Paul Bogle
Jamaican Baptist deacon and activist / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paul Bogle (1822 – 24 October 1865) was a Jamaican Baptist deacon and activist. He is a National Hero of Jamaica because he was a leader of the 1865 Morant Bay protesters, who marched for justice and fair treatment for all the people in Jamaica. After leading the Morant Bay Rebellion, Bogle was captured by government troops, tried by British authorities under martial law, and hanged on 24 October 1865 in the Morant Bay Court House.
Bogle had become the friend of wealthy landowner and fellow Baptist George William Gordon, a biracial man who served in the Assembly as one of two representatives from St. Thomas-in-the-East parish.
Bogle led a group of small farmers 45 miles to the then capital, Spanish Town, hoping to meet with Governor Eyre to discuss their issues, but they were denied an audience. The people of Stony Gut lost confidence and trust in the Government, and Bogle’s supporters grew in number in the parish.