The Stono Rebellion, also known as Cato's Conspiracy or Cato's Insurrection, was a slave revolt that occurred in South Carolina in September 1739. It is considered one of the earliest and most significant slave revolts in the colonial United States.
The Stono Rebellion was led by a group of enslaved Africans who had been brought to South Carolina from Angola. The rebellion was sparked by a number of factors, including the harsh conditions and treatment that enslaved Africans endured, the desire for freedom, and the hope of reclaiming their African heritage.
The rebellion began on September 9, 1739, when a group of 20 enslaved Africans led by a man named Jemmy (also known as Cato) gathered near the Stono River, about 20 miles southwest of Charleston. The group seized weapons from a store owned by William Godfrey and marched south, gathering more enslaved Africans as they went. The rebels killed several white planters and destroyed several plantations before being confronted by a militia led by South Carolina Governor William Bull.
The rebellion was ultimately put down, and many of the rebels were captured and executed. The Stono Rebellion had a significant impact on the history of slavery in the United States, as it helped to further solidify the system of enslavement and oppression that would last for more than two centuries.
In the aftermath of the rebellion, South Carolina's slave codes were tightened, making it even more difficult for enslaved Africans to gain their freedom or to resist their oppression. The Stono Rebellion remains a powerful reminder of the resilience and determination of enslaved Africans to fight for their freedom and dignity in the face of tremendous adversity.
Unit 2 Challenge 1 Flashcards
The prisoners were not allowed to talk to one another or make any noise. The Navigation Acts, once instituted, were heavily enforced up until the Revolutionary War in the 1770s. . Which was not an impact of the Stono Rebellion on the social structure in South Carolina during the middle of the eighteenth century? The events of that bloody uprising, commonly called the Stono Rebellion, form a pivotal and well-known episode in the history of South Carolina, but our understanding of its geography is imperfect. The spread of Catholic revivalism throughout the colonies d. A smallpox epidemic had raged through the area the previous year, and yellow fever was spreading. New York: Hill and Wang, 2003.
There was no turning back. Wallace Creek is named for Thomas Wallace also spelled Wallis , who operated a tavern and toll bridge at this site from the 1720s until his death in 1745. At the time, Georgia was still an all-white colony, without slavery. They also started a school to teach slaves Christian doctrine. But violence ultimately controlled slaves and compelled their labor.
As they marched several more miles, the rebels were joined by additional runaways and numbered almost one hundred. They marched in military style, carrying a flag and beating a drum. Bullock got off, but they burnt his house. I spent a number of hours in recent weeks tracing the titles of Godfrey properties near the various branches of the Stono River without finding any compelling clues. Out of curiosity, I explored various resources to see what other lands, if any, Frederick Grimke held in the Stono area around the time of the famous uprising. They never advertised the existence of a rural outlet at Stono, but there was far less need to do so when there was little competition outside of the colonial capital.
The Negro Act The rebels fought well, which, as historian John K. Retrieved 18 September 2022. This idea would remain relevant more than a hundred years later. John Hutchinson died 1729 , both of whom became planters in the Port Royal area rather than merchants. He say: 'We don't like slavery. It took months for others to be hunted down, with one remaining a fugitive for three years. Dandridge or his establishment, we might conclude that the uprising did not commence in the parish of St.
The flow of consumer goods from England allowed wealthy colonists to display their class status. In the confusion, about thirty escaped into the countryside. The British parliament exerts greater independence and control over English law. Setting aside, for the moment, the identity of the proprietor of the sacked warehouse, we can at least consider its possible location. Note that an identical narrative was published in The London Magazine, March 1740, South Carolina Gazette did not include any information about the uprising in the edition of 8—15 September 1739, and Mrs. South Carolina was an especially difficult and deadly place to be a slave.
Attributing the rebellion to the recently imported Africans, planters decided to cut off the supply. William Godfrey eventually sold his relatively small tract of 375 acres, and Barnard Elliott 1740—1778 advertised it for sale in the autumn of 1771. Some of the slaves in the plantations hid their masters and even drove off the rebels, either too frightened to join the rebellion or genuinely concerned for their owners. Georgians over the border were on high alert at their forts and plantations. They marched onward, stopping at a tavern. Two brothers, John and Thomas, were the young sons of Dr. The Stono Rebellion, which erupted on Sunday, September 9th, 1739, was led by an enslaved man named Jemmy.
As the day progressed, the rebels marched over 10 miles, killing about 20 white people and recruiting more enslaved people along the way. After the exchange of gunfire, fourteen slaves were dead or wounded. And also on Sundays, Black people regularly worked unsupervised. That upon Inquiry your Committee find that a negro man named July belonging to Mr. Some of the enslaved even protected their enslavers from the violence. Raising cash crops like tobacco and rice gave rise to plantations that were designed to grow as much of that valuable crop as possible.
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. The largest and most significant slave rebellion in the British North American colonies, the Stono Rebellion revealed tensions that continued in slave states throughout the next century. At times the Native Americans traded and even made alliances with the English, but these often led to devastating conflicts. They marched on towards Mr. The white planters and farmers on the Stono river near Charleston, South Carolina, had reason for concern in the late summer of 1739. Eventually, all the rebels were either killed or returned to slavery.
Suggested Sequencing This Narrative should follow the Origins of the Slave Trade Narrative in Chapter 1. Who led the group is unclear; it might have been an enslaved person named Cato or Jemmy. The act required all white men to carry firearms to church on Sunday. The rebellion group had marched about 10 miles and killed about 20 - 25 white people. Crash Course Black American History is made with the help of all these nice people names displayed on screen , and our animation team is Thought Café. Tensions formed between colonists and British soldiers, who had treated them poorly during the war.
A malaria epidemic in Charlestown, which caused general confusion throughout Carolina, may have influenced the timing of the Rebellion. Not all of these restrictions were new, but the Stono Rebellion increased strict enforcement. They stopped to rest near the Edisto River. They refused to form alliances with native peoples, even when England was at war with the Spanish or French. Have you ever wondered what you would do if you had been forced into slavery? They increased every minute by new Negroes coming to them; so that they were above sixty, some say a hundred, on which they halted in a field, and set to dancing, singing and beating drums, to draw more Negroes to them, thinking they were now victorious over the whole province, having marched ten miles, and burnt all before them without opposition: But the militia being raised, the planters with great briskness pursued them, and when they came up, dismounting, charged them on foot. Moving on to the homes of more white slaveholders, the original group of twenty slaves were joined by others, and the group slaughtered all the residents of at least six houses as they continued south.
