The English captured Jamaica from the Spanish in 1655. The early British colonists were constantly at war with the Spanish or the French, which is why the island is still ringed with ancient forts. During the slave trade and the English/Spanish wars, Port Royal was the Headquarters of some of the most blood thirsty pirates such as Henry Morgan and Captain Kidd and it became known as one of the richest and most wicked cities in the world. In 1692 the city was almost devastated by an earthquake and more than a quarter of the population of 8000 died. The government abandoned the port and founded a new settlement across the harbour, soon to be known as Kingston.

The name 'maroon' comes from the Spanish word cimarrón roughly translated as 'wild' or 'untamed'. When the British invaded Jamaica in 1655, many Africans who had been enslaved by the Spanish colonists escaped into the hilly, mountains regions of the island to live a life free from slavery. Over time the Maroons came to control large areas of the Jamaican interior and they would often move down from the hills to raid the plantations. They were very organised and knew the country well. Because of this many run-away slaves joined them and soon both the original Maroons (those who ran away when the British captured the island from the Spanish) and the runaway slaves were known as Maroons. The two main Maroon groups were the Trelawny Town Maroons - led by Cudjoe - and the Windward Maroons - led by Queen Nanny and later by Quao. The Maroons were skilled hunters and warriors and, hard as they tried, the British Army could not control or defeat them. The first Maroon War (1730 to 1739) ended with an agreement (or treaty) that gave the Maroons control of large areas of land. However in return, they had to agree not to war with the British, to help capture and return runaway slaves, and to help the British put down revolts or outside invasions. The land given over to the Maroons was around Flagstaff in Trelawny and was named Trelawny Town, and at Accompong in St. Elizabeth. Some of the land remains Maroon territory to this day, but some was taken away by the British after the Second Maroon War (1795). Similar Maroon communities emerged elsewhere in the Caribbean (St Vincent and Dominica for example), but none were seen as such a great threat to the British as the Jamaican Maroons.

Nanny was a leader of the Maroons at the beginning of the 18th century. She was known by the Maroons and the British colonialists as an outstanding military leader who became, during her lifetime and afterwards, a symbol of unity and strength for her people. Possessing the survival sprit of her own people, the Ashanti from West Africa, she and her five brothers (Cudjoe - also a great Maroon leader, Accompong, Johnny, Cuffy and Quao) escaped from slavery soon after they arrived in Jamaica. Nanny's influence over the Maroons was extremely strong, some even said it was supernatural. She was a powerful and clever leader and she was particularly important to the Maroons when they fought the First Maroon War against the British, who were trying to penetrate the mountains and overpower them. Nanny also passed down her people's traditional legends and encouraged them to continue with the customs, music and songs that had come with them from Africa and that they were proud of. Both her brothers Cudjoe and Quao signed so-called 'peace treaties' with the British in 1739. Nanny is said to have disagreed with their decisions, seeing this as another form of control by the British. She did eventually agree to a truce, but only because she saw that her people were tired of war and wanted peace instead. Nanny and other freedom fighters like her, helped to bring about a quicker end to enslavement because the fear of revolution (as happened in Haiti) became a major factor that pushed the British to abolish slavery.

Sam Sharpe was born in Jamaica in 1801. It seems that he was raised in Montego Bay on the north coast of the island and named after his owner (Samuel Sharp, Esq), who it is said, treated him relatively kindly. He became a Baptist preacher and followed the developments of the abolition movement in England by reading local and foreign papers. He had many followers and supporters and was well known for his inspirational words. It is said that those who heard him speak, never forgot his message or his voice and that he amazed people with the power and freedom with which he spoke. As a preacher he travelled far and wide throughout the parish of St James, decrying the injustices of slavery and making the point (which he had learnt from the Bible) that the whites had no more right to hold black people in slavery, than black people had to make white people slaves. Sharpe organised the 1831-32 rebellion when he was 31 years old. His idea was to organise a general strike against slavery in the western parishes, suggesting that the slaves didn't go back to work after their three day Christmas holiday. Sharpe encouraged a peaceful resistance however, and that they should only fight physically for their freedom if the planters did not grant the demands of the general strike. Sharpe was knowledgeable and intelligent and probably knew it was unlikely that the strike would succeed, so he had made military preparations for the rebellion. This uprising, which began on 28 December 1831, starting in St. James and spreading throughout the entire island, is generally regarded as the greatest (and the last) acts against slavery in Jamaica before it was abolished in August 1833. The Rebellion lasted for eight days and resulted in the death of around 186 Africans and 14 white planters or overseers. The white vengeance for this rebellion was terrible. There were over 750 convictions of rebel slaves, of which 138 were sentenced to death. Some were hanged, their heads cut off and placed in conspicuous parts of their plantations. Most of those who escaped the death sentence were brutally punished and in some cases the punishment was so harsh that they didn't survive.

