had superior weapons compared to the slaves.

➢ The slaves had limited ammunitions while the whites had plenty of
ammunitions which they readily used.
➢ The troops were better trained and organized.

➢ The slaves lacked proper training and they were not well-organized.
 82

The 1831-2 Revolt in Jamaica/ Sam Sharpe Rebellion/ Christmas

Rebellion/ The Baptist War
This revolt was led by Samuel Sharpe, a slave Baptist deacon. Samuel Sharpe is
blamed for the violence that occurred but however, he never instructed the slaves to
act violently against the whites. Instead, he suggested a peaceful approach such as
the refusal to work unless wages were paid. This revolt is the last slave revolt to take
place in the British West Indies and the largest with over 20 000 slaves involved.
This revolt saw the end of slavery soon afterwards in the British West Indies. This
revolt along with the 1816 revolt in Barbados and the 1823 revolt in Demerara are
collectively known as the ‘’Emancipation Wars’’.
Causes:
➢ Samuel Sharpe was a literate man who would have had access to newspaper
reports about English politics and about the anti-slavery arguments in England.
In 1831, it was clear that the British Parliament would emancipate the slaves
soon and that the planters would try to find ways of keeping their unpaid
labour. Sam Sharpe and the other slaves believed that the planters were
withholding their freedom so they sought out to obtain it.
➢ The slaves desired freedom from their harsh enslavement.

➢ The activities of the Non-Conformist Missionaries in Jamaica implanted in the

minds of the slaves that slavery was wrong and that they were supposed to be
free men so they wanted to be freed so they started a revolt.
Course of the revolt
The plan for the revolt began on December 25 , 1831. Sam Sharpe had suggested
th

that the slaves refused to work unless they were paid wages. The actual violence of
the Jamaican Revolt that began on Tuesday, 27 December, 1831. It was the last
th

night of the three-day Christmas festival. The signal for the strike to begin started
with the firing of the sugar trash on the evening of the 27 on the Kensington Estate.
th

By midnight, sixteen other estates were burning. It moved from the original aim of a
strike quickly into a rebellion. With little or no arms, the slaves knew that the only
way to struck their oppression was by firing the estates. The planters who were in
the interior began to desert their estates. The roads were then in the hands of the
rebels. For eight days, there was hardly a single colonist to be seen in those areas. As
well as in Montego Bay and Savanna-La-Mar. Fifty thousand slaves fled to coastal
towns and began to ramble about, plundering and burning at will.
By the first week of January 1832, the revolt was completely squashed by the martial
law that was called in.
The hunt was then put in place to gather the slaves that had escaped to be placed
before the court and have their fate handed down to them.
Ways in which Sharpe’s Leadership Role in the Church helped the revolt:
➢ He read scriptures thoughtfully and came to the conclusion that all men are
equal and that no man has the right to keep another man in slavery. This
helped him to make up his mind to fight slavery.
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➢ He had the freedom to move from estate to estate conducting meetings. He

shared his ideas with selected people with whom he had private talks after the
prayer meetings, thus he was able to push the recruitment
campaign vigorously under the cover of prayer meetings.
➢ As a preacher, he was an eloquent speaker and was able to rouse the emotions
of his audience.
➢ He had an extraordinary degree of influence among his fellow slaves, and he
was able to influence several people in recruiting to join his struggle.
Reasons for Initial Success of the revolt:
➢ Samuel Sharpe had spent several months from April 1831 secretly, patiently,
carefully planning. He moved from estate to estate, secretly organizing,
lecturing, arguing and persuading the slaves. He worked tirelessly and was
totally committed.
➢ He used the bible to support his theme that all men had a right to freedom.
This won him the support of many slaves in the western section of the island,
who had come under his influence directly or indirectly.
➢ Even though the planters had heard slight rumours about the work
stoppage, they did not employ sufficient extra precautionary measures. They
were therefore taken by surprise. This gave the slaves and advantage at the
start.
➢ The small garrison of some several hundred soldiers seemed no match for
the thousands of slaves who began to wander about.
Results/Consequences of the revolt:
➢ One hundred and sixty estates of various kinds were destroyed by fire.
➢ The slaves were defeated (400 slaves died) and another 100 were executed
following Martial law.
➢ About a dozen white were murdered.
➢ The Non-Conformist Missionaries were blamed for the revolt and were made
to suffer their alleged guilt.
➢ William Knibb and Thomas Burchell were Missionaries who were threatened
with trial for encouraging the rebellion returned to England after their acquittal
and gave first-hand accounts of what occurred in Jamaica. They told the people
what would occur if slavery was to occur.
➢ Samuel Sharpe was tried in April 1832, found guilty of rebellion and
insurrection, and hanged on 23 May, 1832.
rd

