The Stono Rebellion: Crash Course Black American History #6
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of Crash Course Black American History, Clint Smith explores the Stono Rebellion, a significant uprising in 1739 led by enslaved African Jemmy in South Carolina. The rebellion, which aimed to reach Spanish-controlled Florida for freedom, resulted in brutal retaliation and new oppressive laws. The episode underscores the courage of those who resisted slavery and the enduring impact of their struggle on American history.
Takeaways
- 😀 Enslaved people resisted their condition through small acts like slowing work pace and larger acts like uprisings.
- 🏭 Large plantations in South Carolina relied heavily on enslaved labor, leading to a black majority in the colony.
- 🔍 The Stono Rebellion in 1739 was a significant uprising led by Jemmy, an enslaved man, and aimed to reach freedom in St. Augustine, Florida.
- 👥 The rebellion started with 20 enslaved people and grew to nearly 100, marching with banners reading 'Liberty'.
- 🔫 The rebels acquired weapons by raiding a warehouse, highlighting their organized and strategic approach.
- 📜 The South Carolina government responded to the rebellion by enacting stricter Slave Codes, including a ban on enslaved people learning to read and write.
- 🌍 The Spanish threat in Florida and their offer of freedom to enslaved people who reached St. Augustine influenced the rebellion.
- 📖 Literacy among enslaved people was seen as a threat by planters, fearing it could aid in escape plans and challenge their control.
- 🏛️ 'Schools' were established to indoctrinate enslaved people with pro-slavery interpretations of Christianity.
- 📉 Post-rebellion, South Carolina attempted to shift demographics by reducing slave importations and encouraging European immigration.
- 🔄 The Stono Rebellion is significant as it symbolizes the continuous resistance against slavery throughout history.
Q & A
What were some of the small and personal ways enslaved people resisted their condition?
-Enslaved people resisted their condition by slowing down the pace of work, pretending to be sick, and purposely misplacing their tools, which were actions aimed at disrupting the efficiency of the system and regaining some sense of agency.
What is the significance of the Stono Rebellion in the history of Black American resistance?
-The Stono Rebellion is significant because it was one of the largest and bloodiest uprisings in the United States' history, and it symbolizes the continuous resistance of enslaved Black people against their condition.
Why did the population of black people in South Carolina outnumber white people by 1740?
-The population of black people in South Carolina outnumbered white people due to the high demand for enslaved labor for cash crop production, leading to a vast expansion of slavery and a black majority in the colony.
What was the Security Act of 1739 in South Carolina, and how did it relate to the Stono Rebellion?
-The Security Act of 1739 required all white men to carry firearms to church each Sunday in response to the growing number of enslaved Black people in the colony. This act was passed before the Stono Rebellion, highlighting the white planters' fear of potential violent resistance.
How did the Spanish in Florida influence the racial dynamics in the English colony?
-The Spanish in Florida issued a proclamation offering freedom to any Black person who could reach St. Augustine, Florida, under certain conditions, which further disrupted the racial dynamics and contributed to the tensions leading up to the Stono Rebellion.
Who led the Stono Rebellion and what was their strategy?
-The Stono Rebellion was led by an enslaved man named Jemmy. The strategy involved choosing a Sunday to revolt when planters were at church, raiding a warehouse for guns and ammunition, and marching south with the goal of reaching St. Augustine for freedom.
What was the outcome of the Stono Rebellion for the rebels?
-The outcome of the Stono Rebellion was tragic for the rebels; many were killed, some escaped initially but were later captured and executed, and others were sold and shipped off to the Caribbean.
How did the South Carolina government respond to the Stono Rebellion in terms of legislation?
-In response to the Stono Rebellion, South Carolina's House of Assembly passed 'An Act for the Better Ordering and Governing of Negroes and Other Slaves in This Province,' which included new statutes and limitations, such as making it illegal for enslaved people to learn to read and write.
Why did white enslavers enforce illiteracy among the enslaved population?
-White enslavers enforced illiteracy to prevent enslaved people from recognizing written clues and directions that could help them escape, from forging freedom papers, and from forming their own interpretations of Biblical text that contradicted the enslavers' justifications for slavery.
What were the demographic changes that South Carolina authorities attempted after the Stono Rebellion?
-After the Stono Rebellion, South Carolina authorities attempted to shift the demographics of the state by cutting slave importations by nearly 90% during the 1740s and encouraging immigration from Europe to increase the white population in the colony.
How did the Stono Rebellion reflect the broader theme of resistance in the history of slavery?
