Jamaica slave revolt

"A historic revolt, a forgotten hero, an empty plinth: is there a right way to remember slavery?"

A long read worth saving

[i]"The full history of Atlantic slavery is scarcely taught in the US or the UK, and so it’s not surprising that few people in either country know much about Tacky’s revolt. Until recently, however, I didn’t realise that Jamaicans don’t know this history much better. I had assumed that in a country with a Black majority population, which had emerged from one of the most brutal slave societies in human history, basic education would have offered a much better understanding of slavery and its legacies than the one I had received in the US. I was wrong.
While no one in Jamaica denies the importance of slavery’s history, little is known about antislavery uprisings."[/i]

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/mar/26/historic-revolt-forgotten-hero-empty-plinth-jamaica-slavery-chief-tacky

In reply to trev114

I think there is a Tacky High School in Jamaica!

In reply to trev114

Thanks for sharing

Just asking a question: Was Jamaica the only Caribbean island where the slaves revolted? I heard about the Jamaican Maroons who were such na force that the English had to enter into a treaty with them but never heard of any other islands with similar opposition.

In reply to trev114

We learned it and in-depth too. I think that revolt as well as Morant Bay Rebellion is why this generation look at MAROONS askance.. They absorb history from a more Afrocentric perspective than us who were firce-fed the Euro take

In reply to Slipfeeler

No, there were slave revolts in other British colonies as well.

There was the Bussa revolt in Barbados in 1823, and the Jack Gladstone revolt in Guyana around the same time.

But Jamaica's mountainous interior was a major factor in the great prevalence of slave revolts in Jamaica. Many rebels were able to escape to the forested mountains, where they were able to live for years, without being caught by either the colonial authorities, or the Maroons who supported the colonial militias after the treaties 1739 and 1740.

The eastern Caribbean islands didn't offer that enticing alternative, though the Guyanese jungles were a potential refuge.

In reply to trev114

Well, there is a reason why more people in the Caribbean do not know much about slave rebellions, the reason being that the educational system in the Caribbean was controlled by the colonial powers. Obviously, they did everything to suppress that information. Also, I would blame the Governments in the Caribbean who did not invest in upgrading the history education in their countries after independence. There were many more rebellions in the Islands, many people do not know there was one in St Johns, after I read about it, I was surprised that the Danish were involved in the slave practice. I was not even aware that Guyana had a runaway slave community, until we were educated about where Shamar Joseph came from, Baracara. Trinidad had a slave rebellion led by Sandy, according to some books there were over 200 slave rebellions.

In reply to dayne

Well said my brother, many Caribbean islands have had independence for over 50 years now, including Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and others. How is it that after all these years we are still studying English History and European History? No studies on African History or even History of India, these neo-colonial politicians in the Caribbean are persisting with colonial culture and the continued brainwashing on our people, without any knowledge of their history and culture.

In reply to Slipfeeler

We need European history, don't wanna make the same mistake twice!

I would say that since "self government' in 1944 a few Caribbean educators wrote both books and curricula that told of many of those uprisings. They just weren't taught to enough of us. If you had aptitude for sciences they'd design your high school career in a way that just "brushed" over history
I think there was a high school history book "History of The West Indies" maybe? It detailed The San Domingo (Haiti) Revolution, Morant Bay Uprising, removal of Gov
Eyre.and the resulting Moyne Commission
Yet, most of us never saw it nor had need to open it only needing g to do the history of our own territory and from The Euro point of View

In reply to trev114

Hey Trev. How are you doing? And how is the wife doing?

In reply to Walco

Thanks for asking
I did post in December that my wife passed on Dec 5 ( 2 hours after my birthday ended)
Still missing my nice Jamaican lady after a marriage of exactly 57 years and 6 months but coping, with help of kids and other family and friends and the outpouring of sympathy from this site
Thanks again, all!!

In reply to trev114

My condolences to and family, my brother!! Cherish her precious memories!

In reply to Walco

Wow that was fast. I remember you posting about the cancer diagnosis, but not the death. It obviously was a very aggressive cancer. My sincere condolences Trev.

In reply to trev114

Unfortunately it was the Maroons who killed and decapitated Tacky. Collected the bounty on his head.

In reply to trev114

So sorry to hear of your wife's passing. My condolences.

In reply to trev114

Deepest condolences to you my fellow poster. May you find the requisite strength to move ahead.

In reply to Brerzerk



Correct is right! I have a copy, I need to read again!

In reply to dayne

I learned about 1763 in Primary School here in Guyana but only as date and time...when I did a Guyanese History course in my degree I learned a lot more about the 1763 revolt. I did not know of 1823 until not so long ago when we built a monument and there was some silly controversy about its location. I do not know the real history of it. I shall get back to that sooner than later...

all of that to say I support your point about the education neglect. In Guyana there is a 2nd layer - that teaching the history of slavery is often seen as a diminishment of their contribution - it's a kind of othering...let me give you the raw of it - if you talk and teach about the struggles of the slaves, somehow that might count against your own political aspirations and the aspirations and achievements of your group...we as a people ourselves have done all we can to 'Other' our own people...

it is not by accident that parts of the USA does not want to teach certain history...

In reply to mikesiva

Have saved your Phd thesis and glanced at it recently as a reminder re my post

In reply to doosra

The West Indies History curriculum is very limited as it studies only slavery and post-slavery periods, without any emphasis on pre-slavery era in Africa (Slavery) or India (Indentured Savants).

In reply to Slipfeelerthe only west inidan history i can remember being taught in school in the caribbean was the caribs and arawaks and that one was peaceful and one was violent and that got me a passing mark in history class lol .i knew nothing of the history of haiti ,jamaica or any other caribbean island until much later.

In reply to velo

In every account that I’ve read where European “explorers” encountered a native population that resisted murder, mayhem and occupation that population is described as “warlike. No matter where, Pacific Islands, Americas, Africa, Australia/NZ or Asia

In reply to Brerzerk

If you resist your slave master, then you are called war-like, terrorist or criminal and if you refuse to work so as make colonialist wealthy then you are called lazy and unambitious, go figure!

In reply to Slipfeeler

I memba learning at school that IBOS/IGBOS were peaceful but AKAN/'COROMANTEE' were 'warlike' Suh when The Biafran War was goin' on
an I hea' seh the eastern states in Nigeria wanting to break away were Igbos I asked my mom how dat guh. Speaking with Igbo people in this
time the tell me that if a family member seemed to them to be wutliss it wasn't nutt'n to them to sell that one or if they needed to pay off a debt
they'd sell the least useful family members and das how some of wi come here!