#stonorebellion

Ten Great Slave Revolts in Colonial America and the United States: A Legacy of Resistance

Between 1663 and 1860, there were approximately 250-311 slave revolts in Colonial America and the United States, although many more might have occurred but were suppressed or unreported. These rebellions often led to harsher slave laws as authorities sought to maintain control. Despite this, the legacy of resistance against slavery remains a powerful and fascinating chapter in American history.

Key Facts:

The Santo Domingo Slave Revolt of 1521 is considered the first in the Americas.

The Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) is the most successful slave revolt in world history.

Well-known revolts include the Gloucester County Conspiracy (1663), New York Slave Revolt (1712), Stono Rebellion (1739), Gabriel's Rebellion (1800), and Nat Turner's Rebellion (1831).

Underreported revolts include the Igbo Landing Rebellion (1803) and the Creole Mutiny (1841).

Historical Context

The institution of slavery was deeply entrenched in Colonial America, with planters relying heavily on both slaves and indentured servants for labor. Despite this, slaves and servants frequently rebelled against their oppressive conditions, often using creative strategies to plan and execute their insurrections.

Historical Significance

These rebellions not only exposed the cruelty and injustices of slavery but also forced authorities to enact more stringent laws in an attempt to quell future uprisings. The legacy of these slave revolts has inspired resistance movements throughout history, serving as a testament to the resilience and determination of those fighting for freedom.

Stono Rebellion

The Stono Rebellion (also known as Cato's Rebellion or Cato's Conspiracy, 9 September 1739) was the largest slave revolt in the British colonies of North America. Led by an educated slave, Cato (also known as Jemmy), enslaved Black people attempted to flee from South Carolina to freedom in Spanish Florida but were caught and defeated by local militia.

Cato and others of the initial group of 22 were taken from the Kingdom of Kongo (modern Angola and DR of Congo), which supported a lucrative slave trade. Rulers of the Kingdom of Kongo in the 16th and 17th centuries kept a standing army of slaves, and it is thought that Cato and the others were former soldiers who had been captured after an engagement and sold into slavery.

How long Cato had been a slave is unknown, but the rebellion was later blamed on a recent influx of slaves from Africa, so it is likely he had not been enslaved long (though this is speculation). The revolt, blamed on this arrival of enslaved African soldiers, caused South Carolina to close its ports at Charleston to slave-trafficking ships for the next ten years and also led to the passage of the Negro Act of 1740 restricting slaves' lives further, prohibiting literacy among the slave population, and forbidding the freeing of slaves by their masters.

The Stono Rebellion may have inspired later revolts, including Gabriel's Rebellion (1800), the 1811 German Coast Uprising, Denmark Vesey's Conspiracy (1822), and Nat Turner's Rebellion of 1831. Even if it had nothing to do with any later uprisings, the Stono Rebellion is important in its own right as a strike against the institution of slavery and a stand for individual and collective liberty.

Background

Florida was claimed by Spain after Juan Ponce de León 'discovered' it in April 1513, and by 1559, large regions had been colonized by Spanish settlers. The English established the Jamestown colony of Virginia in 1607 and the colony of Carolina in 1663. When residents of Virginia objected to the political-social organization of Carolina – which included large plantations of cash crops such as cotton, rice, and tobacco and the political supremacy of large plantation owners – the colony was divided into North Carolina and South Carolina (the northern colony to serve as a buffer), both of which imported slaves.

Georgia was established by the anti-slavery reformer James Oglethorpe (l. 1696-1785) in 1733 and rejected large plantation farming and the institution of slavery that made it possible. To keep peace with South Carolina, however, Georgia allowed slave-catchers pursuing runaways to operate in their territory. If a slave in South Carolina wanted to escape to freedom, the only way was down through Georgia to Spanish Florida, evading slave-catchers the entire time.

Fort Mose Historic State Park, St. Augustine, Florida, USA

Ebyabe (CC BY-SA)

Florida welcomed escaped slaves, who, as long as they converted to Catholicism and served in the local militia, were granted their freedom. In 1738, Fort Mose was established near St. Augustine and garrisoned by escaped slaves, becoming the first legally recognized free Black settlement in North America. Florida sent out riders with written proclamations inviting any and all slaves to throw off their chains and make their way south to freedom.