The Landscape of Insurrection

By 1820, with an overwhelming black majority in Charleston and the South Carolina Low Country, white residents became increasingly apprehensive about the possibility of a slave insurrection.

The congressional debates over slavery in Missouri were cause for special concern. The debates sparked fears that prohibiting the expansion of slavery to the territories would one day lead to rebellion and then abolition. In addition, there were a large number of free African Americans living in Charleston among the white community. This precipitated the passage of a law, which made it illegal to manumit slaves except by a special act of the legislature.

In 1822, the worst fears of the white planter elite became a reality. Authorities in Charleston mobilized the militia in response to information that a slave uprising was planned for June 16th . A slave who had been asked to join in the uprising instead told his master of the plan.

Little information was released about the insurrection, but Charleston 's resident surmised something momentous was expected. The authorities arrested individuals and convened a special court. By the end of June, over thirty one men were arrested and six were sentenced to death. Denmark Vesey, a former slave who had purchased his freedom with the proceeds from a lottery, was identified as the instigator.

There is disagreement among scholars as to how far the planning had actually progressed. Michael Johnson of Johns Hopkins University argues that the Mayor of Charleston, James Hamilton Jr., created a false conspiracy to manufacture a political crisis against Thomas Bennett Jr., who owned four of the accused slaves. Johnson also asserts that alongside questionable court records, no other material evidence exists of Vesey's plans to lead the revolt.

One important point is that white Charlestonians believed some type of conspiracy had taken place. Ever since the successful 1796 slave rebellion in San Domingue, Charlestonians believed a similar uprising was possible. The Denmark Vessey insurrection served as a catalyst for an increasingly repressive and tightly controlled system of slave ownership.