Five Acts Of Retribution By Black People In Response To Slavery And Oppression
1. Massacres of White French by Emperor Dessalines
After the enslaved Africans defeated the French in 1804 and established Haiti as the first Black country in the Western hemisphere, a mass killing occurred. The Haitian Massacre was an organized ethnic cleansing that was carried out against the remaining white population of French Creoles by the order of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the first ruler of the independent nation. Throughout the entire territory of Haiti, from early February 1804 until April 22, 1804, 3,000 to 5,000 people of all ages
and gender were put to death.
Squads of soldiers moved from house to house, killing white families. White women and children were killed last; Dessalines did not specifically mention that the women should be killed, and the soldiers were reportedly somewhat hesitant to do so. In the end, however, they were also put to death at a later stage of the massacre than the adult men. The argument for killing the women was that whites would not truly be eradicated if the white women were spared to give birth to new Frenchmen.
Dessalines told his army that he ordered the mass killing because of past atrocities committed by the Europeans, especially by the former white French authorities Donatien-Marie-Joseph Rochambeau and Charles Leclerc.
After the enslaved Africans defeated the French in 1804 and established Haiti as the first Black country in the Western hemisphere, a mass killing occurred. The Haitian Massacre was an organized ethnic cleansing that was carried out against the remaining white population of French Creoles by the order of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, the first ruler of the independent nation. Throughout the entire territory of Haiti, from early February 1804 until April 22, 1804, 3,000 to 5,000 people of all ages
and gender were put to death.
Squads of soldiers moved from house to house, killing white families. White women and children were killed last; Dessalines did not specifically mention that the women should be killed, and the soldiers were reportedly somewhat hesitant to do so. In the end, however, they were also put to death at a later stage of the massacre than the adult men. The argument for killing the women was that whites would not truly be eradicated if the white women were spared to give birth to new Frenchmen.
Dessalines told his army that he ordered the mass killing because of past atrocities committed by the Europeans, especially by the former white French authorities Donatien-Marie-Joseph Rochambeau and Charles Leclerc.
2. Nat Turner Slave Revolt 1831
Nathanial “Nat” Turner (1800-1831) was a black American slave who led the only effective, sustained slave rebellion (August 1831) in U.S. history. Spreading terror throughout the white South, his action set off a new wave of oppressive legislation prohibiting the education, movement, and assembly of slaves and stiffened proslavery, antiabolitionist convictions that persisted in that region until the American Civil War (1861–65).
He was born on the Virginia plantation of Benjamin Turner, who allowed him to be instructed in reading, writing, and religion. Sold three times in his childhood and hired out to John Travis (1820s), he became a fiery preacher and leader of African-American slaves on Benjamin Turner’s plantation and in his Southampton County neighbourhood, claiming that he was chosen by God to lead them from bondage.
Believing in signs and hearing divine voices, Turner was convinced by an eclipse of the Sun (1831) that the time to rise up had come, and he enlisted the help of four other slaves in the area. An insurrection was planned, aborted, and rescheduled for August 21,1831, when he and six other slaves killed the Travis family, managed to secure arms and horses, and enlisted about 75 other slaves in a disorganized insurrection that resulted in the murder of 51 white people.
Afterwards, Turner hid nearby successfully for six weeks until his discovery, conviction, and hanging at Jerusalem, Virginia, along with 16 of his followers. The incident put fear in the heart of Southerners, ended the organized emancipation movement in that region, resulted in even harsher laws against slaves, and deepened the schism between slave-holders and free-soilers (an anti-slavery political party whose slogan was ‘free soil, free speech, free labor, and free men’) that would culminate in the Civil War.
Capture of Nat Turner
Nathanial “Nat” Turner (1800-1831) was a black American slave who led the only effective, sustained slave rebellion (August 1831) in U.S. history. Spreading terror throughout the white South, his action set off a new wave of oppressive legislation prohibiting the education, movement, and assembly of slaves and stiffened proslavery, antiabolitionist convictions that persisted in that region until the American Civil War (1861–65).
