File photo Paul Bogle
Hundreds attended a candlelight vigil held at the house National hero Paul Bogle used to reside in Stony Gut St Thomas.
Hundreds more including students are now participating in the re-enactment of the historic march he made from Stony Gut to Morant Bay on Oct 11 1865, 147 years ago.
That day is identified as the start of the Morant Bay rebellion.
The march seeks to capture the significance of the approximately 5 mile trek made by Paul Bogle to register his dissatisfaction over poor working conditions and injustices in the legal system which saw black Jamaicans being severely punished for minor wrongs.
On October 7, 1865, a black man was put on trial and imprisoned for trespassing on a long-abandoned plantation.
One member of Bogle’s group from Stony Gut protested in the court, over the unjust arrest and was immediately arrested, angering the crowd further.
He was rescued moments later, when Bogle and his men took to the market square, and retaliated.
They broke him out of prison and the police were forced to retreat.
When he returned to his home, Bogle learned that he and 27 of his men had warrants issued for their arrest for rioting, resisting arrest, and assaulting the police.
On October 11, Paul Bogle led approximately 300 men and women into the town of Morant Bay.
When the group arrived at the court house they were met by a small and inexperienced volunteer militia.
A few members of the crowd threw stones at the militia.
The militia opened fire on the group, killing seven black protesters before retreating.
The black protesters then closed in and attacked, killing 18 people to take control of the town.
In the days that followed two white planters were killed.
The reprisals came quickly.
The Governor at the time was John Eyre.
He dispatched government troops to track down the poorly armed rebels and bring Paul Bogle back to Morant Bay for trial.
Though the troops were met with no organized resistance they destroyed Stony Gut and killed blacks indiscriminately, many of whom had not been involved in the riot or rebellion.
439 black Jamaicans were reportedly killed directly by soldiers.
354 more including Paul Bogle were arrested and executed without proper trials.
Other punishments meted out included flogging for over 600 men and women (some pregnant) and long prison sentences.
George William Gordon, who had little to do with the rebellion, was arrested in Kingston.
He was transferred by Governor Eyre to Morant Bay and tried under martial law.
He and William Bogle, Paul's brother has a speedy trail.
Both were hanged.
There was public outcry in britan over Eyre's handling of the situation.
In January 1866, a Royal Commission was sent to investigate the events.
Governor Eyre was suspended and recalled to England and eventually dismissed.
Jamaica became a Crown Colony, being governed directly from England..
The Morant Bay rebellion turned out to be one of the defining points in Jamaica's struggle for both political and economical enhancement.
In 1969 Paul Bogle was named a National Hero along with George William Gordon.
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