-The Stono Rebellion reflects the broader theme of resistance in the history of slavery by demonstrating the courage and determination of enslaved people to fight for their freedom, an act of resistance that echoes throughout history.
Outlines
🔥 The Stono Rebellion: An Act of Defiance
The paragraph introduces the topic of resistance among enslaved people, highlighting both subtle acts of resistance and larger, more dramatic forms like slave uprisings. It emphasizes that the success of such rebellions is subjective and often overlooks their significance. The focus then shifts to the Stono Rebellion, a notable event in South Carolina's history, where the enslaved population outnumbered the white population. The paragraph discusses the economic reliance on slavery, the demographic shift leading to a black majority, and the white planters' fears of potential rebellions. It also mentions the Spanish threat and their offer of freedom to enslaved people who could reach Florida, which contributed to the tensions leading up to the Stono Rebellion.
🌊 The Journey to Freedom: The Stono Rebellion's March
This paragraph delves into the details of the Stono Rebellion, which began on September 9, 1739, led by an enslaved man named Jemmy. The rebels chose a Sunday for their uprising, taking advantage of the planters' absence at church and the relative lack of supervision. The group started with twenty enslaved individuals, grew to nearly a hundred, and marched with banners reading 'Liberty'. Their goal was to reach St. Augustine, Florida, for freedom. However, they were intercepted at the Edisto River by white colonists, resulting in the death of many rebels. The paragraph also discusses the rebels' selective targeting, sparing some white individuals known for their kindness, and the uncertain fate of Jemmy.
📜 The Aftermath and Legacy of the Stono Rebellion
The final paragraph discusses the repercussions of the Stono Rebellion on South Carolina's policies and the enslaved community. The South Carolina government responded with stricter laws, including the 'Act for the Better Ordering and Governing of Negroes and Other Slaves,' which further restricted the rights of the enslaved. The new laws prohibited literacy among the enslaved, fearing the potential for rebellion that knowledge could inspire. The paragraph also touches on the planters' use of religion to justify slavery and the establishment of schools to indoctrinate enslaved people with pro-slavery Christian teachings. Additionally, it mentions attempts to alter the colony's demographics by reducing slave importations and encouraging European immigration. The paragraph concludes by reflecting on the courage of the rebels and the enduring legacy of resistance among Black Americans.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Enslaved people
💡Resistance
💡Stono Rebellion
💡South Carolina
💡Security Act
💡Spanish threat
💡Liberty
💡Slave Codes
💡Literacy
💡Ideological indoctrination
Highlights
Enslaved people resisted their condition in various ways, including small acts of defiance and larger, dramatic forms like slave uprisings and rebellions.
The Stono Rebellion is a notable historical event, illustrating the significance of resistance regardless of its outcome.
Large plantations in South Carolina led to a black majority in the colony, with enslaved labor being essential for cash crop production.
By 1740, the black population in South Carolina was approximately 40,000 compared to 20,000 white people, making them about ⅔ of the colony's population.
The Spanish in Florida issued a proclamation offering freedom to any Black person who could reach St. Augustine, which influenced the Stono Rebellion.
The Stono Rebellion, led by Jemmy, an enslaved man possibly from Angola, erupted on September 9, 1739, taking advantage of a Sunday when planters were at church.
The rebels aimed to reach St. Augustine for freedom, but were overtaken and many were killed or executed after the rebellion.
The rebellion was selective in its targets, sparing some white individuals known for their kindness.
The South Carolina government responded to the rebellion by enacting stricter laws, including prohibiting enslaved people from learning to read and write.
The Stono Rebellion and subsequent laws highlight the planters' fear of literacy among the enslaved, which could aid in escape plans and challenge their control.
Enslavers used Christianity to justify slavery, interpreting the Bible to suggest that Africans were meant to be enslaved and obedience was a path to heaven.
The rebellion led to demographic shifts in South Carolina, with policies to reduce slave importations and encourage European immigration to balance the population.
There were attempts to improve treatment of enslaved people after the rebellion, though these did not fundamentally change the nature of slavery.
The Stono Rebellion is important for its representation of resistance throughout the history of slavery, emphasizing the courage of those who fought for freedom.
Crash Course Black American History is produced with the help of a dedicated team and is supported by patrons on Patreon.
Transcripts
Hi, I’m Clint Smith, and this is Crash Course Black American History.
As we’ve mentioned before, enslaved people resisted their condition in a range of different
ways. Oftentimes those ways were small and personal. Slowing down the pace of work,
pretending to be sick, purposely misplacing your tools.
