19th Century Slave Revolts and Resistance

Aug 7, 2024

Lecture Notes on 19th Century Slave Conspiracies and Revolts

Changing Historiography

  • 1960s Onwards: Historians sympathetic to slave resistance as legitimate against oppression.
  • Earlier Decades: Historians, mainly white, horrified by white deaths, ignored black execution without trial, viewed figures like Nat Turner negatively.
  • Frederick Douglass: Highlighted resistance, despite being labeled as a peaceman, stressed the hopelessness due to lack of armed support.
  • Stanley Elkins: Compared American slavery to Nazi concentration camps, highlighting severe oppression.

Early Justifications for Slave Violence

  • Samuel Johnson (1777): Toasted insurrections in West Indies.
  • Filmore (1760): Justified slave violence as moral duty against oppressors.

Notable Slave Revolts and Conspiracies

Gabriel's Conspiracy (1800)

  • Gabriel: Well-planned conspiracy in Virginia, thwarted by thunderstorm and slave informers.
  • Outcome: 27 slaves hanged, no whites harmed due to informers.

Charles Deslondes Revolt (1811)

  • Deslondes: Louisiana revolt, 200 slaves, several plantations burned, checked by military, 100 slaves executed.

Denmark Vesey Conspiracy (1822)

  • Vesey: Alleged conspiracy in Charleston, significant debate over reality and scale.
  • Outcome: 35 men hanged, 42 deported.

Nat Turner's Insurrection (1831)

  • Turner: Literate preacher, led revolt in Southampton County, Virginia.
  • Outcome: 60 whites killed, over 100 blacks killed in retaliation, Turner captured after 68 days, executed.
  • Impact: Laws passed to make teaching slaves to read a crime.

Caribbean Slave Rebellions

Haitian Revolution

  • Most successful slave revolt: Influential across the Americas.

Barbadian Revolt (1816)

  • Nanny Grigg: Literate domestic slave, inspired revolt by spreading rumors of British emancipation.
  • Outcome: 300 slaves executed, minimal white casualties.

Demerara Rebellion (1823)

  • John Smith: Missionary convicted of inciting rebellion, died in jail, became abolitionist martyr.
  • Outcome: Over 250 slaves killed, significant impact on British abolition movement.

Baptist War (1831-32)

  • Samuel Sharpe: Led revolt in Jamaica, known as Baptist War, involved 60,000 slaves.
  • Outcome: 540 slaves executed, 14 whites killed, contributed to British abolition.

Influence on American South

  • Impact of Caribbean Revolts: Alarmed American planters, influenced pro-slavery rhetoric.
  • Robert J. Turnbull: Linked British abolitionism to potential insurrections in the South.

Controversies and Scholarly Debates

Stanley Elkins' View

  • Docility Argument: Claimed American slavery uniquely severe, compared to concentration camps, sparked debate.

Denmark Vesey Debate

  • P. Johnson: Controversy over the reality of Vesey's conspiracy, debate among historians.
  • New Evidence: Clergy reports, oral traditions supporting Vesey's involvement.

Final Conclusion

  • American vs. Caribbean: Different dynamics, influence of strong central government in Britain, self-discipline among Caribbean rebels.
  • Role of British Missionaries: Supported abolition, influenced slave behavior, and communication networks.

Summary

  • American Slave Revolts: Generally small and suicidal, influenced pro-slavery policies.
  • Caribbean Slave Rebellions: Larger in scale, more disciplined, crucial to British abolition movement.
  • Legacy: Continues to shape historical interpretations and the understanding of resistance and oppression.