Preview

Violent Resistance In The Slave War

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
737 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Violent Resistance In The Slave War
There were many resistances from slaves, violent and non-violent, during the period of slavery in the BWI. Violent resistance was in the form of revolts and rebellions and non-violent resistance included actions such as suicide, poisoning, avoiding work and maroonage. However, there were three violent resistances which stood out. These three were Bussa Rebellion in Barbados (Easter 1816), Demerara Revolt in Guyana (August 1823) and the Sam Sharp Rebellion in Jamaica (December 1831). These rebellious acts came as a result of inhumane treatment and the slaves’ desire for freedom. Abolitionist Elizabeth Hayrick portrayed slave risings “as self-defense from the most degrading, intolerable oppression” (Matthews, 2006). Among all three rebellions there was a familiar aspect, it happened in a period which the Amelioration Proposals (the improvement of the slaves’ way of life) were being made in England. Rumours on the plantations started to spread saying Metropolitan Britain were taking measures to grant slaves their freedom, however the planters still held the slaves captive (Emancipation Rumours). The rumours help in the unrest for freedom and triggered the rebellions and many slaves …show more content…
At first abolitions centralized their efforts on the slave trade, but later turned their focus to slavery itself. While the white abolitionist deserves much recognition for their remarkable efforts to end slavery they tended to be condescending to slaves. This point is dramatically symbolized by the most famous anti slavery, icon kneeling and pleading, “Am I not a man and a brother.” The abolitionists however, should be gratefully thanked for converting the slaves’ servile warfare into helpful propaganda. Without these courageous slaves rebelling and taking a stand for the rights they deserve maybe today black people would still be

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Abolition was never a big problem until negro slavery was made and now abolition is mainly directed against negro slavery. While some of Fitzhugh’s audience may disagree…

    • 372 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Thus, the apocalypse of slavery results in disaffection and disharmony among family members and within the black society. Another instance of disharmony is seen in Uncle Tom’s case. Uncle Tom is really frustrated because although he is educated enough to be a teacher yet he ends up making chairs for the whites. Thus frustrated he transfers his aggression on to…

    • 61 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Abolitionist Movement involved both White and African American people, free or slave, male or female, famous or not famous, all of them contributed to the movement to eradicate slavery. Back in 1873, the American Anti - Slavery Society found 29 anti - slavery societies in Connecticut alone. To reach their goal of abolishing slavery, they had employed several methods including colonization schemes, legal or political actions, expressing slavery as a sin and “Moral Suasion” (Appealing to the ethic principles of the public to convince them that slavery was bad and wrong). They also used several “Weapons” such as anti - slavery publications, conferences, public speech, purchases, legal challenges and petitions to the General Assembly and the…

    • 145 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Enslaved African Americans resisted slavery in a variety of active and passive ways. "Day-to-day resistance" was the most common form of opposition to slavery. Breaking tools, feigning illness, staging slowdowns, and committing acts of sabotage—were all forms of resistance and expression of slaves' alienation from their masters. Running away was another form of resistance. Most slaves ran away relatively short distances and were not trying to permanently escape from slavery. I have chosen to talk about five different instances when slaves rebelled or revolted. The five revolts I chose to discuss throughout my paper are Denmark. Vesey ‘s Slave Revolt of 1822, the New Orleans Louisiana Revolt of January 1811, the New York City Slave Rebellion…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Slavery was an institution that lasted in the America for over 200 years. To keep people in slavery the slave owners and slave trades used many methods to keep people in slavery and some of those methods were the use of violence and religion. The use of violence and religion and violence were important methods that were sometimes used together or separately to keep people in slavery. Slave masters and traders used religion to keep the slaves thinking that their situation was ordained, that slavery was something that not only God approved of but if they work hard and were obedient that they would be reward in heaven. And they used violence to punish and scare the slave into submission. 12 Years a Slave is book for the perspective for someone,…

    • 1080 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Revolts seemed to be relatively common wherever slavery occurs, be it Ancient Rome, Russia, Haiti, or the United States of America. Slaves, assumedly, had their own reasons to believe that their revolts would be successful whether it was a belief in God's protection, a feeling of strength in numbers, or a general sentiment of being dead would be better than living in slavery, but few had a reason as good as those after the successful slave rebellion that occurred in Haiti. This rebellion led by Toussaint L'Ouverture was an inspiration for a Gaggle of rebellions in America in the nineteenth century, among them Denmark Vesey's, Gabriel's, the Louisiana slave revolt of 1811, and Nat Turner's. These rebellions seemed to have the overall intention of freeing those they took with them, unfortunately while these revolts had many outcomes, few were anything there leaders would have liked.…

