Island on Fire: The Revolt That Ended Slavery in the British Empire
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- Author：Tom Zoellner
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Summary
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award
"Impeccably researched and seductively readable。。。tells the story of Sam Sharpe's revolution manqu�， and the subsequent abolition of slavery in Jamaica， in a way that's acutely relevant to the racial unrest of our own time。" --Madison Smartt Bell， author of All Souls' Rising
The final uprising of enslaved people in Jamaica started as a peaceful labor strike a few days shy of Christmas in 1831。 A harsh crackdown by white militias quickly sparked a full-blown revolt， leaving hundreds of plantation houses in smoking ruins。 The rebels lost their daring bid for freedom， but their headline-grabbing defiance triggered a decisive turn against slavery。
Island on Fire is a dramatic day-by-day account of these transformative events。 A skillful storyteller， Tom Zoellner uses diaries， letters， and colonial records to tell the intimate story of the men and women who rose up and briefly tasted liberty。 He brings to life the rebellion's enigmatic leader， the preacher Samuel Sharpe， and shows how his fiery resistance turned the tide of opinion in London and hastened the end of slavery in the British Empire。
"Zoellner's vigorous， fast-paced account brings to life a varied gallery of participants。。。The revolt failed to improve conditions for the enslaved in Jamaica， but it crucially wounded the institution of slavery itself。" --Fergus M。 Bordewich， Wall Street Journal
"It's high time that we had a book like the splendid one Tom Zoellner has written: a highly readable but carefully documented account of the greatest of all British slave rebellions， the miseries that led to it， and the momentous changes it wrought。" --Adam Hochschild， author of Bury the Chains
"Impeccably researched and seductively readable。。。tells the story of Sam Sharpe's revolution manqu�， and the subsequent abolition of slavery in Jamaica， in a way that's acutely relevant to the racial unrest of our own time。" --Madison Smartt Bell， author of All Souls' Rising
The final uprising of enslaved people in Jamaica started as a peaceful labor strike a few days shy of Christmas in 1831。 A harsh crackdown by white militias quickly sparked a full-blown revolt， leaving hundreds of plantation houses in smoking ruins。 The rebels lost their daring bid for freedom， but their headline-grabbing defiance triggered a decisive turn against slavery。
Island on Fire is a dramatic day-by-day account of these transformative events。 A skillful storyteller， Tom Zoellner uses diaries， letters， and colonial records to tell the intimate story of the men and women who rose up and briefly tasted liberty。 He brings to life the rebellion's enigmatic leader， the preacher Samuel Sharpe， and shows how his fiery resistance turned the tide of opinion in London and hastened the end of slavery in the British Empire。
"Zoellner's vigorous， fast-paced account brings to life a varied gallery of participants。。。The revolt failed to improve conditions for the enslaved in Jamaica， but it crucially wounded the institution of slavery itself。" --Fergus M。 Bordewich， Wall Street Journal
"It's high time that we had a book like the splendid one Tom Zoellner has written: a highly readable but carefully documented account of the greatest of all British slave rebellions， the miseries that led to it， and the momentous changes it wrought。" --Adam Hochschild， author of Bury the Chains
Reviews
Imaduddin Ahmed
，
When one hears about how slavery ended in the British Empire， one gets a sense that it was all the drive of a few white humanitarians e。g。 Wilberforce， Macauley etc。 One doesn't hear about the slave uprisings， and the inevitability of the end in sight as slavers saw that slavery was not going to sustain - one doesn't hear of the agency of the slaves。 This book narrates the events of the latter， specifically of the uprising of 1831/1832 in Jamaica。 It attempts as much as archival material will al When one hears about how slavery ended in the British Empire， one gets a sense that it was all the drive of a few white humanitarians e。g。 Wilberforce， Macauley etc。 One doesn't hear about the slave uprisings， and the inevitability of the end in sight as slavers saw that slavery was not going to sustain - one doesn't hear of the agency of the slaves。 This book narrates the events of the latter， specifically of the uprising of 1831/1832 in Jamaica。 It attempts as much as archival material will allow to provide some insight into the people who led the uprising - if they wrote， their writings did not survive， and their stories are told by more powerful tellers。 A lot of inferences are drawn （sometimes tediously）， but this is important。 It also presents other important forces - the end of fake constituencies in Britain and therefore the lost parliamentary power of Tory sugar plant owners， the decreasing price of sugar due to greater global production competition making slave plantations less economically attractive。 。。。more
