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The justification for slave insurrections (revolts)

American Slavery was indeed a way of life; the cornerstone of a social system and supported both politically and by fanatical religious teaching. Three hundred years after its beginnings on our shores Judge Thomas Ruffin of the North Carolina Supreme Court, declared in 1829 that "The power of the master must be absolute, to render the submission of the slave perfect…As a principle of moral right, every person in his retirement must repudiate it. But in the actual condition of things it must be so."(¹)

It was still declared by Judge Nash of the North Carolina Supreme Court in 1852(²) that read:
"What acts in a slave towards a white person will amount to insolence it is manifestly impossible to define- it may consist of a look, the pointing of a finger, a refusal of neglect to step out of the way when a white is seen to approach,. But each of such acts violates the rules of propriety, and if tolerated, would destroy that subordination, upon which our social system rests."

One of the goals of the strictly enforced religious instruction given during the first decades of English slavery was designed to keep the slave humble and accepting of his condition. A sermon that was typical among clergymen of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Maryland and Virginia during the eighteenth and nineteenth century was that
"the slaves here are assured that God has willed that they occupy their lowly position. They are told that unless they perform their allotted task well they will suffer eternally in Hell. Specifically, they are warned that the Lord is greatly offended when they are saucy, impudent, stubborn, or sullen. Nor are they to alter their behavior if the owner is cross or mean or cruel; that is the Lord’s concern, not theirs, and they are to leave the master’s punishment to Him."(³)

In as much as attending church services to hear the word of God was a requirement (another chore), many were inspired by the words of the white preachers but in a different way. Frequently, slaves began to meet and listen to the words of one of their own who preached a different sermon. In these sermons there were no masters or tools of his mastery up in Heaven, and they were often urged by the Negro preachers to clear the earth of the master and his cruel tools as they were both instruments of the Devil.

Another method of administering control over the slaves was the old philosophy of divide and conquer, or in this case, divide and control. Levels of importance were created to foster ill feelings toward each other. Some of the common divisions that were established were; personal servants, general domestic workers, carriage drivers, field workers, as well as a system of rewards. These divisions have maintained the familiar term still in the African American community today that identifies the "House Negro vs. Field Negro".

In considering the subject of slave insurrections it is important to note that Africans used several methods of fighting against their enslavement. As pointed out in H. Aptheker’s work (⁴), other methods of fighting against slavery, other than insurrections, were sabotage, shamming (faking) illness, "stealing", suicide, self mutilation, strikes, and of course flight to whomever would secure them. Individual attempts at assassination or property as well as damage by gun, knife, club, axe, poison, or fire were so numerous that undertaking an enumeration of all would be a well-nigh impossible task. One example of many would be, a Maryland slave woman was executed in 1766 for burning down her master’s home, tobacco house, and out houses.

The first person to understand that the institution of slavery was unacceptable and initiate action against this miserable and inhuman condition was the slave himself. "Probably the most fateful year on the history of American Negro slave revolts is that of 1800, for it was then that Nat Turner and John Brown were born, that Denmark Vesey bought his freedom, and it was then that the great conspiracy named after Gabriel, slave of Thomas H. Prosser of Henrico County, Virginia, occurred.(⁵)

In that attempted insurrection, approximately one thousand salves, some mounted, armed with clubs, scythes, home-made bayonets, and a few guns, gathered under the banner of "liberty or death". On the day of the planned attack torrential rain prevented the crossing of a bridge. The plan was however, reveled by slaves Tom and Pharoah and military men were awaiting the crossing. Gabriel was later captured. In the hopes that he would talk James Monroe personally interviewed him, but reported(⁶), "From what he said to me, he seemed to have made up his mind to die, and to have resolved to say but little on the subject of the conspiracy." Gabriel was hung."(⁷)
We will discuss John Brown later.

Although all of the above mentioned and so many other movements for African liberation were undertaken over a period of some 300 years, it was the period of the Underground Railroad and flight that seemed to have caught the admiration of the writers of textbooks and established the limits and scope of the discussion on slavery in the school systems across the country.

After a few days of viewing the above information, we will continue our ride into history. Also, for daily updates and podcast on the AMAAP journey visit NJ.com and type in "Where is Miles Dean " in the search box.

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¹ Catterall, op.citl, II, p.57 G. G. Johnson, op.cit., p.503
² Hellen T. Catterall, ed, Judical Cases Concernng American Slavery and the Negro, II, p.168.
³ H. Aptheker, American Negro Slave Revolts, p. 56
⁴ H. Aptheker, American Negro Slave Revolts, pp. 141-145
⁵ H. Aptheker, American Negro Slave Revolts, p. 219
⁶ S. M. Hamilton, ed., op.cit., III, p. 213
⁷ H. Aptheker, American Negro Slave Revolts, p. 222

Images courtesy of:
     Library of Congress: [American Memory - Slaves and the Courts]
     Library of Congress: [American Memory - Prints and Photographs Reading Room]

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