Things that might slow down the efficiency of the system and give back to the enslaved some small
sense of agency. There were also times, when that resistance took on larger, more dramatic forms,
like with slave uprisings and rebellions. We should note, that notions of what constitutes
a successful versus an unsuccessful rebellion are often subjective, unhelpful, gendered,
and can obfuscate the significance of the fact that such a rebellion took place at all. Still,
some of these uprisings have taken on notable historical significance, and today we’re going to
talk about one of those: the Stono Rebellion. INTRO
Large plantations where black people outnumbered the white people who enslaved them
were not at all uncommon to slavery in the Americas. This was especially true in South
Carolina where the colony was built on the demands of cash crop production.
Raising cash crops like tobacco and rice gave rise to plantations that were designed to grow
as much of that valuable crop as possible. And what those plantations needed more than anything,
was labor. The heavy reliance on slavery
in the southern colonial economy resulted in a vast expansion of the practice. In South Carolina,
the high demand for enslaved labor led to a black majority in the colony.
By the year 1740, slavery in the colonies was no longer characterized only by African captives,
but had grown to include black people who were born on American soil.
The population of black people in South Carolina had risen to approximately 40,000,
compared to 20,000 white people, making Black people about ⅔ of the colony’s population.
Moreover, ships were still bringing large numbers of African captives into South Carolina, adding to
the growing enslaved communities there. As the demographics of the colony continued to change,
White planters began to worry about being so outnumbered,
and about the potential for violent resistance. But instead of, I don't know, deciding that
slavery was an unethical and morally unsustainable enterprise, they just decided to fight /potential
fire/ with fire. In response to the growing numbers of enslaved Black people in the colony,
in August of 1739, South Carolina passed the Security Act, requiring all white
men to carry firearms to church each Sunday. Before this act, it wasn’t customary for white men
in South Carolina to take their weapons to church, and also on Sundays, black people regularly worked
unsupervised. But these planters wanted to be ready at a moment’s notice, anywhere they went,
to protect themselves from the enslaved people who they were worried might turn on them.
(But notably, this act was passed before the Stono Rebellion took place, it wouldn’t go
into effect for another few weeks. The Stono Rebellion took place in that interim period.)
Also heightening the generalized sense of white fear in South Carolina was the Spanish
threat brewing nearby in Spanish-controlled Florida. Although /they also/ practiced slavery,
the Spanish were intent on disrupting colonial life in the English territory.
So, the Spanish further disrupted the racial dynamics in the English colony,
by issuing a proclamation that, with only a few stipulations (including converting to Catholicism)
Spain would grant freedom to any Black person who could make it to St. Augustine, Florida.
Many captives coming to Charles Town (which is present-day Charleston) came from areas in West
Central Africa where the Portuguese had spread their language and religious beliefs. And many
of them would have been aware of the 1733 offer. A growing Black population, including some African
natives not yet fully accustomed to plantation culture, in combination with the Spanish offer,
created the perfect storm for the Stono Rebellion to take place. This insurrection would become the
largest the colony would ever face, and one of the bloodiest in the United States' history.
Let's go to the thought bubble. The Stono Rebellion, which erupted
on Sunday, September 9, 1739, was led by an enslaved man named Jemmy.
Jemmy, and those who fought alongside him, chose Sunday to revolt because they believed that it
presented the best conditions to actually pull this thing off, given that all of the planters
and their families were at church and the enslaved were working largely unsupervised.
We don't know too much about Jemmy. Historical records suggest that he was from what is now
Angola. Many enslaved Africans who came to Carolina from Angola were in fact trained
soldiers who had fought in the region’s civil wars, and who had experience with guns. And Jemmy
may have been able to read Portuguese and Spanish, which increases the likelihood he would have
heard of the 1733 Spanish proclamation. Starting with just twenty enslaved people,
Jemmy and the group acquired guns and ammunition by raiding a warehouse, and marched up the
Stono River banks carrying banners that plainly read "Liberty." As they marched south, others,
seeing what was happening, dropped their tools and joined the group. By nightfall,
the crowd swelled to near one hundred black people willing to risk it all for their freedom.
The rebels hoped to make their way to St. Augustine to gain their freedom,
but just 10 miles later when they reached the Edisto River (ED-is-toe), white colonists
overtook them, killing an estimated 30 rebels. While some initially escaped, many were ultimately
captured and executed. Others were sold and shipped off to the Caribbean. As for Jemmy,
historians aren’t really sure what happened to him. He is lost to the missing pages of history.
Thanks, thought bubble. These attacks weren’t haphazard
and indiscriminate, many of the rebels had specific ideas of who they wanted to attack
and who they didn’t. As a result, some white people were spared along the way.