Ellen Gwynn
，
Excellent， engrossing history of the uprising of enslaved people in Jamaica in 1831-32。
JC
，
I wrote an Advent reflection largely based on this book。 You can read the full thing here。 Below are selected excerpts from it:Jill Lepore in New York Burning notes that: “Thirty-five percent of all slave rebellions in the British Caribbean took place at Christmastime。”Among the most famous of these Christmas insurrections was the Christmas Uprising or Baptist War of 1831 in Jamaica led by Samuel Sharpe， a Baptist preacher who led a massive general strike in the days following Christmas where th I wrote an Advent reflection largely based on this book。 You can read the full thing here。 Below are selected excerpts from it:Jill Lepore in New York Burning notes that: “Thirty-five percent of all slave rebellions in the British Caribbean took place at Christmastime。”Among the most famous of these Christmas insurrections was the Christmas Uprising or Baptist War of 1831 in Jamaica led by Samuel Sharpe， a Baptist preacher who led a massive general strike in the days following Christmas where thousands of slaves took an oath refusing a return to work in the sugarcane fields。 The strike eventually escalated into plantation burnings and then the largest slave insurrection in the history of the British West Indies。 Tom Zoellner in his book Island on Fire describes the mood in Jamaica during the Christmas of 1831:“Nobody who saw them ever forgot the plantation fires。 They would burn and reignite across northwestern Jamaica for the better part of two weeks and rain a curtain of ash down on the trees… More than two hundred blazes were reported in the opening days of the revolt， and in the daytime， they magnified the glare of the tropics and tinted the sun with menace as an organized army of enslaved people held their masters hostage and fought off attacks from the volunteer militia… The entire plantation society of Jamaica came under attack in the largest revolt it had ever faced。 One of the richest sugar growers in Jamaica， Richard Barrett， watched the fires with mounting fear from a house in Montego Bay。 A fierce defender of slavery， he was the cousin of the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning and well connected in British society。 Barrett scratched out a note to the colonial governor on the fourth night of the insurrection… ‘It is supposed that a hundred plantations and settlements are already in ashes，’ Barrett wrote。 ‘If the rebellion spreads， our force is quite insufficient to put it down—all depends on the moral effect of the employment of the King’s troops。 Five rebels have been tried by court martial and shot。 A woman also condemned was spared—I think she should be hanged。’”This was not the first of insurrections planned around Christmas。 Zoellner describes an earlier Coromantee uprising planned in the wake of Tacky’s 1760 revolt:“Coromantee met in secret in St。 Mary’s Parish to swear an oath of loyalty to each other… They aimed to take Tacky’s revolt further and establish an independent black nation in Jamaica。 And they would do it under the cover of the Christmas holiday。”But Sharpe’s uprising was different in its large-scale mobilization and its apt deployment of Baptist liberation theology that brought in more than thirty thousand （some estimates place it closer to 60，000） enslaved people into the plot， catalyzing an acceleration towards the abolition of slavery throughout the British empire。 Sharpe’s homiletics gravitated towards biblical declarations of liberation， as Zoellner writes:“In his private teachings to his fellow enslaved people， Sharpe emphasized those passages of the Bible explicitly dealing with freedom。 Four passages in particular drew his attention: “No man can serve two masters” （Matt。 6:24）; “If the Son therefore shall make you free， you shall be free indeed” （John 8:36）; “Ye are bought with a price: be ye not servants of men” （1 Cor。 7:23）; “There is neither Jew nor Greek， there is neither bond nor free， there is nether male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ” （Gal。 3:28）。 He appears to have neglected all those that seemed to justify slavery or harped upon obedience—the favorite localized theology of the established church。”Zoellner also points out that in the months leading up to the Christmas Uprising， another enslaved Baptist preacher named Nat Turner was guiding a slave uprising in Virginia。 As Du Bois notes in his biography of the Calvinist revolutionary John Brown， the Nat Turner uprising was carefully studied by Brown， who drew lessons from it to formulate a plan for launching a wide-scale slave guerrilla war in the US。 