➢ The whites now lived in constant fear of a greater slave insurrection. It

reminded many of rebellion in St. Domingue.
➢ Despite its failure, the Jamaican uprising played a significant role in the advent
of abolition in the BritishCaribbean. A week after Sharpe’s execution,
Parliament appointed a committee to consider measures for abolition. Dozens
of witnesses were called to testify in London, and after months of debate, the
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Act for the Abolition of Slavery was passed in 1833. Samuel Sharpe’s war
brought about an earlier emancipation for the enslaved, and built up their
confidence that they were agents of their own liberation.
➢ Samuel Sharpe was made a Jamaican National Hero in 1975 and a statue in his
honour has been erected in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
➢ Samuel Sharpe’s face also appears on the Jamaican $50 bill.

Reasons for the failure of the revolt:

➢ The revolt was brutally suppressed. Hundreds of virtually unarmed people were
killed by the troops, many were executed after brief trials, others were brutally
flogged.
➢ The British Troops and Militia had superior weaponry and skill compared to
the slaves so they were able to defeat them and bring the revolt under control as
they brutally suppressed them.
➢ The revolt was relatively poorly planned.
➢ Sharpe’s plan of action did not include violence. Therefore, there was a lack of
proper leadership, training, organization, and communication among the slaves
who had resorted to violence.
➢ The government was able to deploy the Maroons against the slaves as a result of
the 1739 treaty.

Reasons why many slave revolts failed

The fact that many slave revolts did not achieve freedom was due to:
➢ The lack of unity among the insurgents.
➢ The military assistance to colonies by other colonies.
➢ The superior weapons of the whites.
➢ Limited ammunitions.
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➢ Divisiveness among the blacks.

The Impact of revolts
While slave revolts may have assisted in giving planters a sense of racial and group
solidarity they also invoked a great deal of fear for the following reasons.
➢ Death and injury.
➢ Overthrow of slavery.
➢ Destruction of the plantations.
➢ Removal of the planter government.
➢ Independence- European countries feared the loss of their colonies to the
enslaved.
➢ Disruption of the social order and political systems.
Throughout slavery, resistance and revolts were constant features of Caribbean
society. Slaves did not flee because escape undermined their master’s property, even
though flight had that impact. Slaves fled because they wanted freedom from their
bondage, and flight- desperate as such action often was- offered some hope that
freedom might be attained. By revolting,enslaved persons tried to undermine the
stratified system of slavery.

METROPOLITION MOVEMENTS TOWARDS

EMANCIPATION
Introduction
The slaves took the first steps towards emancipation. They made many attempts to
free themselves and destroy a system that robbed them of their freedom.
Consequently, they resorted to non-violent and violent methods such as lying,
malingering, insolence, infanticide, abortion, marronage (running away), suicide,
sabotage, and revolt.
Revolts were a constant feature of Caribbean slave society. They were feared by the
whites because they resulted in death and destruction. Most of the revolts were
instigated and carried out by African-born slaves rather than Creole slaves.
Reasons why
1. There were some African-born slaves who were from highly military societies
such as the Akan and were not prepared to accept enslavement. These slaves
were skilled in forest warfare and guerrilla type tactics and so, they used these
kills to try to gain their freedom.
2. In territories like Jamaica, St. Domingue, Suriname, and Berbice, the African-
born population vastly outnumbered the Creoles, and so the majority group
took the initiative to try to free themselves.