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Essay On Tacky's Rebellion

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When the British conquered Jamaica from the Spaniards, the Spaniards left behind a large number of African slaves. These slaves created three settlements; Juan de Serras allied with the Spanish guerrillas, Juan de Bolas, and the third joined to join other runaway slaves and lived with the Arawak people. These three groups established independent communities by the interior mountainous regions of the island. To survive the runaway slaves and Maroons farmed and occasionally raid the plantations. Eventually they took control of a large areas of the interior of the island. In the eighteenth century British troops and local militia fought back against the Maroons to regain the lands they lost causing the First Maroon War. The Maroons were better …show more content…

One well know rebellion is the Tacky’s revolt. In May 1760, a slave overseer by the name of Tacky led a group of African slaves in a revolt to take over plantations while killing the slave owners. Tacky and the slaves marched to a shop in Fort Haldane where they killed the shopkeeper and stole barrels of gunpowder and firearms. That night hundreds of other slaves joined Tacky and his followers. There was a large celebration for their success in gaining the weapons the need. A group of Obeahman (witch doctor) formed a circle around the camp, throwing powder at the men claiming that it would protect them from injury and death and proclaiming that a Obeahman cannot be killed. The slave’s confidence was now very high. The British troops along with Maroons who were bounded by the treaty to stop the rebellion soon showed up. When the troop hear of the Obeahman’s claimed immortality they captured, killed and hung his head on a stick for all to see. The rebels saw this and most of the slaves lost their previous confidence and returned to their plantations while Tacky and a few men ran into the woods. They were chased by the Maroons, Tacky was shot and then his head was cut off for proof of the defeat. The rest of his men were found in a cave near Tacky Falls, they committed suicide instead of returning to

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