1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Welcome Back everyone. I'm Eves and you're listening 3 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:10,480 Speaker 1: to This Day in History Class, a show where we 4 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 1: peel back a new layer of history every day. Today 5 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:28,160 Speaker 1: is December nineteen. The day was December one. The Baptist War, 6 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:31,320 Speaker 1: also known as the Christmas Rebellion, began in the British 7 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 1: colony of Jamaica, gathering the support of up to sixty 8 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 1: thousand enslaved people. It was one of the largest slave 9 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:43,239 Speaker 1: uprising in the British West Indies and contributed to Britain's 10 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 1: abolition of slavery two years later. At the time of 11 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:50,240 Speaker 1: the uprising, Jamaica was home to more enslaved people than 12 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 1: free people. Enslaved people were forced to labor on sugar 13 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 1: plantations and harsh punishments for common Throughout the seventeenth and 14 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: eighteenth centuries, enslave people led many resistance efforts. Buying and 15 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 1: selling enslaved people was banned in the British Empire in 16 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: eighteen o seven, but people could continue to own them. 17 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:13,319 Speaker 1: But by eight thirty one, the abolition movement was well 18 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:17,039 Speaker 1: underway in the United Kingdom, and anti slavery resistance was 19 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 1: taking place across the British Empire. Jamaican planters voiced their 20 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 1: opposition to emancipation as the issue of slavery was being 21 00:01:24,920 --> 00:01:28,320 Speaker 1: debated in British Parliament, and many black people in Jamaica 22 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:32,479 Speaker 1: were taught reading, writing, and religion by missionaries. That meant 23 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:34,959 Speaker 1: that they two were keeping up with a slavery debate 24 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:40,319 Speaker 1: across the British Empire. Enslaved Baptist preacher Samuel Sharp led 25 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:43,679 Speaker 1: many people to believe that emancipation was coming soon, or 26 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:46,479 Speaker 1: that Britain had granted their freedom and the masters were 27 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: withholding it. And an economic downturn that affected impoverished white 28 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: people made some of them allies with enslaved people who 29 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: called for emancipation. Preachers also used Christian theology to argue 30 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 1: that they should have only one master, and that was Jesus. 31 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: On top of that, many enslaved people believed that Baptist 32 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: missionary Thomas Burchell would return to Jamaica from his trip 33 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:13,240 Speaker 1: to England with the paper declaring their freedom. When he 34 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:18,200 Speaker 1: came back empty handed, their anger escalated. Samuel Sharp, who 35 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 1: was afforded limited freedom of movement as a leader, went 36 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 1: about planning a strike. He and other leaders of the 37 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 1: resistance encouraged others to join the strike. Missionaries discouraged people 38 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:32,920 Speaker 1: from joining the effort and refused their assistance, though some 39 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 1: were later accused of contributing to the cause regardless. On 40 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: December one, enslaved black labors went on a general strike. 41 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:46,919 Speaker 1: Many of the strikers were Christian, particularly Baptists. Led by 42 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: Samuel Sharp, they advocated for basic freedoms, better working conditions, 43 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: and a living wage. They refused to return to work 44 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: until their demands were met, But when their demands were 45 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: refused and words spread that the British land on using force, 46 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 1: the strike turned into an all out revolt. On December, 47 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 1: rebellion erupted on the Kensington estate near Montego Bay. They 48 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:14,360 Speaker 1: looted and burned plantations across western Jamaica, and white people 49 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:18,519 Speaker 1: fled town. The uprising only lasted until the first week 50 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: of January, as the British brutally suppressed it. Troops and 51 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 1: militia were sent to quell the uprising, and though the 52 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:27,600 Speaker 1: rebels put up a fight, they were overpowered by the 53 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: colonial forces. Some scattered resistance continued, but plantation owners and 54 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: the Jamaican government retaliated after the rebellion was over by 55 00:03:37,760 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 1: killing many enslaved people and burning churches where they worshiped. 56 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: Around two hundred and seven of the enslaved laborers and 57 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: fourteen white people were killed during the uprising. More than 58 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: three hundred more enslaved people were later executed for involvement 59 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 1: in the revolt, including Samuel Sharp. The Baptist War did 60 00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:59,840 Speaker 1: not end slavery in Jamaica, it did help convince more 61 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 1: people that slavery was not politically viable anymore, as it 62 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: resulted in a lot of property damage and loss of life. 63 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:10,840 Speaker 1: In three the Parliament of the UK passed the Slavery 64 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 1: Abolition Act, making the purchase and ownership of enslaved people 65 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 1: illegal throughout much of the British Empire, leading to emancipation 66 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 1: in Jamaica. I'm each Chef Coote and hopefully you know 67 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:25,600 Speaker 1: a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 68 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:30,279 Speaker 1: You can keep up with us on social media on Twitter, Facebook, 69 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:34,719 Speaker 1: and Instagram at t d I h C Podcast. You 70 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: can also email us at this Day at I heart 71 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: media dot com. Thanks for listening. I hope to see 72 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:53,240 Speaker 1: you here again tomorrow. For more podcasts from I Heeart Radio, 73 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:55,960 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you 74 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.