The Grand Rebellion of Jamaica's Slaves began when they went on strike claiming freedom and decent wages.

Of the 300,000 slaves on the island, 60,000 rose during the largest revolt of the British dependent Antilles colonies.

Presided over by Jamaican Baptist priest Samuel Sharpe, they thought in principle that paralyzing the work of plantations would be enough to achieve their goals and that violence would only be used if attacked.

On 27 December, however, there were armed clashes between the armed colony and the armed slave battalions, and after the triumph of the latter, some territories remained under the control of the slaves.

The British proclaimed the war situation and defeated the uprising in a few days. Later, and taking advantage of the inexcusable repression, thousands of Jamaican slaves were killed. However, it was an important milestone in achieving the abolition of slavery in the British empire and became a source of inspiration for similar elevations in many other colonies.