Lunsford Lane
Bought freedom
Ona Judge
Washington’s runaway slave
Henry “Box” Brown
shipped in a freight box in 1848; white friend helped him and got caught; sent to prison for helping him escape
William and Ellen Craft `
husband and wife escaped from Georgia,Ellen could pass as white; disguised herself as male slaveholder accompanying her slave (husband)
Harriet Tubman
escaped from slavery in 1849 and made at least 15 trips back to the south to assist 200-300 out of slavery
Levi Coffin
devoted life to underground railroad, assisted about 3000 slaves total who ran away, Quaker, part of small community of people committed to help people escape
Canada, England and Mexico
refugees for slaves who ran away left the US completely; there they made churches, schools, ran for office, free of violence and terror
Anthony Burns Rescue
Ran away and worked in Boston; Trial that led to the use of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850; Antislavery activists attempted to rescue him but failed, later purchased his freedom
Slaveholders viewed north abolitionists for
their slaves not being content
Haitian Revolt
1791; Haiti became first black republic in western Hemisphere; leader was Toussaint Louverture; Jean Jacques Dessalines was a leader and first ruler of the independent Haiti, his troops slaughtered between 10,000 and 13,000 whites who remained on the island
Martin Kilson Thesis
slave revolts tended to cluster in less oppressive slave areas and the catalyst for a revolt was an individual who had the opportunity to play multiple roles
Slave revolt leaders
tended to be literate and privileged slaves; if free they had been privileged slaves; desired to capture a large southern city and lead a mass uprising (never happened) ; all were planned in advance; illustrated the extent some free and enslaved blacks were willing to go to be free
Turner Revolt 1831
- Nat Turner
- young man
- most destructive rebellion that has been recorded in the US
- considered himself a messiah, a person who received visions from God
- began recruiting slaves, plannned carefully, and struck early in the morning by killing his master and his family, and gained supporters killing almost every white he encoutered, he hoped this would stimilate a mass uprising and blacks would outnumber whites and be able to take over
- lasted two days, but 60 whites killed, finally reported by free blacks that found him under a hollow log, trial was held, 50,000 copies were sold to the public
- Virginia born slave
Thomas Drew
Professor at William Mary College argues that slavery is not a evil but a positive good, his purpose was to refute the position of those who favored colonization and gradual emancipation
- did not believe either would succeed largely because of high birth rate of the black population, like Jefferson also detested free blacks in the US,
South became a closed society
- filtered mail keeping out antislavery news
Stono Rebellion
1739
- largest slave revolt
- told if came to Florida freedom would be granted
- showed slave control could tighten with more restrictive laws
Gabriel Prosser Rebellion
1800
literate slave planned to enter city of Richmond w 2000 slaves and burn it and capture governor ; He and 25 were caught and hanged
- VA passed restrictions on free blacks prohibiting education, assembly, and hiring out their time
Denmark Vesey Conspiracy
- 1822
- free black leader
- won state lottery and purchased freedom
- grew increasingly dissatisfied w brutality in SC so he plotted a revolt
- word got out and Vesey and 34 others were publically hanged ;
- This event shocked the city of Charleston more than any other event in its history
- showed that whites had to be just as concerned with urban revolts as country side revolts where most resided
Gullah Jack
One of Vesey’s most important leaders, born in Angola, he was a conger (elite privileged slave), recruited by Vesey early in planning and gave gifts to provoke aid of African Gods and provide protection
Reactions to Slave Revolts
- Free speech is no longer possible after the Turner Revolt, forced South to stifle any opposition to slavery
- Book burning, opening of first class mail
- Debated about if slavery should be abolished; most important discussion Virginia Legislature in wake of Nat Turner
Virginia Debates
governor of VA defended emancipation as the best solution to future slave revolts, but later changed his mind, widely assumed he was talked out of his position
Free Blacks
- manumission
- Jefferson and Dew viewed free blacks as a social danger, degraded class, brute, and social menace
- worked as artisan, apprenticeships, barbers, carting trade,
- Free black women were domestic laundresses, factory workers, especially in tobacco factories
- Free black property holding; most were poor and lived in ally houses, worst housing in 19th century
- had to pay a capitation tax (poll tax)
- Racial Segregation and housing; poor whites did not want to live with poor blacks
- high free black mortality rate
- Majority of females as head of the house
- ## could change statuses by education and literacy
Free blacks and the civil war
- watershed
- underpaid backs
