Episodes

  • The 1808 Abolition of the Slave Trade and Its Jamaican Impact

    The 1808 Abolition of the Slave Trade and Its Jamaican Impact
    Jul 4 2026
    In 1807, Britain abolished the transatlantic slave trade, and in 1808 the law took full effect in Jamaica. This episode explores how the end of legal slave importation transformed the island's economy, society, and resistance movements. We discuss the clandestine slave ships that still slipped into Jamaican ports, the rise of the internal slave trade and 'breeding' estates, the impact on Maroon communities, and the seeds of the 1831 Baptist War. We also examine the role of Obeah and Myal in the post-trade era, and how the ban inadvertently fueled new forms of rebellion. Drawing on primary sources like the Journals of the House of Assembly and the abolitionist writings of James Stephen and William Wilberforce, we trace the slow, uneven path from 1808 to full emancipation in 1838. #Jamaica #SlaveTradeAbolition #1808 #AbolitionAct #CaribbeanHistory #BritishEmpire #TransatlanticSlaveTrade #Obeah #Myal #Maroons #BaptistWar #SamuelSharpe #WilliamWilberforce #JamesStephen #HouseOfAssembly #SlaveBreeding #Resistance #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • The 1868 Royal Commission After Morant Bay

    The 1868 Royal Commission After Morant Bay
    Jul 3 2026
    In 1865, the Morant Bay Rebellion shook Jamaica to its core. Paul Bogle marched on the courthouse, Governor Edward John Eyre declared martial law, and hundreds were executed. But what happened next? In 1866, a Royal Commission was sent to investigate. This episode unpacks the commission's findings, the political firestorm it ignited in Britain, and the long-term consequences for Jamaica: the end of the island's representative assembly, the imposition of Crown Colony rule, and the bitter debate over Eyre's actions. We explore the key figures—John Russell, James Cockburn, Charles Buxton—and the question at the heart of the controversy: could a colonial governor be held accountable for atrocities committed under martial law? The commission's report was a whitewash, but it exposed the brutal realities of colonial governance and set the stage for decades of struggle. Join Lucas and Luna as they sift through the evidence, the politics, and the legacy of a moment when the British Empire was forced to look at itself. #MorantBay #RoyalCommission #EdwardJohnEyre #PaulBogle #GeorgeWilliamGordon #CrownColony #JamaicaHistory #BritishEmpire #MartialLaw #Colonialism #JohnRussell #CharlesBuxton #HistoryOfJamaica #FexingoHistory #CaribbeanHistory #1865 #1866 #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    12 mins
  • Jamaica 1865: George William Gordon and the Morant Bay Trial

    Jamaica 1865: George William Gordon and the Morant Bay Trial
    Jul 3 2026
    In this episode of The History of Jamaica, Lucas and Luna dive into the controversial trial and execution of George William Gordon, a mixed-race politician hanged after the 1865 Morant Bay Rebellion. They explore Gordon's background as a landowner and member of the House of Assembly, his outspoken criticism of Governor Edward John Eyre, and the kangaroo court martial that sentenced him to death. The hosts discuss the political tensions in post-emancipation Jamaica, the role of the Colonial Office, and the aftermath of the rebellion, including the Royal Commission that ultimately condemned Eyre's actions. This episode sheds light on a pivotal moment in Jamaican history that led to the end of the island's representative government and the imposition of Crown Colony rule. #GeorgeWilliamGordon #MorantBayRebellion #EdwardJohnEyre #Jamaica #CrownColony #HouseOfAssembly #MartialLaw #RoyalCommission #1865 #PaulBogle #StThomasInTheEast #JamaicaHistory #CaribbeanHistory #Colonialism #History #FexingoHistory #Podcast #Biography Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    9 mins
  • Jamaica 1795 The Second Maroon War and the Trelawny Deportation

    Jamaica 1795 The Second Maroon War and the Trelawny Deportation
    Jul 2 2026
    Lucas and Luna dive into the Second Maroon War of 1795-1796, a conflict that shattered the fragile peace established by the 1739 treaties. After decades of uneasy coexistence, the Trelawny Maroons of the Cockpit Country clashed with British authorities over flogging, land rights, and escalating tensions. The uprising was brief but brutal, ending with a controversial surrender. The British then deported over 500 Maroons to Nova Scotia and later to Sierra Leone, a diaspora that erased a community from Jamaica. Lucas explains the role of Governor Alexander Lindsay, the Earl of Balcarres, the influence of French revolutionary ideas, and the tragic fate of the Trelawny people. The episode explores how this war rewrote Maroon-British relations and left a legacy of mistrust that echoes in Jamaican history. #SecondMaroonWar #TrelawnyMaroons #CockpitCountry #AlexanderLindsay #EarlOfBalcarres #MaroonDeportation #NovaScotia #SierraLeone #JamaicanHistory #CaribbeanHistory #Maroons #TreatyOf1739 #ColonialJamaica #Resistance #FexingoHistory #History #Jamaica #18thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • Jamaica 1833 Abolition Day and the Apprenticeship System

