William Knibb
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Thomas Burchell
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James Phillippo
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The Phillippo, Knibb and Burchell Memorial Fund Association
JHS Bulletin Vol 8 No 4 December 1981
'If the upright and noble are forgotten, it is because we chose to forget them.'
J. Robert Love, 1894
JHS Bulletin Vol 8 No 4 December 1981
'If the upright and noble are forgotten, it is because we chose to forget them.'
J. Robert Love, 1894
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In 1884 a limited degree of elected representation had been restored in Jamaica, the new Legislative Council consisted of 9 elected and 9 nominated members. This was later increased to 14 on each side. The hiatus in Jamaican representative institutions, caused by the 1865 rebellion in Morant Bay, had been ended, but the shadow of that revolt still hung over Jamaican politics. The cry of 'Colour for Colour' was still feared, and although there were Coloured men on the new Legislative Council there were no identifiably Black men. There were Black men such as Josiah Smicle in St Thomas and Joseph Milward Gordon in St Catherine involved in politics at the level of the Parochial Boards, but none had so far shown the dynamism to break into national politics. |
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In 1890, a Black Bahamian, Joseph Robert Love, M.D. arrived in Jamaica, having been expelled from Haiti for political activities there. For a time he confined his interest to the affairs of the Haitian exiles in Kingston, but by 1893 he had apparently decided to remain in Jamaica and involve himself in Jamaican politics. Love was to prove to be the personality needed to stimulate the interest and involvement of the Black people of Jamaica in the political sphere from which they had so far been almost entirely excluded. However, he had to move carefully as even the most innocent attempts to arouse Black political consciousness were liable to misinterpretation. He appears to have chosen what was probably the most acceptable means at starting his campaign, but even this modest beginning aroused opposition from some.
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In June and July, 1898, Love printed in his weekly paper, the Jamaica Advocate, his lecture entitled 'The Debt of the Negro race to the Revds. James M Phillippo, William Knibb and Thomas Burchell.' This lengthy lecture (it ran to two to three columns on the front page of the Advocate for six successive weeks) had first been given on August 1 1994. It was an account of the lives and work of these three clergymen, and others, who had been, in part, responsible for the Emancipation of the slaves in 1834. The Revd. Isaac Whitehouse, whom Love had apparently known in his youth in the Bahamas, was among the other clergy mentioned.
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In the lecture Love spoke strongly against the attitude of the Established Church and the planters on the whole, towards the question of slavery, and towards the activities of the missionaries. He also criticised bitterly the British Government's compensation of the slave owners, rather than of the slaves who had endured the evils of enslavement. In spite of his strong language Love denied having any feelings of malice towards anyone; his only motive, he asserted, was to bring the Black people of Jamaica to a recognition of the great and lasting debt they owed to the three great philanthropists. He felt that in order to show their gratitude his people in Jamaica should erect a lasting memorial to the three Baptist ministers. This lecture, which was repeated out of Kingston, aroused considerable enthusiasm, as had a previous lecture on Toussaint L'Ouverture. It was suggested that it should be printed as a pamphlet and Alexander Dixon, later, with Love's help, to be the first Black Member of the Legislative Council, wrote in the Daily Gleaner of August 18 1894 'that every right-thinking man in Jamaica is looking for Dr. Love in their district to hear him, and by their subscriptions at the door ... to help in the desired monument.'
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Nearly a month before his lecture, on July 5, 1894, Love had established the Phillippo, Knibb and Burchell Memorial Fund Association. The Chairman was Charles Plummer, Love himself and C. T. Burton were Vice-Chairmen, Thomas Harry was Treasurer, H. R. Walters, Solicitor, John A. Soulette Secretary, and Simeon A. Johnson Assistant Secretary. The object of the Association was the erection of a suitable memorial to the three missionaries. At first the suggestion was of memorial statues and Love had already in a letter on July 4 to John E. Bruce in the U.S.A. requested the address of Edmonia Lewis, the 'coloured sculptress' with the intention of having her design the memorial to Phillippo. Later however it was suggested that a girls' school would be a suitable memorial. As apparently very little money was ever collected, neither of these projects materialised.
