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February 18, 2005
Legends abound on Buddhoe's role in 1848 uprising and emancipation
ST. CROIX - Much of what has been written about Moses "Buddhoe" Gottlieb, the free black who led the 1848 slave rebellion on St. Croix, is shrouded in controversy, but historians agree the Emancipation Proclamation that followed stands as a seminal point in Virgin Islands history.
According to historical accounts, the uprising by St. Croix slaves, particularly on the western end of the island, began on the evening of July 2, 1848, with hundreds of slaves assembling outside Fort Frederik, Frederiksted. The slaves declared they would not be working the next day and shouted for their freedom.
By the next morning thousands of slaves had gathered. Some 2,000 of them marched into Frederiksted from the northwest and north coast estates, joining others from Ham's Bluff and other estates along Centerline Road. According to historical accounts, by 10 a.m. about 8,000 slaves had gathered in front of the fort demanding their freedom.
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Posted by afinta at February 18, 2005 11:07 AM
