Resistance to Slavery
The Amistad Revolt(1839)
Slave trade abolished in 1808
Illegal slave trade develops
Slaves rebel on slave ship La Amistad
Killed most of the crew
Led by Joseph Cinque
The Amistad Revolt(1839) Cont.
US captures Cinque and other Africans
Supreme court case
John Quincy Adams-Lawyer-leading advocate
Since they were illegally “imported,” the Amistad Africans had a right to rebel for their freedom
Nat Turner Rebellion (1831)
Nat Turner's owner allowed him to learn to read, write, and practice religion
He became a religious leader for slaves
Believed he saw signs and heard voices
Saw an eclipse-took it as a sign to rebel
Sent home to Africa
Nat Turner Rebellion(1831) Cont.
Turner and 4 other slaves Okilled their owner and his family
obtain guns and horses
75 other slaves join
Up to 55 white people killed
Turner captured 6 weeks later
He and 16 followers hanged
southerners afraid of slave revolts
Harsher slave laws passed
Greater divide between pro-slavery & ant-slavery in the US
John Brown's Raid(1859)
Brown and his followers planned a slave insurrection to begin in western Virginia
Seized federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, but was quickly captured, tried, and hanged.
John Brown's Impact
Northern abolitionists viewed him as a martyr, taking action against the evil of slavery
Southerners generally viewed Brown as a madman, symbolizing the fanatical hatred of the North
Moderates (Lincoln) condemned Brown's action, while admiring his commitment to countering slavery