He was born on the Virginia plantation of Benjamin Turner, who allowed him to be instructed in reading, writing, and religion. Sold three times in his childhood and hired out to John Travis (1820s), he became a fiery preacher and leader of African-American slaves on Benjamin Turner’s plantation and in his Southampton County neighbourhood, claiming that he was chosen by God to lead them from bondage.
Believing in signs and hearing divine voices, Turner was convinced by an eclipse of the Sun (1831) that the time to rise up had come, and he enlisted the help of four other slaves in the area. An insurrection was planned, aborted, and rescheduled for August 21,1831, when he and six other slaves killed the Travis family, managed to secure arms and horses, and enlisted about 75 other slaves in a disorganized insurrection that resulted in the murder of 51 white people.
Afterwards, Turner hid nearby successfully for six weeks until his discovery, conviction, and hanging at Jerusalem, Virginia, along with 16 of his followers. The incident put fear in the heart of Southerners, ended the organized emancipation movement in that region, resulted in even harsher laws against slaves, and deepened the schism between slave-holders and free-soilers (an anti-slavery political party whose slogan was ‘free soil, free speech, free labor, and free men’) that would culminate in the Civil War.
Capture of Nat Turner
3. Bahia Slave Revolt
The Malê revolt (also known as The Great Revolt) is perhaps the most significant slave rebellion in Brazil. On a Sunday during Ramadan in January 1835, in the city of Salvador da Bahia, a small group of black slaves and freedmen, inspired by Muslim teachers, rose up against the government. Muslims were called malê in Bahia at this time, from Yoruba imale that designated a Yoruba Muslim.
The uprising took place on the feast day of Our Lady of Guidance, a celebration in the Bonfim’s church’s cycle of religious holidays. As a result, many worshipers traveled to Bonfim for the weekend to pray or celebrate. Authorities were in Bonfim in order to keep the celebrations in line. Consequently, there would be fewer people and authorities in Salvador, making it easier for the rebels to occupy the city.
A copy of Surat al-Qadr from the Quran. It belonged to one of the revolting slaves of Bahia and is written in a traditional West African style of Arabic.
While the revolt was scheduled to take place on Sunday, January 25, due to various incidents, it was forced to start before the planned time. On Saturday January 24, slaves began to hear rumors of an upcoming rebellion. While there are multiple accounts of freed slaves telling their previous masters about the revolts, only one was reported to the proper authorities. Sabina da Cruz, an ex-slave, had a fight with her husband, Vitório Sule the day before and went looking for him. She found him in a house with many of the other revolt organizers and after they told her tomorrow they would be masters of the land she reportedly said, “on the following day they’d be masters of the whiplash, but not of the land.” After leaving this house, she went to her friend Guilhermina, a freedwoman, who Sabina knew had access to whites. Guilhermina then proceeded to tell her white neighbor, André Pinto da Silveira. Several of Pinto de Silveira’s friends were present, including Antônio de Souza Guimarães and Francisco Antônio Malheiros, who took it upon themselves to relay the information to the local authorities.
President Francisco de Souza Martins informed the Chief of Police of the situation, reinforced the palace guard, alerted the barracks, doubled the night patrol, and ordered boats to watch the bay, all by 11:00 pm. Out on the streets, the fighting saw its first real bloodshed; several people were injured and two Africans were killed.
The rebels decided to first attack the jail, attempting to free a Muslim leader, PacÃfico Licutan. However, the prison guards proved too much for the rebels, who perhaps were looking to supplement their weak supply of arms with the jailers’. Unfortunately for the rebels, the reinforced palace guard began firing on them from across the square and they found themselves caught between lines of fire in front of the jail. Under heavy fire, the slaves withdrew from the prison and retreated to the Largo de Teatro. Reinforcements arrived on the slaves side, and together they attacked a nearby post of soldiers in order to take their weapons. They marched toward the officer's barracks, and put up a good fight, however, the soldiers were able to pull the gate guarding the barracks shut. The slaves had failed.
