Slave Revolts

Day to Day Resistance Through song & dance they celebrated their dreams for freedom Music showed solidarity and identity Those who defied the whites were given great respect

Maroons Runaway slaves from Spanish colonies of the Americas Lived in settlements in the jungles and forests

Revolution in the Caribbean 1791, the Marrons, led by Toussaint L’Ouverture, successfully revolted on the island of St. Dominque. St. Dominque was one of the greatest wealth producing colonies in the New World By 1800, St. Dominque was free from colonial rule and was renamed Haiti, with L’Ouverture as its ruler Word of this revolt got back to the USA and it frightened slave owners, but encouraged the abolitionist movement

Gabriel Prosser 1st major slave revolt in the south Led by a 24 year old slave named Gabriel Prosser He was deeply religious In 1800, he began to plot his plan to take the city of Richmond, Virginia by force He wanted to arm his rebel slaves by attacking the armory By August 1800, he had 1000s of slaves enlisted and a storage of weapons.

Gabriel Prosser The bridges of Richmond were destroyed in a flood, which caused a delay and 2 followers betrayed him and on the day of the revolt The state militia attacked him the next day and his followers were hanged. His revolt was the closest America came to a revolution on the same scale as that in Haiti. This terrified slave owners in the south. Slaves were subjected to harsher rules. This was a cause of the American Civil War.

The Nat Turner Rebellion Born in Southampton, Virginia in 1800 He was a slave and the property of Benjamin Turner, a prosperous plantation owner. Nat’s mother and grandmother had been brought to America from Africa and had a deep hatred of slavery. His mother even tried to kill him at birth to prevent him from becoming a slave. He developed deep religious beliefs and gradually began to believe that God had chosen him to lead his people out of slavery In 1831, he was sold to Joseph Travis

The Nat Turner Rebellion In February of that year, an eclipse of the sun convinced Turner that this was a supernatural sign from God to start an insurrection. On August 21st, Turner and about 7 other slaves (his disciples) killed Travis and his family in their sleep to launch his rebellion. They went from plantation to plantation killing other slave owners. Within the next few days, 55 whites were murdered. They were met by a regiment and Turner dug a cave and went into hiding.

The Nat Turner Rebellion Many innocent slaves were killed by the town militia (100s) He had hoped that his action would cause a massive slave uprising, but only 75 joined his rebellion. They were eventually caught and were found guilty of insurrection and plotting to kill white people. (it took 2 months to catch Nat Turner) They were hung on November 11th, 1831. This caused harsher and stricter rules to be imposed on the slaves It was a cause of the American Civil War.

John Brown Rebellion A white abolitionist Wanted to form a freedom army with the slaves In 1859, he tried to seize the government arsenal at Harper’s Ferry in Virginia. He and 21 men (4 of whom were his sons) were successful in getting the weapons, but took hostages

John Brown Rebellion One hostage they took was Colonel Lewis Washington, the great-grandnephew of the 1st president. They were surrounded by the town’s people and were held there until 90 US marines stormed in. The rebels were hung & slaves were subjected to harsher rules. This was a cause of the American Civil War.

John Anderson Born a slave about 1830. He was sold and separated from his family He decided to runaway He stabbed a slave catcher called Seneca Diggs, who was trying to capture him Anderson fled to Canada, but was arrested in 1860 and put on trial for the murder.

John Anderson Canada ruled that he was to be sent back to the USA as a slave Britain asked the Government General not to send him back to the USA. Canada agreed In 1861, Anderson was invited to go to London, which he did His trial was in American, Canadian and British newspapers. This showed that Canada was going to protect slaves.

The Fugitive Slave Laws Passed in 1793 Made it illegal to hide runaways 1850 the police were given power to recapture runaways Many slaves escaped to Canada If you were caught helping the runaways, you were fined $2000 and given a sentence of 6 months of prison time.

The Vesey Conspiracy In 1799, Denmark Vesey bought his freedom for $600. He was a carpenter. He joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1817. White Charlestonians constantly monitored the church, disrupting services and arresting members. They planned to build to a hearse house in a black grave yard. Vesey started to preach the Old Testament and taught followers that they were the chosen people and those who enslaved them would be punished. 1822, leaders from the church plotted a rebellion.

The Vesey Conspiracy The Chief Lieutenant was an East African priest named Gullah Jack They had planned to seize Charleston’s arsenals and guard houses, kill the governor, set fire to the city and kill every white man they saw. George Wilson, a former slave, informed his master of a planned insurrection that involved thousands of free and enslaved blacks who lived and around Charleston. George was granted his freedom, but committed suicide. Vesey and conspirators were arrested and put on trial

The Vesey Conspiracy Despite torture and threat of execution, the men refused to give up their followers 35 of them were executed. The church was burned down and laws were passed down restricting slaves. This was a cause of the American Civil War.