Name: Samuel Sharpe
Title: The Right Excellent Samuel Sharpe (conferred the Order of the National Hero)
Born: c.1801
Passed: 23 May 1832
Place of birth: Montego Bay, Jamaica, West Indies
Residency: St James, Jamaica
Known for: Instrumental in the abolition of slavery.

Samuel Sharpe, the national hero of Jamaica, has gone down in history as having brought about the end to slavery. Samuel was an enslaved person and also a well-respected deacon who was in charge of a missionary chapel in Montego Bay. According to the Jamaica Information Service’s website, Samuel was the main person to bring about the abolition of slavery.

Samuel was a leader of the native Baptists in Montego Bay. Within this circle he formed planned activities for slaves. Samuel raised his concerns and encouraged political thought, concerning events in England which affected the slaves and Jamaica.

It’s the of 27th December 1831, and a fire breaks out at the Kensington Estate Great House, in St James Parish, Jamaica. This is an important year in the history of Jamaica. One of the planned activities that Samuel wanted to put in action was for slaves to refuse to work on Christmas Day in the year of 1831. He wanted this date to be treated as a paid holiday. This planned activity was told to like-minded people like Samuel. The word got around to other parishes in Jamaica. The planned activities were meant to be non-violent but things took a turn for the worse.

It’s has been documented that armed rebellion and seizing of property spread through the western parishes of Jamaica. The uprising stopped by the first week in January.

According to the Jamaica Information Service’s website, Samuel was hanged on May 1832.

Two years later the Abolition Bill was passed by the British Parliament and in 1838 slavery was abolished.