While Brown’s plan faltered into his much more modest Harpers Ferry Raid， the raid was still an important event leading up to the Civil War and the eventual abolition of American slavery。 That theology might not only be an opiate of the masses， but also contradictorily a liberating force， was what figures like Nat Turner underscored。 As Lepore emphasized regarding the 1741 New York insurrection:“…New Yorkers understood very well， Scripture can counsel obedience， and it can counsel rebellion。 In 1730， the New York Gazette reported news of “an Insurrection of the Negroes” in Virginia， occasioned by a report that the new governor “had Direction from his Majesty to free all baptized Negroes。” This inspired baptized slaves to claim their freedom， which， since their owners denied it， meant staging a rebellion。”While Christmas was about the arrival of a figure of liberation that would bring an end to imperial domination， such sentiments were of course not unique to Christianity but part of a long Jewish tradition of anti-imperial resistance。 As Daniel Boyarin writes in The Jewish Gospels:“The Jews were expecting a Redeemer in the time of Jesus。 Their own sufferings under Roman domination seemed so great， and this Redeemer had been predicted for them。 Reading the Book of Daniel closely， at least some Jews—those behind the first-century Similitudes of Enoch and those with Jesus—had concluded that the Redeemer would be a divine figure named the Son of Man who would come to earth as a human， save the Jews from oppression…”The purpose Jesus saw for himself in Luke 4:18， that is the purpose of Advent， of being sent and arriving， came directly from Isaiah 61:1:“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me， because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor。 He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind， to let the oppressed go free。”If this context of Advent， and Christianity more broadly， is clarified， then it should be relatively unsurprising that so many slave revolts occurred during Christmas time。 The arrival of a messiah signified the arrival of a new political order， and the Gospel （the good news） advanced by such a messiah was that the wretched of the earth were invited into inaugurating this new world into existence。 The good news was for the poor and the earth was for the meek to inherit。 The rich would be sent away empty and the proud scattered。 As Jesus said: “Woe to you who are rich” （Luke 6:24）。As Advent and Christmas is a time for remembering the hope that such an arrival occasioned， it also lends itself to reflecting on others who have continued to spread that hope of liberation through the way they have lived their lives collectively with others。 Zoellner describes the story of Samuel Sharpe becoming recognized as one of Jamaica’s seven national heroes:“The committee invited the poet and historian Kamau Brathwaite， then teaching at the University of the West Indies in the Kingston suburb of Mona， to prepare the first modern apologia of Samuel Sharpe， a short book titled Wars of Respect that frames him as an uncompromising social revolutionary， a proto-Marxist fighting a system of capitalist oppression who “had made the discovery—long before his time—of the impact of industrial strike action upon the industrial system。” …“Marxism was the language of the day，” recalled Arnold Bertram， a PNP official who served on the committee。 “The wider context was resistance to plantation slavery。”Though the 1970s rediscovery of Samuel Sharpe came at the time of Jamaica’s relations with Castro and the US attempts to tamper with national elections， there were also other powerful cultural forces at work… The government declared Samuel Sharpe a National Hero on October 1， 1975， an honor that unleashed a number of others。 Sharpe’s story was inserted into the public school curriculum all over the island。 His face went on the paper currency。”Little is known about how the general strike organized by Sharpe escalated into the widespread inferno that engulfed so many West Indian sugar plantations， but one interesting oral tradition that Zoellner mentions is:“an unnamed female slave who touched a lighted torch to the cane leaves with a defiant statement: “I know I shall die for it， but my children shall be free。” Though there is no contemporary documentation… [the slave mother’s story] is recounted on a historical marker in the mountain crossroads of Kensington。 About a mile down the hill from this marker， the Jamaican government has built a small amphitheater—painted in the national colors of green， gold， and black—several yards away from the undisputed spot where the first blaze of the insurrection had been set。”The scholar Verene Shepherd has researched a number of the women involved in the 1831 Christmas “war of liberation” （as she calls it）， including women like Catherine Brown， Catherine Clarke， Nancy Wright， and Eliza Lawrence。 