Stono Rebellion

Definition

The Stono Rebellion was a slave uprising that occurred in 1739 in the colony of South Carolina, making it one of the largest and most significant slave rebellions in colonial North America. The rebellion was a response to the harsh conditions and oppression experienced by enslaved Africans under the system of chattel slavery in the American colonies.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Stono Rebellion was led by an enslaved man named Jemmy, who organized a group of around 20 enslaved Africans to revolt against their enslavers.
2. The rebels marched towards Spanish Florida, which had offered freedom to enslaved people who escaped the British colonies, killing around 20 white colonists along the way.
3. The Stono Rebellion was ultimately suppressed by the South Carolina militia, and many of the rebels were killed or captured, with the leaders being executed.
4. The Stono Rebellion led to the tightening of slave codes in South Carolina, further restricting the rights and freedoms of enslaved people.
5. The Stono Rebellion was a significant event that highlighted the ongoing resistance and desire for freedom among the enslaved population in the American colonies.

Review Questions

• Explain how the Stono Rebellion was connected to the system of chattel slavery in colonial South Carolina.
  • The Stono Rebellion was a direct response to the harsh conditions and oppression experienced by enslaved Africans under the system of chattel slavery in colonial South Carolina. Enslaved people were treated as personal property, with no rights or freedoms, and were subject to brutal treatment and exploitation by their enslavers. The Stono Rebellion was an attempt by the enslaved population to resist this system and assert their desire for freedom, ultimately leading to a crackdown on the rights of enslaved people through the tightening of slave codes in the colony.
• Describe the impact of the Stono Rebellion on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the broader colonial economy.
  • The Stono Rebellion had significant implications for the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the colonial economy. The uprising highlighted the ongoing resistance and desire for freedom among the enslaved population, which threatened the stability and profitability of the slave-based economy. In response, the South Carolina colony tightened its slave codes, further restricting the rights and freedoms of enslaved people, and likely increased the demand for new enslaved laborers to replace those lost during the rebellion. The Stono Rebellion also served as a warning to other colonies, reinforcing the need for strict control and surveillance over the enslaved population to maintain the economic and social order of the colonial system.
• Analyze the role of the Stono Rebellion in the broader context of the consumer revolution and the expansion of the British Empire's global trade network.
  • The Stono Rebellion occurred during a period of significant economic and social transformation in the British colonies, known as the consumer revolution. This period was marked by the expansion of global trade networks and the increasing demand for consumer goods, which was fueled in part by the labor of enslaved Africans in the American colonies. The Stono Rebellion highlighted the underlying tensions and contradictions inherent in this system, as the desire for freedom and resistance among the enslaved population threatened the stability and profitability of the colonial economy. The suppression of the rebellion and the subsequent tightening of slave codes in South Carolina can be seen as an attempt by the colonial authorities to maintain control over the enslaved population and preserve the economic and social order that underpinned the consumer revolution and the expansion of the British Empire's global trade network.

Related terms

Chattel Slavery: A system of slavery where enslaved people are treated as personal property, or chattel, that can be bought, sold, and inherited.

Slave Codes: Laws enacted in the American colonies and later states to regulate the institution of slavery and the behavior of both enslaved people and free blacks.

Transatlantic Slave Trade: The forced transportation of enslaved Africans to the Americas and Caribbean between the 16th and 19th centuries.