Muslim Slaves of Bahia
The Malê revolt (also known as The Great Revolt) is perhaps the most significant slave rebellion in Brazil. On a Sunday during Ramadan in January 1835, in the city of Salvador da Bahia, a small group of black slaves and freedmen, inspired by Muslim teachers, rose up against the government. Muslims were called malê in Bahia at this time, from Yoruba imale that designated a Yoruba Muslim.
The uprising took place on the feast day of Our Lady of Guidance, a celebration in the Bonfim’s church’s cycle of religious holidays. As a result, many worshipers traveled to Bonfim for the weekend to pray or celebrate. Authorities were in Bonfim in order to keep the celebrations in line. Consequently, there would be fewer people and authorities in Salvador, making it easier for the rebels to occupy the city.
A copy of Surat al-Qadr from the Quran. It belonged to one of the revolting slaves of Bahia and is written in a traditional West African style of Arabic.
While the revolt was scheduled to take place on Sunday, January 25, due to various incidents, it was forced to start before the planned time. On Saturday January 24, slaves began to hear rumors of an upcoming rebellion. While there are multiple accounts of freed slaves telling their previous masters about the revolts, only one was reported to the proper authorities. Sabina da Cruz, an ex-slave, had a fight with her husband, Vitório Sule the day before and went looking for him. She found him in a house with many of the other revolt organizers and after they told her tomorrow they would be masters of the land she reportedly said, “on the following day they’d be masters of the whiplash, but not of the land.” After leaving this house, she went to her friend Guilhermina, a freedwoman, who Sabina knew had access to whites. Guilhermina then proceeded to tell her white neighbor, André Pinto da Silveira. Several of Pinto de Silveira’s friends were present, including Antônio de Souza Guimarães and Francisco Antônio Malheiros, who took it upon themselves to relay the information to the local authorities.
President Francisco de Souza Martins informed the Chief of Police of the situation, reinforced the palace guard, alerted the barracks, doubled the night patrol, and ordered boats to watch the bay, all by 11:00 pm. Out on the streets, the fighting saw its first real bloodshed; several people were injured and two Africans were killed.
The rebels decided to first attack the jail, attempting to free a Muslim leader, PacÃfico Licutan. However, the prison guards proved too much for the rebels, who perhaps were looking to supplement their weak supply of arms with the jailers’. Unfortunately for the rebels, the reinforced palace guard began firing on them from across the square and they found themselves caught between lines of fire in front of the jail. Under heavy fire, the slaves withdrew from the prison and retreated to the Largo de Teatro. Reinforcements arrived on the slaves side, and together they attacked a nearby post of soldiers in order to take their weapons. They marched toward the officer's barracks, and put up a good fight, however, the soldiers were able to pull the gate guarding the barracks shut. The slaves had failed.
Muslim Slaves of Bahia
4. The Marlborough Ship Massacre
In 1752, the English ship “Marlborough” that was owned by William Lougher & Co. of Bristol, and captained by Robert Codd, left England for Bonny, Nigeria and the Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana) of West Africa. It was its fourth and final voyage to transport captured Africans to slavery in the Americas.
The crew made it to West Africa, 420 African captives were purchased, and the ship set out across the Atlantic Ocean to sail to the Americas.
The captain attempted to use 28 of the Africans from the Gold Coast to help sail the ship and on Oct. 14, 1752, three days after leaving Bonny, the ship was taken over by the captives on board. They led the successful uprising when they were brought up on deck for washing. The 420 Black men and women fought and killed 33 of the 35 crewmen on board. They kept two crew members alive to sail the ship back to West Africa. The ship sailed to Bonny first and the Africans from that region went ashore. The remaining men and women set off for the Gold Coast and upon reaching there, the ship and the two remaining crew members were never seen again.(Chaiiiii, e don be for them o)
In 1752, the English ship “Marlborough” that was owned by William Lougher & Co. of Bristol, and captained by Robert Codd, left England for Bonny, Nigeria and the Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana) of West Africa. It was its fourth and final voyage to transport captured Africans to slavery in the Americas.
