Who were Paul Bogle and George William Gordon?

Paul Bogle and George William Gordon were prominent figures in Jamaican history who were executed following the 1865 Morant Bay rebellion.2

• Paul Bogle was a leader of the 1865 uprising, which was sparked by the widespread poverty and unemployment that followed the collapse of the plantation system. During the riots, the chief magistrate and 18 other Europeans were killed. Bogle was identified as the principal instigator of the rebellion and was subsequently hanged under martial law by Governor Edward John Eyre.12
• George William Gordon was a member of the Jamaican assembly who was accused of being a coconspirator in the rebellion. Like Bogle, he was executed by the colonial authorities during the suppression of the riots.2

In 1965, both men were officially declared national heroes of Jamaica.3