Shepherd delivered a lecture on these women revolutionaries who are often neglected in other scholarly accounts of the Baptist War （including Zoellner’s）。 Zoellner quotes Verene Shepherd describing the unnamed woman rumoured to have started the first plantation fire in the 1831 Christmas Uprising:“Yes， it led to her death， but it gave birth to abolition within the British Empire。 I’m going to rename her tonight。 Guess what I’m going to name her？ ‘Fire。’ Tonight we christen ‘Fire。’ This time we want to have the flames of passion in our hearts。 As I look across the hills， I can almost see the fires lit in 1831。 I believe the hills were joyful that night as they witnessed our ancestors stand against oppression and torture。” 。。。more
Jim Townsend
，
Excellent and interesting book about the rebellion led by Sam Sharp in 1832 Jamaica that ended slavery in the British Isles。
Jazzy
，
A detailed examination of the invasion of Jamaica by European colonizers， the birth and rapid rise of an especially brutal form of slavery by British citizens imposed on kidnapped Africans， the rebellion of the tortured enslaved people， the inhuman vicious backlash of the British ruling class， and eventual outlawing of slavery by British parliment， and the delayed emancipation of the enslaved in Jamaica。I'm an American and knew little about the details of Europeans' enslavement of Africans in ot A detailed examination of the invasion of Jamaica by European colonizers， the birth and rapid rise of an especially brutal form of slavery by British citizens imposed on kidnapped Africans， the rebellion of the tortured enslaved people， the inhuman vicious backlash of the British ruling class， and eventual outlawing of slavery by British parliment， and the delayed emancipation of the enslaved in Jamaica。I'm an American and knew little about the details of Europeans' enslavement of Africans in other countries， and how those countries were emancipated。 The path to freedom for Jamaica was decidedly different than that of America。 It's worth contrasting and comparing each country's path。 The path taken by Haiti was yet different again， and Haiti was briefly mentioned in this book， but not nearly enough for me。 Time to track down that story。 。。。more
Thomas Bodenberg
，
An excellent recounting of the slave revolt in Jamaica， circa 1832。 While it was unsuccessful （being brutally repressed by an armed militia sympathetic to the planter class）， it did accomplish the goals of slave emancipation in the British Empire， adopted by Parliament in 1834-29 years before the Emancipation Proclamation in the USA。
Ryan
，
The brutal fallout of a failed revolt told in a undramatic manner， which initially had me feeling a way， but I eventually realised its the only way to get through the subject matter。It becomes very focused on England and English politics showing how the abolition of slavery was 'just' one aspect of a very unsettled political landscape for the Tories at the time。Worth a read。 The brutal fallout of a failed revolt told in a undramatic manner， which initially had me feeling a way， but I eventually realised its the only way to get through the subject matter。It becomes very focused on England and English politics showing how the abolition of slavery was 'just' one aspect of a very unsettled political landscape for the Tories at the time。Worth a read。 。。。more
Charlotte
，
Excellent story telling， and narration。 It feels like a reading a novel， more than a historical account。 I really appreciated this insight into the history of Jamaica and the discussions of the wider impacts of the revolt。The book is constructed using historical evidence and accounts， while I can't comment on the accuracy， the author appears aware of the constraints where sources are limited and/or biased。Contains graphic descriptions of death and the abuse of enslaved peoples， in many forms， an Excellent story telling， and narration。 It feels like a reading a novel， more than a historical account。 I really appreciated this insight into the history of Jamaica and the discussions of the wider impacts of the revolt。The book is constructed using historical evidence and accounts， while I can't comment on the accuracy， the author appears aware of the constraints where sources are limited and/or biased。Contains graphic descriptions of death and the abuse of enslaved peoples， in many forms， and the the lengths they went to for freedom。 。。。more
~m
，
Well written important history！
Daniel Farabaugh
，
This books shines in all three sections of its analysis。 It shows the underlying causes， the debate itself， and the fallout in great detail。 It does a very good job highlighting the hypocrisy at the heart of the slave holders and the lies that they told themselves。
Alex Dibona
，
