Stono Rebellion was one of the largest uprisings by enslaved people in American colonial history . In September 1739, a group of about 20 slaves seized weapons near the Stono River southwest of Charleston , South Carolina , and attempted to flee to Spanish-held Florida . The rebelling slaves recruited others, and the group increased in number during the brief uprising. The group killed more than 20 white people before South Carolina militiamen ended the revolt.
Background.
The enslavement of Africans and their descendants in the American Colonies began during the 1600’s. Traders exchanged goods from Europe for Africans kidnapped by slave traders. The Africans were transported across the Atlantic Ocean and sold at slave markets in European colonies in the Americas. Traders often used their profits to ship such goods as tobacco and sugar to markets in Europe. Slaves were kept in inhumane conditions aboard ships and then auctioned as property. Under threat of violence, they undertook back-breaking work. In Britain’s North American colonies, slavery flourished in the South. Large plantations there grew cotton, indigo, rice, tobacco, and other crops. Charleston—known as Charles Town until 1783—was one of the leading slave trading markets in North America.
Beginning in the 1560’s, Britain and Spain clashed frequently over territory and trade rights. Quarrels erupted anew in the 1730’s. In 1733, the Spanish king had declared that Spain’s colony of Florida would be a refuge for escaped slaves from the British colonies. Hundreds of slaves escaped from plantations in Britain’s Southern Colonies and found safety in Spanish-held Florida. In 1739, Britain declared war on Spain. The Spanish, hoping to disrupt the economy and security of the British colonies, spread the word that runaway slaves would receive freedom in Florida. At the time, slaves from Africa and their descendants outnumbered South Carolina’s white population by a ratio of about 2 to 1.
The rebellion.
On the morning of Sunday, Sept. 9, 1739, a group of about 20 slaves assembled near the Stono River southwest of Charleston. Historians believe that many of the slaves gathered there had been brought directly from southwestern Africa—present-day Angola . Some of these men were believed to have had military training prior to their enslavement. The group’s leader was an educated African known as either Jemmy or Cato.
The group broke into a store, killed its white shopkeepers, and seized firearms and ammunition. The group’s plan was to escape to St. Augustine in Florida, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) to the south. As they marched, dozens of runaway slaves joined the uprising. Some of those in the group carried banners and cried out “Liberty” as they marched down a road called the King’s Highway. The rebels set fire to several plantations and killed nearly every white person they encountered—more than 20 in all. At about 11 a.m., Lieutenant Governor William Bull and a group of several other men on horseback accidentally encountered the rebels on the road. Bull’s group escaped and raised an alarm. A posse of local militia (civilian troops) pursued and confronted the marching Africans in the late afternoon about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from where the revolt had begun. A fierce battle took place. Probably about 30 rebels were killed. Other slaves who escaped the militia were captured and executed during the following week. Historians believe a small number of the escapees reached St. Augustine.
Later developments.
The Stono Rebellion aroused great fear among colonists in the South. Months later, in the Negro Act of 1740, South Carolina established measures to avoid similar uprisings among slaves. The act prohibited the importation of slave labor. It ordered slaveowners to limit the movements of slaves and restrict their opportunities to socialize and communicate with one another. It set penalties for teaching slaves to write. The act also set punishments for slaveowners who abused or overworked their enslaved laborers. However, the Negro Act also allowed slaveowners to kill slaves they believed to be in rebellion.
