Baptist War

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The Baptist War also known as the Christmas Uprising and the Great Jamaican Slave Revolt of 1831-32, was a 10 day rebellion that mobilized as many as 60,000 slaves. Led by 'native' Baptist preacher, Samuel Sharpe, it was waged largely by, though not only, his Baptist followers amongst the slaves.

The missionary-educated rebellion leaders were attuned to the abolitionist movement in London, and their intention (which failed) was for the uprising to take the form of a peaceful general strike. The rebellion was suppressed with relative ease by forces belonging to the Jamaican plantocracy. It is believed that 12 whites were killed, while hundreds of rebels died, the overwhelming majority of which were executed by military tribunals after the rebellion was concluded, at times, for quite minor offences (one recorded execution indicates the crime being the theft of a pig, another, a cow).

The brutality of the plantocracy during the revolt is thought to have accelerated the process of emancipation, with initial measures beginning in 1833, followed by partial emancipation (outright for children six or under, six years apprenticeship for the rest) in 1834, and then unconditional emancipation of chattel slavery in 1838.

[edit] References

Mary Reckerd. "The Jamaican Slave Rebellion of 1831," Past and Present (July 1969), 40(3): pp. 108-125.

Turner, Mary (same author as above, married). Slaves and missionaries : the disintegration of Jamaican slave society, 1787-1834 (University of Illinois Press, 1982).