1831 Revolt

CARIBBEAN HISTORY
THEME 3 RESISTANCE AND REVOLT

TOPIC: 1831 REVOLT JAMAICA
(BAPTIST WAR)
ALSO CALLED THE CHRISTMAS REBELLION

THIS REVOLT WAS LED BY SAMUEL SHARPE, A SLAVE BAPTIST DEACON.
1831 REVOLT JAMAICA (BAPTIST
WAR/CHRISTMAS REBELLION
 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 OF THE REVOLT
 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 25th, 1831. Sam Sharpe had
suggested that the slaves refused to work unless they were paid wages. The
actual violence of the Jamaican Revolt that began on Tuesday, 27th December,
1831. It was the last 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 th
on the Kensington Estate. 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.
COURSE OF THE REVOLT
 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.
 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
23rd May, 1832.
RESULTS/CONSEQUENCES OF THE
REVOLT
 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 British Caribbean. 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 Act for the Abolition of Slavery was passed in
1833.
 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 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.
REFERENCES
 Greenwood, R. & Hamber, S. (2008) Emancipation to Emigration. Macmillan Caribbean.

 Mahase, R.& Baldeosingh, K. (2011). Caribbean History for CSEC. Oxford University
Press.
 Gittens, D.etal.(2017).Caribbean History for CSEC Study Guide. Oxford University Press

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CARIBBEAN HISTORY

THEME 3 RESISTANCE AND REVOLT

ALSO CALLED THE CHRISTMAS REBELLION

 Greenwood, R. & Hamber, S. (2008) Emancipation to Emigration. Macmillan Caribbean.

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