James Phillippo

They were directed to stay away from commenting on the institution of slavery, which planters depended on for their lucrative sugar cane production.

Philippo sailed from England for Jamaica in 1823 and arrived at a time of great transition: Britain had banned the Atlantic slave trade in 1807, and in 1823 propositions to abolish slavery itself were brought in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.

Despite Parliament's failure to pass the legislation, British mission workers in Jamaica, especially Baptists, were criticized by planters and the white population, the press, and the colonial government for being in league with the anti-slavery camp, with the "intention of effecting our ruin.

[5] When Phillippo arrived in Jamaica in 1823, he nonetheless set out to build places of worship and to preach Christianity to the slaves.

[10] Afterward the government prosecuted suspects such as Samuel Sharpe, a black Baptist deacon, and others, quickly convicting them and executing them by hanging.

He acquired land (usually via agents, as the owners would not have knowingly sold to him) for settlements where emancipated slaves could live and build houses free from the threat of eviction from their former Estate hovels.

He founded new chapels at each Village and both Sunday (for religious study) and day schools to educate the young, also organising the training and appointment of teachers.

Sligoville, a hilly farming community in Saint Catherine Parish about 10 miles from Spanish Town, was the location of the first Free Village.

The celebration of Emancipation on 1 August 1838 was a joyous time in Spanish Town, with a large turnout of freed slaves.

Phillipo was asked by Governor Sir Lionel Smith to lead the procession of the Baptist Church and Congregation of Spanish Town, along with about 2,000 school children and their teachers to Government House, where the Proclamation of Freedom was read to a crowd of more than 8,000 people.

While in England, Phillippo travelled extensively, lectured to raise funds for the college, and completed the manuscript for his first book.

[16] He was so well respected by the Jamaican people at all social levels that the funeral was a grand occasion, attracting thousands of former slaves as well as politicians, clergy, and businessmen.

Son George Phillippo had a long and distinguished career as a lawyer, politician, and statesman, being knighted for his service.