ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE

Atlantic Slave Trade

African American History

Denmark Vesey

An important event in the history of slavery was the uprising of 1822 in Charleston, South Carolina. Denmark Vesey was a West Indian slave who had won a Lottery with a big cash prize, He paid for his freedom with his winnings and ended his own slavery However, he never forgot his life as a slave and wanted to help free other slaves who were subjected to poor treatment at the hands of their masters. As a result, Vesey planned the finer details of a revolt that was to take place in July 1822 (Edwards, Lillie, 1999).

Planning an Uprising Vesey studied the Bible. He used quotes from it to help prove to slaves that slavery was a sin that they must fight. This helped him get the support he needed to launch the revolt. Vesey shared many of his ideas at an African church where he was well respected. African priest Gullah Jack Pritchard was one of his top supporters. With Gullah Jack Pritchard, Vesey gained the trust of the congregation. He organized African American slaves and prepared them for their roles in their fight for freedom. Vesey told the slaves that they would be helped by the island of Santo Domingo, as well as Africa, if the slaves made the first move. However, Vesey's plan called for the slaves to murder their masters and take control of Charleston, South Carolina. Vesey's efforts to spread his ideas worked, and thousands of slaves heard about his plan through the church or by word of mouth. Most of them agreed, but because word had spread so far, his plans were revealed before they could be launched. Hundreds of slaves reported the details to their masters or were overheard discussing them with others. If the plan had been put in place, it had the potential to have a huge impact on the lives of slaves. When the news spread, Charleston authorities went into action and caught those responsible for planning the revolt. These people were deported or executed. Vesey was among the more than 30 people executed for their efforts in planning the revolt. African American slaves who watched the executions wore black clothes. This was seen as an act of mourning and disobedience (King, Scott, 2003).

Nat Turner

Nat Turner was born on October 2, 1800, as a slave of Benjamin Turner. When Benjamin Turner died, Nat became the slave of other members of the Turner family. Nat was sold in 1823 to Thomas Moore. When Thomas Moore passed away, Nat was passed down to his son, Putnam. Putnam was young, so his mother's new husband. Joseph Travis, became Nat's master. Nat considered Joseph Travis a very kind master and never had any problems with him. However, he firmly believed that slavery was wrong and must be abolished.

A Sign from GOD

Nat noticed a solar eclipse in February 1831 and considered it a sign from God to take action against ...