Why the mutiny?
The reasons for the Bounty mutiny have long been debated, sometimes passionately. Discussion typically focuses on such questions as: "Why did the mutiny happen?" or "Who caused the mutiny?" or "What was the Bounty doing in the South Pacific in the first place?"
The easiest or most straight-forward answer is to the last question. The Bounty had been sent to Tahiti on a special mission to collect breadfruit plants, and to nurse them until they were resilient enough to transport across the sea to the West Indies. The plants were to be taken there in pots so they could be transplanted and cultivated as a staple food source for slaves working on sugar plantations.
Other frequently asked questions are: "Why does the mutiny still stimulate debate and historical analysis?" or "Why has the mutiny taken such precedence over grander and more important events in the annals of Pacific maritime history?"
Several reasons for the Bounty mutiny have been suggested …
- The mutineers had lived on Tahiti for several months while the breadfruit seedlings were growing. During this time they had been seduced by the lure of Tahiti, where they thought they could lead a life of ease in a tropical paradise with beautiful women. Captain William Bligh held this view:
"It will very naturally be asked, what could be the reason for such a revolt? In answer to which I can only conjecture that the mutineers had assured themselves of a more happy life among the Otaheitians … which, joined to some female connections, have most probably been the principal cause …
"… their female connections on the island has most likely been the cause of the whole business … the women there are handsome and have sufficient delicacy to make them beloved. So it seems the men were happily entrapped by their seduction."
- Bligh was a hard task master, a stickler for discipline, perhaps even a bully. Fletcher Christian eventually "cracked up" under relentless criticism and bullying from Bligh-he had simply been driven too hard and was no longer prepared to stand it.
- Bligh was not a good leader, not a good "people person". He had lost the respect and support of his petty officers and crew. So when someone "cracked up" and incited other disaffected crew to mutiny, no one helped Bligh restore his authority. The Bounty's master John Fryer said the crew "did not like their captain".