For many who study US History, a question arises when looking at the institution of slavery through the colonial years, the early years of the republic, and up through the civil war: why didn’t the enslaved people rise and take over? The simple answer to that is: they did. Slave rebellions happened more often than you may think. This issue, as historians, is that enslavers did not want others to know about any uprisings as a means of control, so most were washed away.
However, we know of several slave rebellions in the Americas and the United States. Some are famous; some are infamous. Some were successful, but most were not. What was the most successful slave rebellion? What are some renowned slave rebellions? How many were there in the U.S.? What was the white response to slave rebellions? Let's find out!
Famous Slave Rebellions
Below is a short timeline of some of the major slave rebellions in US History and the Americas.
| Date | Slave Rebellion |
| 1712 | New York Slave Revolt. |
| 1739 | Stono Rebellion. |
| 1791 | The Haitian Revolution. |
| 1800 | Gabriel's Rebellion. |
| 1831 | Nat Turner's Rebellion |
| 1859 | John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry. |
Slave Rebellion Leaders
A slave rebellion required a leader to rally enslaved people to fight against their enslavers. Below is an overview of some of the leaders of the famous slave rebellions.
- Jemmy - leader of the Stono Rebellion (1739).
- Gabriel Prosser - leader of Gabriel's Rebellion (1800).
- Nat Turner - leader of Nat Turner's Rebellion (1831).
- John Brown - leader of John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry (1859).
Let us take a closer look at a few of these rebellions and their influence on U.S. History.
Slave Rebellions in US History
The table below gives some detail, dates, and impact of several famous slave rebellions in US History.
| Slave Rebellion | Year | Description | Impact |
| New York Slave Revolt | 1712 | As a major port on the east coast, New York City had one of the largest enslaved populations in the colonies in the early 1700s.Nine white settlers were killed by 23 enslaved Blacks who burned buildings near the New York City slave market on April 6, 1712.Eventually, all the enslaved people were captured and returned to their owners. Nearly seventy enslaved people were arrested as a result. Some were on trial; 21 were executed by burning at stake after being sentenced to death. | In response, New York City passed strict codes governing Black enslaved people and Native Americans.No groups of enslaved people were more extensive than three.No gambling.No enslaved person was permitted a firearm.Changes in death penalty charges. |
| Stono Rebellion | 1739 | The most significant slave revolt in the southern states began in South Carolina on September 9, 1739.The Spanish governor of the colony granted emancipation to nearly sixty enslaved Africans, led by Jemmy by killing more than twenty Whites.After traveling nearly thirty miles, the group collected other enslaved peoples at plantations, but a militia destroyed them. Executions were carried out on most of the captured prisoners. | South Carolina passed the Negro Act of 1740, which restricted and enforced more slave codes but also attempted to approve working conditions to avoid other revolts. It also stopped the importation of new enslaved peoples from Africa for some time as they felt the newly enslaved people still harbored a desire to return to Africa and use any tribal military experience to revolt. |
| Gabriel's Rebellion | 1800 | Famous for a rebellion that never happened. Using the sentiments of the Declaration of Independence to rally support, Gabriel Prosser and nearly 25 others planned a rebellion for the summer of 1800.Gabriel and his conspirators, however, were arrested and executed after their plans for revolt were leaked. | This is the first instance of a rebellion, even if foiled, after the end of the American Revolution. This rebellion is of note because it brought up the discussion of the ideals of liberty and slavery. |
| Nat Turner's Rebellion | 1831 | In August 1831, Nat Turner led a rebellion in Southampton, Virginia. Some enslaved Africans rode on horseback from plantation to plantation to free their enslaved people and kill their enslavers, while Turner and approximately 70 others rebelled.Turner and his forces killed nearly sixty people before a militia suppressed their rebellion. Despite his best efforts, Turner escaped and eluded capture for nearly two months.A majority of the conspirators, including Turner, were captured and executed. | Nat Turner’s rebellion had many impacts. First, there was a fear of other rebellions at the time, which caused the formation of more white militias and the persecution of African enslaved people who had no part in the uprising. Nearly 120 enslaved people were killed in these militia attacks.Second, as Nat Turner was educated while enslaved, many local governments passed laws forbidding the education of enslaved people, restricted their rights to movement, and even made provisions for white ministers to be present at any enslaved people's worship services. |
Fig. 1 - In reaction to the Stono Rebellion, tensions rose in New York City, sparking a slave revolt that ended in thirty-four hangings and burnings of slave and white conspirators who planned on burning the city.
John Brown and Harper's Ferry
Much like Gabriel’s Rebellion, John Brown’s revolt in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, is famous for its impact, not for the rebellion itself, as the uprising John Brown wished to start never took place.
On October 16, 1859, John Brown and a group of 22 others stormed the U.S. military arsenal at Harpers Ferry. A fervent abolitionist, John Brown sought to capture the weapons, inspire local enslaved people to join his cause, and arm them in a military uprising.
Fig. 2 - A Portrait of John BrownBrown and his conspirators captured the arsenal and a few prominent local officials but were unsuccessful in inspiring a slave rebellion. Quickly pinned down by local militia, Brown put up a stiff resistance until the arrival of a corps of US Marines under the command of Robert E. Lee. Eventually, the marines stormed the arsenal, killing many conspirators and arresting Brown. Brown was quickly tired and found guilty of treason, murder, and a slave insurrection. John Brown was executed on December 2, 1859.