    Jamaica 1833 Abolition Day and the Apprenticeship System
    Jul 2 2026
    On August 1, 1833, the British Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act, ending legal slavery across the empire. But for the 311,000 enslaved people in Jamaica, freedom didn't come with the stroke of a pen. Instead, they were forced into a brutal 'apprenticeship' system that kept them bound to former masters for another four to six years. This episode takes you inside the apprenticeship experiment: how the Colonial Office designed it, how planters exploited its loopholes, and how the formerly enslaved fought back through strikes, petitions, and mass refusal to work. We look at the role of Baptist missionaries like William Knibb, the tense negotiations in Spanish Town, and the final early termination of apprenticeship in 1838. This is the messy, compromised reality of emancipation in Jamaica—a story of legal freedom tangled with economic coercion and grassroots resistance. #SlaveryAbolitionAct1833 #ApprenticeshipSystem #Jamaica1833 #WilliamKnibb #SpanishTown #Emancipation #BaptistMissionaries #ColonialOffice #PlantationEconomy #August1 #1834 #1838 #FreedomDay #SugarPlantations #StipendiaryMagistrates #History #FexingoHistory #CaribbeanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 mins
  • Jamaica 1692: The Port Royal Earthquake That Sank a Pirate Haven

    Jamaica 1692: The Port Royal Earthquake That Sank a Pirate Haven
    Jul 1 2026
    In 1692, the English colony of Jamaica faced a catastrophe unlike anything before: a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami destroyed Port Royal, the infamous 'wickedest city on earth.' This episode delves into the geological causes of the liquefaction that swallowed buildings whole, the immediate aftermath as survivors fled to Kingston, and the long-term impact on Jamaica's economy and society. We discuss how the disaster reshaped colonial power dynamics, disrupted the Atlantic slave trade, and led to the rise of Kingston as the island's new commercial hub. Join Lucas and Luna as they explore firsthand accounts, archaeological findings, and the legacy of a city that sank in minutes. #PortRoyal #Earthquake1692 #JamaicaHistory #Liquefaction #PirateHaven #Kingston #ColonialJamaica #Tsunami #SirHenryMorgan #RoyalAfricanCompany #Cagway #FortCharles #BlueMountains #Slavery #AtlanticWorld #History #FexingoHistory #CaribbeanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins
  • Jamaica 1760 Tacky's Revolt and the War of the Coromantee King

    Jamaica 1760 Tacky's Revolt and the War of the Coromantee King
    Jul 1 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna delve into the explosive 1760 slave rebellion known as Tacky's Revolt, a coordinated uprising of Coromantee (Akan) slaves in St. Mary Parish, Jamaica. They explore the leadership of Tacky, an African-born king from the Gold Coast, the use of Obeah for oath-taking and inspiration, and the brutal suppression that followed. The conversation covers key events like the raid on Fort Haldane, the role of Maroon allies in crushing the rebellion, and the legacy of fear that led to the harsh Obeah Act of 1760. Lucas explains how this revolt differed from others in its scale, organization, and cultural unity, and how it shaped Jamaican slave society for decades. #TackyRevolt #JamaicaHistory #Coromantee #Akan #Obeah #SlaveRebellion #1760 #FortHaldane #Maroons #StMaryParish #PortMaria #DavyTheMaroon #ObeahAct1760 #CaribbeanHistory #Resistance #ColonialHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins
  • Jamaica 1823: The Other Slave Rebellion — The Mulatto Conspiracy

    Jamaica 1823: The Other Slave Rebellion — The Mulatto Conspiracy
    Jun 30 2026
    In 1823, as the plantation economy boomed and abolitionist sentiment grew in Britain, a plot was uncovered in Jamaica that shook the white elite to its core. But unlike Tacky's Revolt or the Baptist War, this conspiracy was not hatched by enslaved Africans in the cane fields. It was led by the island's free people of color — the mulatto and brown population — who owned property, ran businesses, and had long petitioned for equal rights. This episode unpacks the so-called Mulatto Conspiracy, also known as the Brown Man Rebellion, a shadowy plot to take over the colony that may or may not have ever existed. We explore the paranoid atmosphere in Spanish Town and Kingston, the role of informants and gossip, the brutal reprisals, and the long-term consequences for the free colored community. Drawing on the work of historian Gad Heuman, we ask: was this a real rebellion or a colonial panic? #Jamaica #1823 #MulattoConspiracy #BrownManRebellion #SpanishTown #Kingston #FreePeopleOfColor #SlaveRevolt #GadHeuman #ColonialPanic #HouseOfAssembly #MagistratesAndVestry #AbolitionistMovement #CaribbeanHistory #BritishEmpire #RebellionAndParanoia #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    7 mins