It is ridiculous to suggest that any person who is held by force of arms, and subjected to the worst treatment humanly possible could be happy. For centuries those enslaved in America, the Caribbean, and around the world tried escape, revolt, and any other means they could to gain freedom.
A few years ago, while attending a workshop for the Thomas Day Education Project on Black History, I overhead a caucasian gentleman explaining to a workshop attendee how the slaves owned by his ancestors were "happy". This lie has been told in America for centuries,
so long that people believe it to be true.
There is no doubt that many of the enslaved attempted to escape. This story has been told many times. But, the real history of actual slave rebellions has been omitted from the public discourse. No one who was pro-slavery wanted the word to get out that slaves did, successfully, revolt against their owners. This knowledge would have incited slaves to rebel in greater numbers.
History does tell the story of Nat Turner's slave rebellion in Virginia, in 1831. This action was put down after a few days. Nat Turner was captured six months later and executed. Angry white mobs and militia's murdered innocent black slaves aftermath of this uprising, accusing them of collaborating with Turner.
The larger story, however, is the long history of slave rebellions in North America, and the Caribbean. The first, documented, success-full slave rebellion on US soil was the 1526 revolt of San Miguel de Gualdape, at Sapelo, Georgia. Another was the 1863 revolt of African slaves and European indentured servants who stood together against the tobacco growers in Virginia.
From those beginnings there were dozens of documented slave revolts. Of course, most of us learned about the ill-fated 1859 raid at Harper's Ferry,Virginia by John Brown. But, there were many undocumented attempts by slaves to revolt in America.
From Latin America, to the Caribbean, there were also slave revolts and uprisings. For example, in 1552 in Panama, King Bayano, of African decent, lead the largest slave revolt of the sixteenth century, defeating the Spanish Crown in battle six times.
For more, search for slave revolts on Wikipedia.
A few years ago, while attending a workshop for the Thomas Day Education Project on Black History, I overhead a caucasian gentleman explaining to a workshop attendee how the slaves owned by his ancestors were "happy". This lie has been told in America for centuries,
so long that people believe it to be true.
There is no doubt that many of the enslaved attempted to escape. This story has been told many times. But, the real history of actual slave rebellions has been omitted from the public discourse. No one who was pro-slavery wanted the word to get out that slaves did, successfully, revolt against their owners. This knowledge would have incited slaves to rebel in greater numbers.
History does tell the story of Nat Turner's slave rebellion in Virginia, in 1831. This action was put down after a few days. Nat Turner was captured six months later and executed. Angry white mobs and militia's murdered innocent black slaves aftermath of this uprising, accusing them of collaborating with Turner.
The larger story, however, is the long history of slave rebellions in North America, and the Caribbean. The first, documented, success-full slave rebellion on US soil was the 1526 revolt of San Miguel de Gualdape, at Sapelo, Georgia. Another was the 1863 revolt of African slaves and European indentured servants who stood together against the tobacco growers in Virginia.
From those beginnings there were dozens of documented slave revolts. Of course, most of us learned about the ill-fated 1859 raid at Harper's Ferry,Virginia by John Brown. But, there were many undocumented attempts by slaves to revolt in America.
From Latin America, to the Caribbean, there were also slave revolts and uprisings. For example, in 1552 in Panama, King Bayano, of African decent, lead the largest slave revolt of the sixteenth century, defeating the Spanish Crown in battle six times.
For more, search for slave revolts on Wikipedia.
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