On this day, December 27 , in 1831

A major slave rebellion known as the Christmas Rebellion took place in St. James, Jamaica. In the months leading up to this, community leader and activist Sam Sharpe had attempted to organize a non-violent day of action, protesting the enslavement of Jamaican people. That morning, resentment became too strong, and slaves began burning down the estates of British slave-owners. Only days later, more than 300 Jamaican slaves were executed, and Sam Sharpe was hung to death in the Montego Bay Marketplace. Slavery in Jamaica was finally abolished by England in 1834.