Abolitionist
A person who favored abolishing the practice and institution of slavery.
African Slave Rebellions
Known for its lack of rebellion in its aftermath, the raid on Harpers Ferry is a slave rebellion that never happened and was a direct prelude to the American Civil War. John Brown’s actions advanced the feelings of secession in the south. Southerners used the raid as a call to action as aggressive abolitionists like Brown may continue to attack their homes.
Did you know? Within the year 1860, seven states seceded from the Union.
Harpers Ferry may be one of the most famous attempts at a slave rebellion in U.S. History. Still, other slave rebellions occurred early in the enslavement process in Africa and on the ships that brought the enslaved people to the Americas. One of the most notable African slave rebellions is the Amistad rebellion and mutiny.
Amistad Rebellion (1839)
In 1839, 53 recently enslaved Africans from Sierra Leone rebelled against the ship's crew and overthrew their captors. The Sierra Leoneans instructed the navigator they spared to sail them back to Africa. Instead, the navigator plotted a northward course, not towards Africa and away from their intended destination in Cuba. A few months later, the U.S. Navy seized the ship off the coast of Connecticut. At the time, slavery was legal in the state.
Fig. 3 - A depiction and description of the Amistad Mutiny from 1839
What ensued was a confusing and controversial court case in Hartford, Connecticut. In brief, the 53 enslaved Africans were represented by abolitionist Lewis Tappan against a pro-slavery U.S. government attorney. The legal teams argued two outcomes; one was to send the men back to Africa, and the other was to send them back to Cuba to be sold into slavery. In a shock ruling, the Judge determined through testimony that though slavery was legal in Cuba, the importation of enslaved people from Africa was not, thus making the 53 men victims of kidnapping and allowing them the right to evade their captors by whatever means necessary.
Even more astounding for the time was that the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with the lower court decision after a passionate defense by former President John Quincy Adams. The men were ordered to be secured passage back to Africa under the court order that was completed in 1842.
Did you know? Although it is one of the more famous cases, rebellions such as the one on the Amistad are not outliers, though the outcome of their trial may have been. For enslavers, the most dangerous part of their journey was the sailing passage to the Americas, as hundreds of similar rebellions occurred but were not as successful. In response, many enslavers encouraged the brutal and dehumanizing treatment of enslaved Africans as a means of control while boarding and transporting their "cargo" across the Atlantic.
Slave Rebellions in America
Slave rebellions did not just occur in the United States or the North American colonies. Arguably the most famous and most successful slave rebellion took place in the French colony of Saint-Domingue - present-day Haiti.
Fig. 4 - The Attack of Crete-a-Pierrot during the Haitian Revolution. Painted by Auguste Raffet
The Haitian rebellion was the only successful rebellion of self-liberated enslaved Africans. Inspired by the actions and rhetoric of the American Revolution, the enslaved African population of Saint-Domingue rebelled on August 22, 1791. They were led by Toussaint Louverture, who began a violent and successful campaign to overthrow the island's white enslavers and French colonial government.
The rebellion ended in 1804, with the colony granted independence from France, marking the only slave revolution to end in emancipation, governed by former captives and ruled by Africans.
Emancipation
The act or process of being set free from economic, social, legal, or political restrictions such as enslavement.
The success of the process was felt around the world. France began to give up its colonial holdings in the Caribbean. In the United States, slave states began to modify their slave codes with more strict laws to quell any similar uprisings. These laws included restrictions on education for enslaved peoples, legalizing the practice of separating families through sale, forbidding the use of indigenous languages, modifying codes for the number of enslaved people who could gather in groups, and restricting the movement of enslaved peoples between plantations.
Slave Rebellions Summary
Most slave rebellions were unsuccessful, especially if their aim was emancipation. In reaction to many slave uprisings, Whites created even more restrictive laws and codes governing enslaved Africans' behavior, movements, and fundamental rights. There is also a correlation between slave rebellions and increased violence as a punishment toward enslaved populations. However, for the longevity of both the institution of slavery and the continual eruption of revolution, the changes in law and violence did little to stop the urge of human nature to be free.
Slave rebellions - Key takeaways
- Slave rebellions have taken place since the beginning of the Atlantic slave trade, with slave revolts erupting in the American Colonies as early as the 1700s and continuing through to the Civil War.
- Some of the more famous slave rebellions are the Stono Rebellion, Nat Turner's Rebellion, and Gabriel's Rebellion.
- Not all rebellions took place in the United States; the most successful and famous rebellion was the Haitian Revolution on the island of Saint-Domingue.
- Other rebellions that did not occur were just influential as those that did, such as John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry.
- In reaction to many slave uprisings, Whites created even more restrictive laws and codes governing enslaved Africans' behavior, movements, and fundamental rights. There is also a correlation between slave rebellions and increased violence as a punishment toward enslaved populations. However, for the longevity of both the institution of slavery and the continual eruption of revolution, the changes in law and violence did little to stop the urge of human nature to be free.
Explanations 
Exams 
Magazine 
