Paul Bogle (1822 – 24 October 1865)Dugdale-Pointon, T.

Military History Encyclopedia good on the Web, 22 September 2008. was a Jamaican Baptist deacon and activist. He is a National Hero of Jamaica. He was a leader of the 1865 Morant Bay protesters, who marched for justice and fair treatment for all the people in Jamaica. After leading the Morant Bay rebellion, Bogle was captured, tried and convicted by the colonial government (who had declared

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

), and hanged on 24 October 1865 in the Morant Bay court house. Bogle had become a friend of a wealthy landowner and fellow Baptist George William Gordon, a bi-racial man who served in the Assembly as one of two representatives from St. Thomas-in-the-East parish. Gordon was instrumental in Bogle being appointed deacon of Stony Gut Baptist Church in 1864. Conditions were hard for black peasants, due to social discrimination, flooding and crop failure, and epidemics. The required payment of

poll taxes A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. ''Poll'' is an archaic term for "head" or "top of the head". The sen ...

prevented most of them from voting. In August 1865, Gordon criticised the governor of Jamaica,

Edward John Eyre Edward John Eyre (5 August 181530 November 1901) was an English land explorer of the Australian continent, colonial administrator, Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand's New Munster province, and Governor of Jamaica. Early life Eyre was born in ...

, for sanctioning "everything done by the higher class to the oppression of the negroes".Kevin O'Brien Chang
"Paul Bogle – Defender of the People"
''The Gleaner'', 25 July 2012. Bogle concentrated on improving the conditions of the poor.E. L. Bute and H. J. P. Harmer, ''The Black Handbook: The People, History and Politics of Africa and the African Diaspora'', London & Washington: Cassell, 1997; p. 10. As awareness of social injustices and people's grievances grew, Bogle led a group of small farmers 45 miles to the capital,

Spanish Town Spanish Town (Jamaican Patois: Spain) is the capital and the largest town in the Parishes of Jamaica, parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica, St. Catherine in the historic county of Middlesex, Jamaica, Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the Spanish and Briti ...

, hoping to meet with Governor Eyre to discuss their issues, but they were denied an audience.Clinton Hutton
"Review: ''The Killing Time: The Morant Bay Rebellion in Jamaica'' " by GAD Heuman
''Social and Economic Studies'', Vol. 44, No. 1 (March 1995), pp. 191–205, . The people of Stony Gut lost confidence and trust in the Government, and Bogle's supporters grew in number in the parish.

Morant Bay rebellion

On 7 October 1865, Bogle and some supporters attended a trial of two men from Stony Gut. One was convicted and sentenced to prison on charges of trespassing on a long abandoned plantation. A member of Bogle's group protested in court over the case, but was immediately arrested, angering the crowd further. He was rescued moments later when Bogle and his men took to the market square and retaliated. The police were severely beaten and forced to retreat. On Monday, 9 October 1865, warrants were issued against Bogle and a number of others for riot and assault. The police arrived in Stony Gut to arrest Bogle but met with stiff resistance from the residents. They fought the police, forcing them to retreat to Morant Bay. A few days later on 11 October 1865, there was a vestry meeting in the Court House. That day Bogle led hundreds of followers, armed with sticks and machetes, on a protest march to the court house. The authorities had mustered a volunteer militia, who fired into the protesters after stones were thrown, killing seven men. The protesters set fire to the Court House and nearby buildings. When officials tried to leave, several were killed by the angry mob outside; a total of 25 on both sides died that day. Black peasants rose and took control of the parish for two days. The governor quickly retaliated, declaring

and ordering troops to capture the rebels and suppress the rebellion. The troops destroyed Stony Gut and Bogle's chapel, killing more than 400 persons outright across the parish, including women and children. They arrested more than 300 persons, including Bogle.

Jamaican Maroons Jamaican Maroons descend from Africans who freed themselves from slavery in the Colony of Jamaica and established communities of Free black people in Jamaica, free black people in the island's mountainous interior, primarily in the eastern Pari ...

from Moore Town eventually captured Bogle and delivered him to the colonial government. He was tried under martial law and quickly executed, as were many others. Others, including women, and children were brought back to Morant Bay to be tried under martial law. Gordon was convicted of conspiracy and hanged on 23 October, and Bogle was hanged the following day. Back in Britain there was public outcry, and increased opposition from liberals against Eyre's handling of the situation, with accusations against him of murder. Supporters praised the governor for acting quickly in the crisis to suppress a potentially larger rebellion.Heuman, ''The Killing Time'', pp. 164–182.

Aftermath

By the end of 1865 the "Governor Eyre Case" had become the subject of widespread national debate. In January 1866, a Royal Commission was sent to investigate the events. Governor Eyre was suspended and recalled to England and eventually dismissed. The national government changed that of Jamaica. The House of Assembly resigned its charter, and Jamaica was made a

Crown Colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by Kingdom of England, England, and then Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English overseas possessions, English and later British Empire. There was usua ...

