Suppression of the Christmas Rebellion (Baptist War) in Jamaica

Background. The Baptist War began on 25 December 1831 as a strike led by Baptist deacon Samuel Sharpe, demanding better wages. Enslaved workers took oaths to abstain from labor until their demands were met. The rebellion involved up to 60,000 slaves in the Colony of Jamaica, causing widespread destruction of property and estates.

Military Response. Sir Willoughby Cotton of the British Army assumed responsibility for dealing with the rebels. He enlisted the Jamaican Maroons of Accompong Town to confront Sharpe's followers in the second week of January 1832. The uprising was militarily unsuccessful, though it later played a major part in the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire.

Executions. Following the rebellion, an estimated 310 to 340 enslaved Jamaicans were killed through various forms of judicial executions. These included Samuel Sharpe, Robert Gardner, and other captured slave leaders. Historians argue that the brutality of the Jamaican plantocracy during the revolt accelerated the passage of full emancipation.