Jamaica's National Hero Series

The Right Excellent Paul Bogle

Paul Bogle lived at Stony Gut in St. Thomas. He was born before the abolition of slavery, probably between 1815 and 1820. Paul Bogle grew up when slavery was ending. The owners did not want the slaves to be free. They did not want them to own land. The people wanted to own land. They had to grow their food. The land would give them security and independence. Most people in St. Thomas were small farmers and labourers. Paul Bogle was better off than many people. He owned about 500 acres of land. He could read and write. He could also vote. Only 106 people in St. Thomas could vote at this time. When the slaves were made free, most of the rulers tried to keep them down. They made the people pay a lot of taxes, and they punished them badly. They did not give them fair trials in court. They did not think freed slaves should get justice or opportunities. Bogle was a friend of the people he wanted to share their problems and help them and they respected him.

Paul Bogle and George William Gordon

Paul Bogle's neighbour was George William Gordon. Gordon was a big landowner and a politician, but he cared about poor people. So Paul Bogle voted for him and got other people to do so. Gordon was a Baptist, and so was Paul Bogle. In 1864, Gordon made Paul Bogle a deacon in the Baptist church.

He walked to Spanish Town.

Paul Bogle led a group of people from Stony Gut to Spanish Town to tell the governor about their problems. Governor Eyre turned them away. People in Stony Gut gave up hoping that the Government would help them Paul Bogle was their religious leader and their political leader. He gave them some military training.

He went to Morant Bay

One day, in 1865, two men from Stony Gut went for trial at Morant Bay Courthouse. Paul Bogle and some of his people went to support them. A man called out in the trial the police tried to arrest him, but Paul Bogle and his men came between them. The man got away. The police went to Stony Gut to arrest Bogle but the people would not let them. They fought the police and sent them back to Morant Bay.

The Morant Bay Rebellion

Then Paul Bogle and his people marched to Morant Bay . They went to the courthouse while a council meeting was going on. Armed police and soldiers were on guard. A fight broke out, the guards fired and about 20 of Paul Bogle's people were killed or hurt. The others drove the guards back into the courthouse. They set fire to the courthouse, and killed people who tried to run away.

Stony Gut was destroyed

Paul Bogle And his people went back to Stony Gut. The Governor sent troops into Portland and St. Thomas to stop people from rebelling. They shot or whipped many people and burnt 1000 houses. Paul Bogle's followers killed a few people and burnt some estates. They could not really fight, because the soldiers were well trained and they had a lot of weapons. The troops destroyed Stony Gut, and Paul Bogle's chapel. Paul Bogle was captured and taken to Morant Bay where he was put on trial. Then he was hanged at the burnt-out courthouse. Four hundred and thirty-eight other people were hanged too. Bogle's friend George William Gordon was accused of helping to plan the rebellion and hanged as well.

The Morant Bay rebellion made the Government listen to the people. It forced the Government to try to make life better for them. The Government set up fair courts and it made the roads better. It let people have better education and better medical services. So Paul Bogle did not die for nothing . We honor Paul Bogle because he did his best to help the people of our country. He died for what he believed was right, Today we are grateful to him.