In spite of the failure to reach its objective, the Association had briefly a fairly active existence. Love established branches of his Association at Port Antonio, Brown's Town, Ocho Rios, Oracabessa and Port Maria; the branch at Porus was particularly active. The Jamaica Advocate continued to report meetings of the Kingston branch until September 1897, at which time it was announced that meetings would he monthly instead of fortnightly. However there appears to have been no further mention of the Association's activities after this date.
The establishment of the Association gave rise to some heated correspondence in the press. A correspondent signing himself 'A White Man' wrote on August 15 1894, querying Love's motives and the objectives of the Association and a letter in the ephemeral Evening News on September 5 suggested a reason for the somewhat hostile reaction 'The possible result, political and otherwise, of this movement to the Negro race, seems to be dimly dawning upon the vision of some folk not overfond of the Negro; and hostility towards the man - himself a Negro - whose noble soul gave birth to the thought, has commenced to manifest itself'. During August and September 1894 there was a heated debate in the columns of the Gleaner and the Jamaica Post, and after the end of August the Gleaner refused to print any more of Love's letters. The difficulties that Love had in getting his views printed in the daily papers at this time probably helped to convince him that he must start his own paper; the 'Jamaica Advocate' was first published in December 1894, and was to run for nearly eleven years.
Although the Phillippo. Knibb and Burchell Memorial Fund Association was ostensibly founded to commemorate the three Baptist ministers, it had, intentionally or not, quite a different significance in fact. The reference to 'political' results of its activities gives the clue to this significance. Organising the Association and lecturing on its behalf gave Robert Love, not a native of Jamaica, the opportunity of establishing contacts with influential members of the Black community throughout the island. On these contacts Love based his journalistic and political campaigns to advance the cause of the Black community in Jamaica, which in spite of nearly sixty years of freedom, had made little progress in gaining control of the political, social and economic life of their country. In this way he aimed to carry further the work begun by the Baptist missionaries in the early years of the 19th century. Although the Phillippo, Knibb and Burchell Memorial Fund Association survived for only a short time and apparently achieved little, it formed a small but vital link in the chain of men and events which were to lead via Marcus Garvey and 1938 to Jamaica's political independence.
JHS Bulletin Vol 8 No 4 December 1981
The establishment of the Association gave rise to some heated correspondence in the press. A correspondent signing himself 'A White Man' wrote on August 15 1894, querying Love's motives and the objectives of the Association and a letter in the ephemeral Evening News on September 5 suggested a reason for the somewhat hostile reaction 'The possible result, political and otherwise, of this movement to the Negro race, seems to be dimly dawning upon the vision of some folk not overfond of the Negro; and hostility towards the man - himself a Negro - whose noble soul gave birth to the thought, has commenced to manifest itself'. During August and September 1894 there was a heated debate in the columns of the Gleaner and the Jamaica Post, and after the end of August the Gleaner refused to print any more of Love's letters. The difficulties that Love had in getting his views printed in the daily papers at this time probably helped to convince him that he must start his own paper; the 'Jamaica Advocate' was first published in December 1894, and was to run for nearly eleven years.
Although the Phillippo. Knibb and Burchell Memorial Fund Association was ostensibly founded to commemorate the three Baptist ministers, it had, intentionally or not, quite a different significance in fact. The reference to 'political' results of its activities gives the clue to this significance. Organising the Association and lecturing on its behalf gave Robert Love, not a native of Jamaica, the opportunity of establishing contacts with influential members of the Black community throughout the island. On these contacts Love based his journalistic and political campaigns to advance the cause of the Black community in Jamaica, which in spite of nearly sixty years of freedom, had made little progress in gaining control of the political, social and economic life of their country. In this way he aimed to carry further the work begun by the Baptist missionaries in the early years of the 19th century. Although the Phillippo, Knibb and Burchell Memorial Fund Association survived for only a short time and apparently achieved little, it formed a small but vital link in the chain of men and events which were to lead via Marcus Garvey and 1938 to Jamaica's political independence.
JHS Bulletin Vol 8 No 4 December 1981
Charles Plummer, a Coloured man, had been the first headmaster of Potsdam.[Munro]
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Thomas Harry was a Black businessman and politician; H. R. Walters was a Black solicitor;
[I have so far found no portraits of these men.] |
John Soulette, a Coloured man, a jeweller, business man and politician
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