The crew made it to West Africa, 420 African captives were purchased, and the ship set out across the Atlantic Ocean to sail to the Americas.
The captain attempted to use 28 of the Africans from the Gold Coast to help sail the ship and on Oct. 14, 1752, three days after leaving Bonny, the ship was taken over by the captives on board. They led the successful uprising when they were brought up on deck for washing. The 420 Black men and women fought and killed 33 of the 35 crewmen on board. They kept two crew members alive to sail the ship back to West Africa. The ship sailed to Bonny first and the Africans from that region went ashore. The remaining men and women set off for the Gold Coast and upon reaching there, the ship and the two remaining crew members were never seen again.(Chaiiiii, e don be for them o)
5.Jamaica’s Baptist War
Jamaica’s biggest slave revolt broke out immediately after Christmas 1831 and lasted for ten days. About 50,000 slaves took part. They attacked over 225 estates and caused damage totalling over £1 million.
Georgia Estate in Trelawny, owned by Thomas Gordon of Buthlaw and Cairness, was one of the estates caught up in the rebellion, and afterwards five of Gordon’s slaves were sentenced to life imprisonment for joining the fight.
Samuel Sharpe was the most prominent leader of the rebels. A slave from Craydon Estate in St James Parish, he was also a charismatic leader in the local Baptist church. Many of the other fighters were also Baptists. They used Christian theology to argue that they could only have one master – Jesus Christ.
All of the rebel leaders had military titles such as ‘general’ and ‘colonel’ and their followers were organised into military companies. In court, witnesses both for and against the rebels always described the rebellion as a war. In Jamaica today it is commonly referred to as the Baptist War.
The Jamaican government suppressed the rebellion savagely. Troops executed hundreds of suspected rebels, often without a proper trial, while planters and their employees burnt numerous churches where slaves had worshipped. But although defeated, the rebellion actually hastened the end of slavery. It convinced people in Britain that the system was unsustainable; to continue protecting the slave owners would only lead to more expense and more brutality.
Statue of Samuel Sharpe
Sources:
~http://lostislamichistory.com/the-bahia-muslim-slave-revolt/
~www.wikipedia.com/
~http://atlantablackstar.com/
Jamaica’s biggest slave revolt broke out immediately after Christmas 1831 and lasted for ten days. About 50,000 slaves took part. They attacked over 225 estates and caused damage totalling over £1 million.
Georgia Estate in Trelawny, owned by Thomas Gordon of Buthlaw and Cairness, was one of the estates caught up in the rebellion, and afterwards five of Gordon’s slaves were sentenced to life imprisonment for joining the fight.
Samuel Sharpe was the most prominent leader of the rebels. A slave from Craydon Estate in St James Parish, he was also a charismatic leader in the local Baptist church. Many of the other fighters were also Baptists. They used Christian theology to argue that they could only have one master – Jesus Christ.
All of the rebel leaders had military titles such as ‘general’ and ‘colonel’ and their followers were organised into military companies. In court, witnesses both for and against the rebels always described the rebellion as a war. In Jamaica today it is commonly referred to as the Baptist War.
The Jamaican government suppressed the rebellion savagely. Troops executed hundreds of suspected rebels, often without a proper trial, while planters and their employees burnt numerous churches where slaves had worshipped. But although defeated, the rebellion actually hastened the end of slavery. It convinced people in Britain that the system was unsustainable; to continue protecting the slave owners would only lead to more expense and more brutality.
Statue of Samuel Sharpe
Sources:
~http://lostislamichistory.com/the-bahia-muslim-slave-revolt/
~www.wikipedia.com/
~http://atlantablackstar.com/
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