What were the causes of the Morant Bay Rebellion in Jamaica in 1865?

The basic causes of the Morant Bay Rebellion in 1865 were
the unrepresentative nature of the Jamaican government and the economic problems that
Jamaica was suffering from during this time.

The government
of Jamaica was controlled by a very few white people.  The black Jamaicans had
essentially no voice in government.  Out of the 436,000 people on the island, fewer than
2,000 were allowed to vote (see miami.edu link).  This meant that the mass of black
Jamaicans had no feeling of being represented by their
government.

At the same time, Jamaica was undergoing
serious economic difficulties.  Taxes were high, prices were high, unemployment was
high.  In these conditions, many black Jamaicans were living in very impoverished
circumstances.

Because their material lives were very
difficult, and because they had no voice in government, black Jamaicans were primed to
rebel if the occasion arose as it did when Paul Bogle and his fellow protestors were
arrested.