Samuel Sharpe

Samuel Sharpe (* 1801 in Montego Bay, Jamaica; † 1832 ibid.) is one of the seven national heroes of Jamaica, its full title is The Right Excellent Samuel Sharpe. In 1831 he led the Christmas Uprising in Montego Bay.

The son of Creole slaves had the good fortune to read and write to learn what made ​​him a person of respect for the other slaves. Sharpe became a preacher of the Baptist, spent a lot of time to visit plantations in Saint James Parish and build a community of faith among his fellow sufferers. He campaigned for the end of slavery.

In the false assumption that the British Parliament would have ended slavery, he organized during the sugar cane harvest a strike in the west Jamaica. At times, 60,000 people participated in the first peaceful action.

On 25 December 1831, the real Christmas uprising began. Some strikers began, probably without the knowledge Sharpe, burn fields. People were not attacked. The military on the island struck the rebellion within two weeks. Sharpe was executed together with other leaders in 1832 in Montego Bay. The rebellion drew two parliamentary detailed studies aimed at who helped to end slavery in 1833 by the Slavery Abolition Act.

1975 declared the Jamaican Parliament Samuel Sharpe one of the seven official national hero of the island. At his execution site is a memorial.

704891
de