John Smith (missionary)

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For other persons named John Smith, see John Smith (disambiguation).

John Smith (1790-1824) was a missionary whose experiences in the West Indies attracted the attention of the anti-slavery campaigner, William Wilberforce.

Smith arrived in Demerara under the auspices of the London Missionary Society in March, 1817. He lived at plantation Le Resouvenir, where he preached at Bethel Chapel, primarily attended by African slaves.

On the night of 17 August 1823, about ten to twelve thousand slaves drawn from plantations on the East Coast of the Demerara colony rebelled, under the belief that their masters were concealing news of the slaves' emancipation.

Smith was subsequently charged with promoting discontent and dissatisfaction in the minds of the African slaves, exciting the slaves to rebel, and failing to notify the authorities that the slaves intended to rebel. For this, he was sentenced to death. Wilberforce stepped in to arrange a reprieve, but, by the time it arrived, Smith had already perished as a result of the awful conditions in jail. His death was a major step forward in the campaign to abolish slavery.

[edit] References

  • Costa, Emilia Viotti da (1994). "Crowns of Glory, Tears of Blood". Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508298-2