There are many insidious myths about slavery。 One of them is that the slaves did not fight back or "chose" to be slaves。 Another is that slavery was largely benevolent and "everyone" was ok with slavery until "everyone" was an abolitionist。 This is a mythbusting history book with value to historical discourse it is hard to overstate。 It is also a shame the story has not been told properly before now。 This book will keep realize your education was lacking。 There are many insidious myths about slavery。 One of them is that the slaves did not fight back or "chose" to be slaves。 Another is that slavery was largely benevolent and "everyone" was ok with slavery until "everyone" was an abolitionist。 This is a mythbusting history book with value to historical discourse it is hard to overstate。 It is also a shame the story has not been told properly before now。 This book will keep realize your education was lacking。 。。。more
Pegeen
，
A narrative history ， drawn from primary sources such as are available ， of the slave rebellion of Jamaican sugar cane slaves。 Wrestles with the fact that slave voices are hard to verify and find as it was forbidden to teach slaves to read and write。 The influence of encouraging a mindset of human dignity from the Christian religion and its ministers is explored ， in particular Samuel Sharpe。 I felt it needed a more explicit clarification of when in sequences and where on the island the events t A narrative history ， drawn from primary sources such as are available ， of the slave rebellion of Jamaican sugar cane slaves。 Wrestles with the fact that slave voices are hard to verify and find as it was forbidden to teach slaves to read and write。 The influence of encouraging a mindset of human dignity from the Christian religion and its ministers is explored ， in particular Samuel Sharpe。 I felt it needed a more explicit clarification of when in sequences and where on the island the events took place ， especially in relation to each other。 A map and a timeline would have been useful。 The conflict between the gradualist and the action now abolitionists back in London was explained。 Consumer boycott of products for political change was first used 。 Interesting read。 。。。more
Michael Downs
，
Relentless research meets powerful storytelling and moral purpose。 In the acknowledgments， the author states that he was encouraged to write the book based on a friend's observation that "one of the most useful responses to a time of social crisis is to write history。" So we now have a book about another time of social crisis， when courageous enslaved people challenged the system that bound them， and the repercussions of their actions bettered the world。 Tom Zoellner approaches the tale from sev Relentless research meets powerful storytelling and moral purpose。 In the acknowledgments， the author states that he was encouraged to write the book based on a friend's observation that "one of the most useful responses to a time of social crisis is to write history。" So we now have a book about another time of social crisis， when courageous enslaved people challenged the system that bound them， and the repercussions of their actions bettered the world。 Tom Zoellner approaches the tale from several angles and works hard and successfully to share the humanity of this story's heroes。 。。。more
Elliott Reid
，
I can't tell you how amazing this book is。 Historically accurate but reads like a novel， it's so exciting。 In short the story of Samuel Sharpe who inspired 36-60，000 Jamaicans to March on their slavers。 They burnt 200 plantations， captured countless slavers but killed few。 They inspired the British working class to demand more rights。 Jamaicans united united by moral obligation to liberate themselves from cruelties of slavery。 Amazing。 His legacy lives on I can't tell you how amazing this book is。 Historically accurate but reads like a novel， it's so exciting。 In short the story of Samuel Sharpe who inspired 36-60，000 Jamaicans to March on their slavers。 They burnt 200 plantations， captured countless slavers but killed few。 They inspired the British working class to demand more rights。 Jamaicans united united by moral obligation to liberate themselves from cruelties of slavery。 Amazing。 His legacy lives on 。。。more
John McCarthy
，
2020 national book critic circle winner
Teresa
，
A story little known， now revealed The author has an easy to follow style that moves the reader along through the events。 I liked that he told a piece of history little known outside of academia。 His argument was strong and his research extensive， even to include oral history that he recognizes is impossible to substantiate。
Eriche
，
DNF。
Diana Thorburn
，
Jamaican history for laypeople i。e。 not overly academic， but accessible， and compelling。 Reads like a novel。Incredible clarity about the events and political forces that brought about the end of enslavement in Jamaica。Sam Sharpe’s bravery， cunning， grit， and steadfastness are so clearly drawn。Read it。
Mythili
，