Sam Sharpe was also captured and executed in Market Square (also called the Parade), Montego Bay on 23 May 1832. As he awaited his execution he is recorded to have said 'I would rather die upon yonder gallows than live in slavery'. His opinion was the same as many other enslaved Africans who chose death over a life of slavery. Slave resistance was costing the British government dearly and only one week after the death of Sam Sharpe, Parliament appointed a committee to consider ways of ending slavery. Slavery was ended partially on 1 August 1834 and completely (with the ending of apprenticeship), four years later. In 1975, following independence, Sam Sharpe was made a National Hero and in his honour this square was renamed Sam Sharpe Square.

On the northeast corner of Sam Sharpe Square is the Cage, built in 1806 as a jail for runaway slaves and drunk seamen or sailors. Today it is used as a ticket outlet for various local events.

Paul Bogle was born before the abolition of slavery, sometime between 1815 and 1820. He grew up when slavery was ending, believing in the teachings of the Bible and was generally thought of as a peaceful and kind man. Even after slavery was abolished, there was no real freedom for the black men and women living in Jamaica. They were not given rights to fair trials, to own land or to vote. They were made to pay very high taxes and continued to be punished badly by colonialists and planters. Paul Bogle did own land - about 500 acres, and he could read, write and vote. One day in 1865, two men were on trial in the Morant Bay Court House and Paul Bogle together with some of his people went to support them. Events that took place at that
Trial led to the Morant Bay Rebellion, lead by Paul Bogle. The Government sent troops to put down the rebellion and they burnt thousands of houses and many of Paul Bogle's people were killed or hurt. Eventually Paul Bogle was captured and taken to Morant Bay where he was put on trial. He was found guilty and hanged at the Court House on October 24, 1865, along with four hundred and thirty-eight other people. However this demonstration did achieve its objectives. It paved the way towards the establishment of fairer practice in the courts and it brought about a change in official attitude which made the social and economic betterment of the people possible. Paul Bogle was named one of Jamaica's national heroes because he died for what he believed was right.

Rastafari (also known as Rasta) is a movement which has its roots in the 1930s teachings of Jamaican black nationalist Marcus Garvey. In 1920 Marcus Garvey said 'Look to Africa, when a black king shall be crowned, for the day of deliverance is at hand'. Many thought the prophecy was fulfilled when in 1930, Ras Tafari, was crowned emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia and proclaimed 'King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the conquering lion of the Tribe of Judah'. Haile Selassie claimed to be a direct descendant of King David, the 225th ruler in an unbroken line of Ethiopian Kings from the time of Solomon and Sheba. He and his followers took great pride in being black and wanted to regain the black heritage that was lost by loosing faith and straying from the holy ways. Rastafarians live a peaceful life and devote much time to contemplating the scriptures. Rastas let their hair grow naturally into dreadlocks, in the image of the lion of Judah. Since 1975 the Rasta movement has grown phenomenally. This is largely attributed to reggae artist Bob Marley (who became a prophet of Rastafari in 1975), and the worldwide acceptance of reggae as a means of Rastafarian self-expression. The movement spread quickly in the Caribbean and was hugely attractive to the local black youths. Rastafari represents one of the most recent forms of resistance and is linked to societies of maroons. As a spiritual philosophy it is derived from the African Myal religion and the Revivalist Zion churches.