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Today we mark the anniversary of the largest slave rebellion in South Carolina, The Stono Rebellion. On September 9th 1739 Jemmy aka Cato and 20 core group of warriors, who had been stolen from Kongo region of Central Africa.
The group gathered near the Stono River in a region that is now Hollywood, SC about 20mins from Charleston. The rebellion was planned to take place on a Sunday due to most of the white men in the town being at church
this coupled with a malaria outbreak which resulted in less white people on the streets, created the perfected conditions from a planned uprising. The goal was to fight their way to Spanish controlled Florida where enslaved folk were guaranteed freedom.
This was the region where Gullah Wars aka Seminole Wars were fought from 1817-1858. The Stono Rebellion was the 1st documented mass attempt of Gullah-Geechee people to push into the Florida territory.
The group marched down the main road of St.Paul's Parish killing slavers and their families as well as ransacking homes and businesses. They also recruited the further down the road they went.
Around 10 miles into the march the numbers swelled from about 20 to around 60-100 Africans fighting for their freedom.
Their march tallied up to 2 shopkeepers killed with ammo, guns, and provisions being expropriated, 6 plantations being burned down, and almost 30 whites dead
Their march tallied up to 2 shopkeepers killed with ammo, guns, and provisions being expropriated, 6 plantations being burned down, and almost 30 whites dead
The 1st half of a letter penned by then Lieutenant Governor William Bull detailed the damage he saw "I beg leave to lay before your Lordships an account of our Affairs, first in regard to the Desertion of our Negroes. . . . On the 9th of September last at Night a great Number of
Negroes Arose in Rebellion, broke open a Store where they got arms, killed twenty one White Persons, and were marching the next morning in a Daring manner out of the Province, killing all they met and burning several Houses as they passed along the Road."
While the group was resting they were spotted by then Lieutenant Governor William Bull some of his companions. Bull and company went to gather up the local militia. The next day the 2 groups battled leaving 23 white militiamen dead and 47 African freedom fighters martyred.
As a show of force and cruelty the militiamen and officials mounted the heads of the murdered Africans on major roadways as an example to the other enslaved Africans. Those who escaped the battle were set upon by a team of Chickasaw, Catawba, and other enslaved Africans.
This led to another battle around 30 miles down from the 1st battle. Those captured who were deemed to be forced into fighting were set free, the ones seen as overly rebellious were executed, the others were sold into the West Indies.
This resulted in the Negro Act of 1740 this act outlawed the Africans right to read, assemble, grow their own crops, and earning their own money. It also tightened restrictions on plantations and slaveholders meaning there was to be a ratio of 1 white to every 10 Africans-
on every plantation, required legislature permission to free an enslaved African, and "penalties" for overwork and excessive punishment. The laws against overworking and punishing an African were rarely enforced.
The state also instituted a 10 year ban on importing Africans because whites saw that slaves brought straight from Africa were too rebellious and having a population that were "born slaves" would be easier to control.
These repressive measures illustrated the absolute fear the rebellion had gripped on the white populace.
To the point they instituted some reforms on the plantation to dissuade Africans from organizing in such a way again and put a temporary halt on importation of African people to that region.
Thread by Comrade @GeecheeSociali1
Thread by Comrade @GeecheeSociali1