, governed directly by Britain. The "Eyre Controversy" turned into a long and increasingly public issue, dividing well-known figures of the day. It may have contributed to the fall of the government. In 1866

John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, politician and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of liberalism and social liberalism, he contributed widely to s ...

set up and chaired the Jamaica Committee to examine the atrocities committed in Jamaica in the course of ending the rebellion.

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher. Known as the "Sage writing, sage of Chelsea, London, Chelsea", his writings strongly influenced the intellectual and artistic culture of the V ...

set up a rival committee to defend Eyre. His supporters included

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English polymath a writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as art, architecture, Critique of politic ...

Charles Kingsley Charles Kingsley (12 June 1819 – 23 January 1875) was a broad church priest of the Church of England, a university professor, social reformer, historian, novelist and poet. He is particularly associated with Christian socialism, the workin ...

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

and

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...

. The Morant Bay rebellion turned out to be one of the defining points in Jamaica's struggle for both political and economical enhancement. Bogle's demonstration ultimately achieved its objectives and paved the way for new attitudes.

Legacy

In 1969 Paul Bogle was named a National Hero along with George William Gordon,

Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) (commonly known a ...

, Sir Alexander Bustamante and Norman Washington Manley. In the 1970s, two other National Heroes were added in the form of Samuel Sharpe and Queen Nanny of the

Maroons Maroons are descendants of Africans in the Americas and islands of the Indian Ocean who escaped from slavery, through flight or manumission, and formed their own settlements. They often mixed with Indigenous peoples, eventually evolving into ...

. Bogle is depicted on the heads side of the Jamaican 10-cent coin. His face was also depicted on the Jamaican two-dollar bill, from 1969 until 1989, when the two-dollar bill was phased out. Since 2023, he has been featured on the fifty dollar bill alongside George William Gordon. The identity of the sitter in the photograph used for these depictions is disputed. The Paul Bogle High School in the parish of his birth is named after him. He is referred to together with Toussaint L'Ouverture, leader of the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...

, in the name of the London-based publishing company Bogle-L'Ouverture.

In popular culture

As a national hero, Paul Bogle is referenced in many works of Jamaican culture. Most notably,

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

performer Gerald Levy's

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

was "Bogle" (also "Mr Bogle" and "Father Bogle").

Third World The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Southern Cone, NATO, Western European countries and oth ...

produced a song about Bogle's execution, "1865 (96 Degrees In The Shade)", released in 1977 on the album of the same name.Heuman, ''The Killing Time'', p. 186. Other

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

artists who have named and written songs in tribute to Paul Bogle include Lee Scratch Perry and a co-production between The Aggrovators and the Revolutionaries. Bogle is mentioned in songs by

Burning Spear Winston Rodney Order of Distinction, OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist, and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian movement, Rastafarian and one of the ...

, The Mighty Diamonds, Brigadier Jerry, The Cimarons,

Steel Pulse Steel Pulse are a roots reggae band from the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, and were composed of David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals), and Ro ...

, Prince Far I,

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American musician. She is celebrated as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation. Hill is credited with breaking barriers for female rappers, contributing to the popular music, m ...

and General Trees. In "So Much Things to Say", by Bob Marley & The Wailers (and subsequently covered by

), Marley mentions Bogle in the same breath as

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

and

, concluding: "I'll never forget no way they turned their backs on Paul Bogle, so don't you forget no youth who you are and where you stand in the struggle." Paul Bogle is mentioned in the songs "See them a come" and "Innocent blood" by the

band

Culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

. Tarrus Riley also mentions Paul Bogle in the song "Shaka Zulu Pickney", alluding to his ancestry as a freedom fighter. St Thomas-born reggae artist Dwight "Bushman" Duncan hosts an annual

Black History Month Black History Month is an annually observed commemorative month originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the Af ...

event called Football N Style in honor of Paul Bogle. He has also dedicated a series of his YouTube blog "Where I'm From" to Paul Bogle and the Morant Bay uprising. Paul Bogle and the events outlined above are the theme of "Ballard of 65" by General Trees. The British rapper Akala references Bogle on the track "Maangamizi" from his album ''The Thieves Banquet'', saying: "Probably don't know the

caused the French to sell half of America, nor know the role that Africans played in the Civil War for that same America. If you ain't heard of Nanny of the Maroons or Bogle, you probably believe what they told you." Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician Junior Reid mentions Paul Bogle in the song "Same Boat", which recalls the era of slavery, by saying "Paul Bogle haffi run like Usain Bolt". Both George William Gordon and Paul Bogle are mentioned in

Horace Andy Horace Andy (born Horace Keith Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as " Skylarking", as well as "Government Land", "Angel", "Spying Glass", and "Five Ma ...

's "Our Jamaican National Heroes", while Ruddy Thomas' "Grandfather Bogle" is a Bogle tribute. Bogle and the Morant Bay rebellion are pivotal plot points in

Zadie Smith Zadie Smith (born Sadie; 25 October 1975) is an English novelist, essayist, and short-story writer. Her debut novel, ''White Teeth'' (2000), immediately became a best-seller and won a number of awards. She became a tenured professor in the ...

's 2023 novel ''The Fraud''. Prince Far I - Jamaican Heroes released on Trojan Records 1980

References

External links