In the book, Slaves and Missionaries: The Disintegration of Jamaican Slave Society, 1787-1834, author Mary Turner focuses on the series of slave revolts that followed a fire in St. James, Jamaica in 1831; specifically the Baptist War. Slaves feel that the message by missionaries in Jamaica, that God saw both black and white men as equal, seemed contradictory as they are being used as slaves to cultivate sugar and coffee for the profit of whites. Missionaries see how slaves are treated, and to them the slaves seem broken with the work they have to do every day. Like other slave societies, slaves are also flogged, as a way to prevent them from somehow becoming undisciplined “and to punish all forms of misbehavior: work badly done, damage to estate
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Despite these observations, may missionaries do not oppose slavery. While many missionaries work to convert Africans to Catholicism, many of them use the institution as a way to exploit slaves in order to keep them subjected to whites and to serve their own economic interests with planters. Because of this, the author said they worked “to attack the slaves’ established culture, to root out their religious ideas, to divorce them from the social traditions and moral assumptions of plantation life, to replace Anansi, the supreme ginal, with Christian and Pilgrim”. With all of these issues slaves face, as well as the rising economic troubles facing Jamaica in the early 1830s, it is no wonder that they decide to fight back against this oppression. One of the main leaders of the future rebellion was a former slave named Samuel Sharpe. Sharpe was a preacher and leader in the fight against slavery in Jamaica. There is mistaken news within Jamaica that England had decided to free all the slaves. While believing this to be true, Baptist decides to conduct a strike with other Africans in order to address the condition of workers in …show more content…
In short, this led up to armed confrontation between slaves and the British that will last for an entire year. By the start of the war, Sharpe has gathered thousands of slaves to help in his rebellion. As mentioned in other rebellions, it is not difficult for the British to defeat this large force of African slaves. Because of their military training, and the African’s lack of it, African death tolls numbered in the hundreds, which differed sharply from white death tolls which had approximately 14. Ironically, many slave masters turn on the missionaries, believing they were the ones who secretly influenced the slaves. Although many missionaries denied this, the slave masters do destroy their churches, which did house many slaves. Sharpe is captured by the British and sentenced to death by hanging. After the British Parliament recognized the brutality towards Jamaicans, as well as damage to property, they decide to begin working on emancipation legislation. This is a different response than the ones in Cuba after slave rebellions. It would not be until 1838, when slavery was officially ended in Jamaica. The author concludes the book saying that even though the rebellion was a failure, the actions like Christian leaders like Sharpe, as well as economic issues, would finally lead to the end of slavery in
Despite these observations, may missionaries do not oppose slavery. While many missionaries work to convert Africans to Catholicism, many of them use the institution as a way to exploit slaves in order to keep them subjected to whites and to serve their own economic interests with planters. Because of this, the author said they worked “to attack the slaves’ established culture, to root out their religious ideas, to divorce them from the social traditions and moral assumptions of plantation life, to replace Anansi, the supreme ginal, with Christian and Pilgrim”. With all of these issues slaves face, as well as the rising economic troubles facing Jamaica in the early 1830s, it is no wonder that they decide to fight back against this oppression. One of the main leaders of the future rebellion was a former slave named Samuel Sharpe. Sharpe was a preacher and leader in the fight against slavery in Jamaica. There is mistaken news within Jamaica that England had decided to free all the slaves. While believing this to be true, Baptist decides to conduct a strike with other Africans in order to address the condition of workers in …show more content…
In short, this led up to armed confrontation between slaves and the British that will last for an entire year. By the start of the war, Sharpe has gathered thousands of slaves to help in his rebellion. As mentioned in other rebellions, it is not difficult for the British to defeat this large force of African slaves. Because of their military training, and the African’s lack of it, African death tolls numbered in the hundreds, which differed sharply from white death tolls which had approximately 14. Ironically, many slave masters turn on the missionaries, believing they were the ones who secretly influenced the slaves. Although many missionaries denied this, the slave masters do destroy their churches, which did house many slaves. Sharpe is captured by the British and sentenced to death by hanging. After the British Parliament recognized the brutality towards Jamaicans, as well as damage to property, they decide to begin working on emancipation legislation. This is a different response than the ones in Cuba after slave rebellions. It would not be until 1838, when slavery was officially ended in Jamaica. The author concludes the book saying that even though the rebellion was a failure, the actions like Christian leaders like Sharpe, as well as economic issues, would finally lead to the end of slavery in