Resistance+to+Slavery


 * Resistance to Slavery**

There were very many slave revolts in history; here are some of the most remembered ones. The first large scale revolt of African Slaves took place on the plantation of Christopher Columbus' son, Diego, in 1522 on the island of Hispaniola. The first serious slave conspiracy was in Gloucester County, VA 1663 when indentures and slaves plotted to overthrow their master and escape to the wilderness. The most serious slave plot took place in Stono, North Carolina, led by a Angolan slave named Cato (sometimes known as Jemmy). He used his knowledge of drums to "speak" to other African born slaves. Soon about 20 slaves gathered. They then killed two guards and captured the arms and ammunition in the storehouse. As they were marching to Florida, he continued to use the drum to gather more slaves. Later on the journey they stopped to celebrate their victory. This gave their masters time to organize the military and they soon caught up. Cato and the slaves were surrounded, captured, and punished. Some revolts were small scale and "day-to-day". These slaves were called "quiet rebels" and used sabotage, work slow downs, and faked illness to undermine day-to-day order and routine. Craftsmen who understood how important they were to their masters were the most defiant. Since they didn’t gain anything from their hard work, they used every chance they got to strike at the system. Trusted house servants pretended to be slow and stupid around their masters. Then as they do their work the master would feel free to speak freely while the servant was actually eavesdropping. Some slaves went out and rebeled at night, like letting animals loose or letting a boat drift to anger their masters. Some slaves even faked harsh illnesses (like blindness) as they were being sold, so that no one would buy them and they could stay with their families. Others would go to extremes by suicide or murder. Many runaways formed communities in swamps forests, and mountains where they were known as maroons. This shows that many slaves escaped and some were successful.

Denmark was a slave who traveled with his owner, Joseph Vesey, serving as a seaman. He traveled in Africa and the West Indies, where he came in contact with French, Dutch, and Spanish. He, then, learned to read and write in several languages. When Denmark traveled to Charleston, he won $1,500 in the local East Bay Street lottery. He then bought his freedom from Vesey for $600. In the next 20 years, Denmark married and had several of children, but his wife was a slave. Denmark continued his studies and became a leader of Charleston's free African-American community, and later on became a a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Later on he became outraged by the enslavement of African Americans, and led a rebellion that was unsuccessful. First, the massive and successful slave rebellion in Santo Domingo in the late 1790s and early 1800s made a deep impression on him as he saw that slaves could throw off their oppression and establish a free community for themselves. Second, his access to his wife and children was limited by his wife's master, a condition that must have severely grated against such a proud man as Denmark. Third, the AME was increasingly becoming a source of conflict between the white and black communities in Charleston in the late 1810s.
 * Denmark Vesey**

Nat Turner was a slave who had a kind and benevolent master, Benjamin Turner. Turner was privileged because he received education and could play with the master's white children. Turner also read the Bible and went to church because his master told him to. In 1810, Turner's father fled to the North and died. Also Turner's master died. Leaving Turner and his mother with Benjamin Turner's brother, Samuel Turner. Samuel put him to work and cut down his studies. Turner claimed he saw religious visions of the past and future. Turner couldn't tolerate Samuel which is why he fled from Samuel's plantation and lived in the woods. He came after 30 days, saying it was his destiny. In 1822, he had married a slave woman named Cherry who also lived on Samuel's plantation. But when Samuel died in 1822, Turner and Cherry were sold to separate owners. Thomas Moore was Turner's owner, he had him work hard, but let him meet Cherry often. They had several children, but the exact number remains obscure. Later in 1828, Moore died. Moore's widow remarried and the whole household came under the control of her new husband, Joseph Travis. Turner tried to ingratiate with Travis while planning a rebellion. Turner led the most violent slave revolt in American history. Turner's rebellion failed, but it sparked widespread Southern fears regarding the complacency of slaves and the viability of the institution.
 * Nat Turner Rebellion**

The Underground Railroad was a system in which slaves were helped in their journey from the South to the North. One of the well known people who provided help along the route was Susan B. Anthony. Some of the conductors included Hariet Tubman, who made 19 trips to the south saving around 300 slaves.
 * Underground Railroad**

Stations were usually located about 20 miles apart. Slaves would usually hide during the day and travel at night, so that they would stay out of sight. Conductors used covered wagons or carts with false bottoms to carry slaves from one station to another. Later Plantation owners grew upset with slaves escaping so they passed fines that said: Any person aiding a runaway slave by providing shelter, food or any other form of assistance was liable to six months' imprisonment and a $1,000 fine. This failed to stop the Underground railroad.