Rebellion - Montgomery College, Germantown, Maryland

REBELLION SLAVE INSURRECTIONS (REBELLIONS) Large-scale insurrections uprisings involving 10 or more slaves Rare in the United States

More common in Caribbean and Latin America WHY SO FEW IN THE UNITED STATES? 1) Whites outnumbered blacks 2) Slaves worked under the direct supervision of whites 3) Slaves separated by great distances 4) No place to hide 5) Working conditions werent as harsh 6) Slaves tended to live as families.

SLAVES DID EXPRESS THEIR DISCONTENT Expressions of rebellion were often subtle Work slowly Theft most common form of rebellion taking and stealing Silent sabotage slowing down the plantation Destroying crops Pretending to be sick

Forgetting to do things Breaking tools Hobbling animals Weighing down cotton Dysaethesia thiopica.

ACTS OF VIOLENCE Burning buildings Poisoning the master Assaulting their master Killing the master Suicide RUNNING AWAY 1,000 per year Typical runaway Single (unmarried) young man

Runaways tended to run alone or in small groups In the summer (good weather) WHY DID THEY RUN, WHERE DID THEY GO? Most common reasons? Where did they run to? To avoid work Following the North Star

To avoid punishment The free states in the North or Canada To avoid being sold Florida before 1820 To be free

Some stayed nearby their old plantation To reunite with families or lovers LARGE SCALE REBELLIONS Rare, but they did happen in the United States

250 uprisings or planned uprising GABRIELS PLOT 30 AUGUST 1800 Gabriel Prosser (I775-1800) Henrico, County Virginia Planned an attack on the state capital Betrayed by two house slaves 91 slaves convicted for taking part Prosser, his family and 21 others executed

Ten conspirators deported Caused fear and tension in the area DENMARK VESEYS CONSPIRACY -- 30 MAY 1822 Denmark Vesey (I767-1822) -- A former slave 9,000 slaves Charleston, South Carolina House slaves betrayed Vesey

131 Blacks and 4 whites conspirator arrested Vesey and 35 aides were hanged 34 slaves were deported 61 of the accused were acquitted Harsh laws enacted after the failed rebellion NAT TURNERS REBELLION AUGUST 1831 The only rebellion to result in a large number of white casualties Nat Turner, a slave North Hampton Country Virginia Turner was a religious preacher

70 armed slaves Two-day rampage began on 21 August 1831 They killed about 60 whites WHITES REACT TO TURNERS REBELLION Nat Turner eluded capture 53 Blacks were arrested and tried 20 were hanged 21 were acquitted 12 were transported out of Virginia October 30, Nat Turner was captured

He was tried, and hanged His body mutilated. IMPACT OF NAT TURNERS REBELLION Southern States adopt more rigid Slave Codes President blocks delivery of abolitionist literature to the southern states House of Representatives prevented from reading abolitionist petitions The gag rule (1836 to 1844)