A local tavern owner, for example, known to be relatively kind to his laborers was intentionally
left alone. One group of laborers even chose to shield their enslaver from the violence,
a Quaker man named Thomas Elliot, by hiding him from the rebels as they approached.
The Stono rebellion was a moment of clarity for South Carolina authorities,
and they wanted to make sure that something like this would never happen again. But, again,
it’s telling that they did not come to the conclusion that maybe /slavery/,
and the idea of holding large groups of people in intergenerational chattel bondage
was actually the real problem. Instead, they blamed the enslaved and they
blamed the Spanish. The South Carolina government claimed that "the Negroes would not have made
this insurrection had they not depended on St. Augustine for a Place of Reception Afterwards."
Following the rebellion, South Carolina's House of Assembly passed a law called
"An Act for the Better Ordering and Governing [of] Negroes and Other Slaves in This Province."
And if this sounds like the Slave Codes we’ve mentioned previously, you’re right it does.
The legislation enacted by the South Carolina House of Assembly became another legal avenue
to block Africans from obtaining any rights or liberties. Among the new statutes and limitations
was a policy that made it illegal for enslaved people to learn how to read and write.
Throughout the era of slavery, planters wanted to prevent enslaved people from learning how to
read and write for a range of different reasons. In this case, Jemmy and his compatriots' proud
display of their Liberty banner, as well as their knowledge of the Spanish policy, proved that there
were dangerous consequences for white planters who allowed their laborers to become literate.
This idea would remain relevant more than one hundred years later. In his 1845 memoir,
Frederick Douglass, the formerly enslaved writer, orator, and abolitionist, quoted his own enslaver
on the subject of literacy and enslaved people. “If you teach [him] how to read, there would be no
keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable,
and of no value to his master” This was an existential fear for the planters, who
feared that literacy would allow enslaved people to recognize words, written clues, and directions
that could help them develop plans to escape. They even worried that the enslaved might forge
freedom papers, which were official documents that free black people needed to prove their
free status, as they could be stopped and questioned by suspecting whites at any time.
White enslavers also enforced illiteracy, to ensure that enslaved people
couldn’t form their own interpretations of Biblical text. Many whites used the idea of
evangelism and bringing Christianity to enslaved people as justification for their enslavement.
Many laborers were required to attend church services and listen to sermons that interpreted
scripture to mean that God intended for Africans to be enslaved to Europeans,
and that obedience to one's enslaver was necessary for them to get into heaven.
So the thinking was: if enslaved people learned how to read, they might come to
understand that these preachings that they heard from their enslavers, were being manipulated
to serve their own ideological ends. And to put the cherry on top, “schools”
were established in South Carolina to indoctrinate enslaved people with this
ideologically-infused interpretation of Christianity. These schools taught black
people to believe that the institution of slavery was ordained by God and should not be challenged.
This message was disseminated in hopes of discouraging any further violent rebellion.
Authorities in South Carolina also created new policies that they hoped might shift
the demographics of the state. According to historian Peter Wood, after the Stono Rebellion,
slave importations were cut by nearly 90% during the 1740s, and policies were put in place to
encourage immigration from Europe, with the goal of increasing the white population in the colony.
There were also some half-hearted attempts to improve, if you can even call it that,
the treatment of enslaved people. Planters could be penalized for especially cruel
punishment and for imposing excessive work. Legislators hoped that improved conditions
might reduce the chances of another rebellion. The phrases “cruel punishment” and “excessive
work” should be understood in context, because treating enslaved people with /less cruelty/
but continuing to keep them enslaved, isn’t /really/ an act of benevolence.
Therefore, we should be careful to note that these stipulations did not make slavery “more humane” in
South Carolina. Slavery is still slavery. The record of the Stono Rebellion
highlights the courage and bravery of enslaved Black people who were willing to go to extreme
lengths to gain their freedom. And I guess when you put it that way, it's not so different from
the stories we’ve long been told about Americans who were willing to sacrifice
their lives for the prospect of liberty. Those who led and participated in the Stono
rebellion were not be the first to rebel violently against slavery in the colonies,
and would certainly not be the last. And remember, trying to determine whether a
rebellion was successful or not kind of misses the point. The Stono Rebellion isn’t important
because of its relative success or failure. It is important because it is emblematic of a resistance
that will echo throughout the history of slavery. I hope that you’ll keep this in mind as we
continue to celebrate the myriad forms of resistance
Black Americans have exhibited over time. Thanks for watching, I’ll see you next time.
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