Person

Samuel Sharpe

1801–1832 · 19th century

Samuel Sharpe was an enslaved Baptist deacon in Jamaica who planned and led the Christmas Rebellion of 1831–1832, known as the Baptist War. He intended a peaceful general strike for wages, which turned into a widespread armed revolt across western Jamaica. He was hanged in Montego Bay in May 1832 and is honoured as a National Hero of Jamaica.

Samuel Sharpe — Image: english wikipedia user Pozole · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Colony of Jamaica

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Samuel Sharpe. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/samuel-sharpe
MLA: “Samuel Sharpe.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/samuel-sharpe. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Samuel Sharpe.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/samuel-sharpe.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Samuel Sharpe’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/samuel-sharpe (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