    • 1129 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nat Turner was the leader. Of a violent slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831.He was born on born on October 2, 1800, in Southampton County, Virginia, and died on November 11, 1831, Courtland, VA Courtland, VA. He had a son named Riddick Turner Nat Turner made history as the leader of one of the bloodiest slave revolts in America. He was born on the Virginia plantation of Benjamin Turner, who allowed him to be instructed in reading, writing, and religion. His mother was named Nancy, but nothing is known about his father. Of a violent slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831. Turner was deeply religious and spent much of his time reading the Bible, praying and fasting. Over the years, Turner worked on a few…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this time period, white affluent men had held – and still do hold, to this day – the most privilege in America. Not only were non-whites and women discriminated against, but those of a lower social class were considered to be undeserving of equal treatment as well, described in the text as, “such persons found begging could be stripped to the waist and whipped bloody, could be sent out of the city, sent to workhouses, or transported out of the country” (Zinn 42). The majority of lower-class people were forced into serving those of a higher-class with no pay. Like the involuntary servants of the slave rebellion in the 1700’s, these people who had to suffer substandard treatment would not stand for it. Their uprising began with Bacon’s Rebellion, “joined by slaves…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Abolitionists In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass relives his story as an American slave with the courage of one man’s struggle against the injustice of antebellum slavery. Its very hard for him to understand the concept of why he is who he is, he’s a very smart man and will learn how to fight for his rights. At a young age, his character was tested both physically and emotionally a plethora of times. Douglass states, “My mother and I were separated when I was but an infant — before I knew her as my mother” (1).…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dred Scott was a non-citizen slave who was given to his owner’s wife after he died, and she took him to a free state. He pleaded for freedom. His famous court case was taken to the Supreme Court and Roger B Taney, Supreme Court Justice at the time, ruled that he must go back to his owner because the Fifth Amendment stated that you cannot be stripped of your property, and slaves were property.…

    • 501 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the 19th century in the United States there was a big difference between colored people and white people. Colored people were called negroes or niggers and most of them were slaves, at least in the South. White people didn’t seem to be humane or at least they understand what being humane was, they didn’t have the ability to do what is right. I believe that slavery robs the slaves of their humanity, but it does not of the abolitionists. Slave masters are deprived of their humanity because they are too, unable to do what is right.…

    • 1124 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although it was very limited, slaves were able to benefit a little during this time period. For example, they developed their own culture, including a religion, which had some of their old African traditions mixed in along with creating their own families. Although it was often that these families were broken apart due to the slave trade, they still had special bonds through marriage and children. Due to the lack of technology and education for slaves, there weren’t many large rebellions, but slaves resisted in a more subtle way. For instance, the slaves would purposefully do a poor job in the fields or sabotage the plantation owner's’ tools and crops to disrupt the output in the fields. Not all slaves resisted and some followed their masters…

    • 149 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nobody ever really realizes how much bravery is put into our history; its almost taken for granted. If you look back onto all the wars and fights between the states, the families being split up because of slavery, and having to fight for the war, there is much bravery to be found. Our forefathers had to have the bravery and they did, Abraham Lincoln did whatever it took to stand up against slavery while trying to keep the Union together.. Our soldiers, they were forced to go to war leave their families to possibly never seeing them again. And lastly us, we had to be brave when this was all happening even if it meant our families splitting apart and never seeing each other again.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Violence takes many forms in the slave society Northup enters. Violence takes the form of threats. It can also take the form of beatings, whether the victim is receiving a beating or watching someone else receive beating.…

    • 246 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The female slaves were aware of their masters interest in their children as slaves and so as a form of resistance towards their owners they resulted in sexual resistance in which they would practice abstinence or even go as far as to commit abortion and infanticide.This was one of the key forms of resistance used.'' The peacock flower, which she called Flos pavonis (Caesalpinia pulcherrima). It was used by the indigenous peoples of the Americas and enslaved Africans to cause abortions and suicide as a direct result of enslavement and sexual exploitation''10 The enslaved women did this as they did not want their children to be taken away from them and subjected and mandated into living out their lives as a slave and instead decided to succumb…

    • 184 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays