Air was born in slavery, but becomes free at an early age. Through his religious conversion he is able to create a sense of connection with poor Jamaicans that enables him to represent them politically. He has this close relationship with poor Bogle and became a real thorn in Governor-Ez's side. Back in Britain, there were polarized big names getting heavily involved from the beginning. Charles Kingsley, The Historian and novelist Tennyson, The Poet and even Dickens were subscribers and supporters of the Governor Air Defence Committee.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the rebellion that broke out in Jamaica on 11th October 1865 when Paul Bogle (1822-65) led a protest march from Stony Gut to the courthouse in nearby Morant Bay. There were many grounds for grievance that day and soon anger turned to bloodshed. Although the British had abolished slavery 30 years before, the plantation owners were still dominant and the conditions for the majority of people on Jamaica were poor. The British governor suppressed this rebellion brutally and soon people in Jamaica lost what right they had to rule themselves. Some in Britain, like Charles Dickens, supported the governor's actions while others, like Charles Darwin, wanted him tried for murder.
The image above is from a Jamaican $2 banknote, printed after Paul Bogle became a National Hero in 1969.
With
Matthew J Smith
Professor of History and Director of the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery at University College London
Diana Paton
The William Robertson Professor of History at the University of Edinburgh
And
Lawrence Goldman
Emeritus Fellow in History at St Peter’s College, University of Oxford
Producer: Simon Tillotson