|
Tacky's Rebellion - Hastening
The End To Slavery
By Bill
Evans
Tacky Monument
(Click the image for larger view)
At midnight on July 31st
1834, the Abolition Bill which the British Parliament passed earlier
in the year went into effect, ending over 300 years of slavery.
It had been a long and brutal struggle to end this inhumanity. Many
revolts and uprisings had occurred in Jamaica but most were local
in nature and were put down with relative ease. Not so on Easter
Sunday 1760.
Tacky, a Coromantee Chief was from the Guinea
area of the West Coast of Africa, as were many of the slaves sold
to plantations in the St. Mary's Parish of Jamaica. Tacky's position
as overseer on the Frontier plantation gave him the opportunity
to draw up some simple but effective plans to gain freedom and to
easily get them to his trusted followers both at Frontier and neighbouring
Trinity plantations. They decided to wait until Easter Sunday when
they knew no one would suspect what was to follow.
Sometime before daybreak on Monday, Tacky and
his followers began the revolt and easily took over the Frontier
and Trinity plantations while killing their masters. Bolstered by
their easy success, they made their way to the storeroom at Fort
Haldane where the munitions to defend the town of Port Maria were
kept. After killing the storekeeper, Tacky and his men stole nearly
4 barrels of gun powder and 40 firearms with shot before marching
on to overrun the plantations at Heywood Hall and Esher. By dawn,
hundreds had joined Tacky and his followers. At Ballard's Valley,
the rebels stopped to rejoice in their success, as one slave from
Esher decided to slip away and sound the alarm. Obeahmen quickly
circulated around the camp dispensing a powder that they claimed
would protect the men from injury in battle and loudly proclaimed
that an Obeahman could not be killed. Confidence was high.
Soon there were 70 to 80 mounted militia on their
way along with some Maroons from Scott's Hall, who were bound by
treaty to suppress such rebellions. When the militia learned of
the Obeahman's boast of not being able to be killed, an Obeahman
was captured, killed and hung with his mask, ornaments of teeth
and bone and feather trimmings at a prominent place visible from
the encampment of rebels. Many of the rebels, confidence shaken,
returned to their plantations but Tacky and 25 or so men decided
to fight on.
Tacky and his men went running through the woods
being chased by the Maroons and their legendary marksman, Davy.
While running at full speed, Davy shot Tacky and cut off his head
to prove his feat for which he would be richly rewarded. Tacky's
head was later displayed on a pole in Spanish Town until a follower
took it down in the middle of the night. Tacky's men were found
in a cave near Tacky Falls, having committed suicide rather than
going back to slavery.
The rebellion didn't end here, as other rebellions
broke out all over Jamaica, which many were rightly or wrongly attributed
to Tacky's cunning and strategy. It was months later until peace
was restored. Over 60 white people had lost their lives as well
as 400 or so Negro slaves, including two ring leaders who were burned
alive and two others who were hung in iron cages at the Kingston
Parade, until they starved to death.
You can visit the Tacky Monument in Claude Stuart
Park in Port Maria. Tacky Falls is accessible by the sea but the
overland route is considered by locals to be too tough to travel.
The waterfalls have diminished over the years and mainly eroded
rocks mark the course. The exact location of the cave where they
found Tacky's men is not known.
See the other Articles written
by Bill
Related links
• Get advice or read more Trip Reports in our Travel forums
"Come to Jamaica and
Feel Alright"
|
