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Slave Rebellions

Slave rebellions began with slavery itself. Slave revolts took place in ways large and small. The fear and paranoia of slave holders led to the enactment of criminal laws with brutal consequences for those convicted of crimes against slavery. Noted leaders of slave rebellions—Denmark Vesey, Nathaniel Turner, Sengbe Pieh (known as Jose Cinque), and John Brown—paid the ultimate price in their quest for freedom, giving their lives to strike a blow against human bondage. Insurrections against human bondage took place across the country in every state in which slavery existed. Yet, history may never cite all of those men, women, and children who rebelled individually or led others in protests against enslavement.

Acts of Rebellion: Real and Imagined

Slave rebellions were acts of protest. Africans in America rose up against oppression in acts of violence and civil disobedience deemed crimes against slavery. Enslaved farmworkers sabotaged tools. Cooks ruined meals or even poisoned the food of slave holders. Slave escapes were acts of rebellion. Laws with harsh penalties were enacted to intimidate slaves from revolting. Escape attempts were met with lashes on the bare back and branding. Acts of self-protection, overt defiance, or confidence on the part of an enslaved person was viewed by many Whites as rebellious and worthy of punishment. Repeated escape attempts could lead to castration, mutilation, and death. Despite these harsh consequences, slaves rebelled, escaped, and staged uprisings, using any means within their power to fight against perpetual servitude. Ultimately, rebellions led by enslaved Blacks, free Blacks, and White abolitionists were acts of war against slavery.

Courts of law were used to try acts of slave rebellion, real or imagined. In New York City, fear of a slave revolt led to harsh penalties and greater restrictions in mobility. A mysterious fire flamed hysteria and paranoia of a slave protest or act of sabotage. In 1741, New York City was the site of several unexplained fires. Many Whites viewed the fires as acts of slave protest. Following a farce of a trial, dozens of slaves were found guilty. In the end, 13 slaves were burned alive, 18 were hanged, and 70 were banished. There was little evidence to support slave involvement with these fires. The cruelty of the verdict reveals the deep paranoia and fear of slave revolts on the part of many Whites. Those fears, and an addiction to slave-related profits, led to the manipulation of the rule of law to favor slave holders.

Denmark Vesey

Denmark Vesey was born in Saint Domingue (now Haiti) in 1767. He was enslaved in South Carolina by Joseph Vesey. In 1800, Denmark Vesey won a lottery and used the proceeds to purchase his freedom. Vesey was greatly influenced by the French Revolution (1789–1799) and the slave uprisings in Haiti led by Toussaint L'Ouverture (1791–1804). In Haiti, L'Ouverture's army of slaves defeated Napoleon Bonaparte's army to gain the independence of that country. Denmark Vesey led a relatively prosperous life as a carpenter. However, Vesey read newspaper articles that set forth the resistance of slave holders to the Missouri Compromise and the emancipation of Blacks.

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