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The Stono Rebellion
Chronology of Events
*Mid August 1739- Charlestown newspaper announces Security Act
*September 9, 1739 (morning)-20 slaves gather on Banks of Stono River
*September 9, 1739 (dawn)-Arrived at Wallace's Tavern where owner was spared and go to 6 more plantations to kill owners
*September 9, 1739 (early afternoon)-Before reaching the Edisto River the group stops in field
*September 9, 1739 (4 pm)-Armed whites came to field to kill slave group
(McCollum)
Significance/Contribution to American Identity
When slaves were unable to rebel directly, they performed subtle acts of resistance. This ranged from work slow-downs to faking illness. The Stono River Rebellion is tribute to the ongoing resistance of African Americans toward racism today even if it's not taking the shape of slavery(pbs).
Location and Time
The Stono Rebellion occured in South Carolina at about 20 miles southwest of Charlestown. This was in close proximity to the Stono Bridge (Britannica). It all began on Sunday, September 9, 1739 (Horrid Massacre in Virginia).
What was it?
The British colony of South Carolina was led by William Johnson. He was surprised by a slave uprising that terminated with the death of sixty people. They were led by an Angolan named Jemmy (Thornton, 116). A band of twenty slaves organized a rebellion on the banks of the Stono River. The band broke into Hutchinson's store and then continued with armed guns to call for their liberty. As they marched, overseers were killed and reluctant slaves were forced to join the company. The band reached the Edisto River where white colonists attacked them killing most of the rebels. The survivors were then sold off to the West Indies (Sutherland). Their attempt to flee to Florida was unsuccessful although a few were able to buy freedom(Brinkley, 76).
Consequences
The Stono Rebellion played a large role in proving the need for race protection. As a result, new laws were made such as the Slave Codes of 1740 which were put in place to protect the white citizens, control the movement of slaves, and protect the slaves from brutal treatment by whites. These laws restricted movement of the slaves so they had to be accompanied by a white person and/or have the permission of their owner to be out. Some of the laws were also intended to stop the slaves from congregating with each other in hopes that they would not create a plan to rebel. Some of the laws further threatened to fine or imprison whites who did not follow rules. Such things included giving or selling alcohol to slaves. Laws were written as well to forbid enslaved Africans from wearing nice clothes out of fear that they would be seen as free men. The white government officials felt a strong urge for these laws. After all, we must consider the slave population outnumbered the white population in the South. If something was not done to manage the slaves, the South would remain in total fear from the one thing that fed their economy; enslaved Africans. If the cause of the uprising was to help reach freedom for slaves, it is ironic as the slaves’ actions were now put under an even tighter control (Bevans).
Sources
"Stono rebellion". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 09 Oct. 2015
Bevans, Lisa. "Lesson Plan: Overview." Lesson Plan: Effects of the Stono Rebellion. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2015.<http://www.teachingushistory.org/lessons/stonorebellion.html>.
Figure 2. Digital image. Common-place: Tales from the Vault. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Oct. 2015. <http://www.common-place.org/vol-12/no-04/tales/>.
Slave Code of South Carolina, May 1740. Digital image. Teaching American History in South Carolina. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2015.
<https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrB8plYsxZW2V4AZV2JzbkF?ei=UTF-8&fr=sfp&p=slave+codes+of+1740&fr2=sp-qrw-corr-top&norw=1#id=1&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.teachingushistory.org%2Fttrove%2Fimages%2F1740pg01RGB.jpg&action=click>.
"The Stono Rebellion (Timeline and Facts)." South Carolina Traveler. SCNHC, n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2015. <http://www.scnhc.org/story/the-stono-rebellion-timeline-facts>.
"Stono's Rebellion September 9, 1739." America's Story from America's Library. N.p., n.d. Web. Sept.-Oct. 2015. <http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/colonial/jb_colonial_stono_1.html>.
Sutherland, Claudia E. "Stono Rebellion (1739)." BlackPast.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2015. <http://www.blackpast.org/aah/stono-rebellion-1739>.
John K. Thornton, "The African Roots of the Stono Rebellion", in A Question of Manhood, eds. Darlene Clark Hine and Earnestine Jenkins, Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1999, pp. 116–117, 119, accessed 12 Apr 2009.
Ex-slaves Sitting in Front of a Cabin in 1862. Digital image. America's Story from America's Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2015. <https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrBT7583RdWs2UAxI9XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0N2Noc21lBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNwaXZz?p=stono+rebellion+pictures&fr=sfp&fr2=piv-web#id=16&iurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americaslibrary.gov%2Fassets%2Fjb%2Fcolonial%2Fjb_colonial_stono_1_m.jpg&action=click>.
The Massacre during Nat Turner's Rebellion. Digital image. America's Story from America's Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Oct. 2015. <http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/colonial/jb_colonial_stono_2_e.html>.
Brinkley, Alan. Stono Rebellion. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2004. 76. Print.
