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Slave Resistance and Rebellion - Coggle Diagram
Slave Resistance and Rebellion
Resistance on the Middle Passage
Over 50 major mutinies occurred
on slave ships in the Middle Passage between 1699 and 1865.
Some Africans refused to live a life of slavery and jumped into the sea, choosing death over enslavement.
Everyday resistance
The slaves did things that would cut down profits for the plantation owners, therefore resisting slavery in small, but not entirely insignificant ways.
Breaking things in the master's house.
Doing work slowly or badly
Pretending to be ill.
Runaways
Some slaves tried to run away to freedom. This was extremely dangerous, because if a slave ran away and was caught, the punishments were harsh:
Hanging
Having ears cut off
Being sold away from friends and family.
Having the letter 'R' branded on the cheek.
Major rebellions
The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an organisation in the United States led by both black and white people who lived in slavery-free states. The Railroad is still somewhat mysterious to historians today, but it is thought that about 50,00 slaves escaped through it.
Harriet Tubman- Conductors were people who risked their lives to lead slaves to freedom. One famous example of these people is Harriet Tubman, who led 300 slaves to freedom.
Successful rebellions
The Amistad Revolt
54 Africans took hold of the ship the
Amistad,
and commanded its route. They were eventually arrested, but through trials, they were returned to Africa as free men.
An enslaved man named Toussaint Breda fought his French captives, and successfully created the first free black state in the Caribbean, which is modern-day Haiti.
Partly successful rebellions
The Samuel Sharpe Rebellion
This rebellion was led by Samuel Sharpe in 1831. It was timed after someone had told the slaves falsely that the British parliament had already granted slaves freedom. The rebellion was in Jamaica, and timed specifically because the slaves aimed to ruin the sugar cane harvest. The rebellion was successful in this respect, but it was eventually stopped and Samuel Sharpe was executed.