Daddy Sharpe: A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Samuel Sharpe, A West Indian Slave Written by Himself, 1832

I would rather die in yonder gallows than live for a minute more in slavery Sam Sharpe declared before he was hanged in 1832. Today revered as one of Jamaica s seven National heroes, Sam Sharpe was a Baptist preacher who was born a slave in Jamaica and named for his master. Sharpe is best known for his leadership role in the 1831 Christmas Rebellion on the Kensington Estate in western Jamaica during which hundreds of slaves lost their lives. Historians agree that this rebellion and the many others that it sparked, was largely responsible for the passing of the Act to abolish slavery less than a year later in 1832. Sharpe was tried and hanged for his part as organizer of the rebellion. DADDY SHARPE is the riveting account of Sharpe s life, in his own voice. Locked in prison, awaiting a sentence of certain execution, Sharpe retells the story of his life from his boyhood days at Cooper s Hill in St. James, ending with his surrender to the authorities after defeat in the 1831 rebellion. Rich with historical details of plantation life in colonial Jamaica, Sam Sharpe s story is told with depth and sensitivity and makes compelling reading.