Our History Is American History - Denmark Vesey's Slave Rebellion

One thing about me, I don't like to be confused. Yet here I am confused due to mixed messaging from the current administration of the US federal government. Just yesterday, I read that this administration wants to get rid of "anti-Christian bias" b/c Christians are being mistreated and mocked. As a Christian, I haven't felt this but I won't say it doesn't happen (b/c you know just like with racism, just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean it doesn't exist... you know what I mean). Anyhoo, today I see an AI generated pic of the current President as the Pope (which BTW he says, he wouldn't mind being (😒 big heavy sigh)) . As you can imagine, lots of opinions about this on social media, mostly negative but he has some supporters justifying it as a joke. *INSERT MY CONFUSION* 😕 So mocking Christians is bad enough to warrant government intervention YET it' ok for the government to mock Catholics, which is a Christian denomination? So what Christians are being covered by this anti-Christian bias initiative? Apparently it's ok to mock Catholics and they're most revered spiritual leader. Oh! Maybe this is for those Christians whose ancestors would attend lynchings after Sunday service? IDK... 😐 With that said, the fact the freed slaves created segregated churches makes sense. But to be clear, they weren't just worshipping the Lord. The story of Denmark Vesey, the leader of the largest slave revolt in history, shows us that. 

Denmark Vesey (1767 – 1822) was a freed slave who attempted to organize what would have been the biggest slave revolt in U.S. history. Although he would later deny it, he allegedly held meetings at his home to collect arms for an uprising he was planning for as many as 9,000 African Americans in South Carolina. The plan was betrayed by several fearful slaves and he and others were seized.

In 1771, fourteen-year-old Denmark Vesey was transported from St. Thomas to Cape Francais by slave trader Captain Joseph Vesey. Upon a return trip to Cape Francais, Captain Vesey was forced to reclaim Denmark, who his master said was suffering from epileptic fits. Denmark accompanied Captain Vesey on his trading voyages until the Captain retired to Charleston, never again showing signs of epilepsy. In 1799, Vesey won the lottery and bought his freedom for $600. He could not purchase the freedom of his wife and children and some claimed that this fact motivated his crusade to destroy the institution of slavery.

In 1815, whites in Charleston discovered that black Methodists had been secretly pooling money to buy freedom for enslaved congregants and they moved to restrict black autonomy. They planned to construct a hearse house on top of a black burial ground, a move Charleston blacks saw as a final insult. Over 4,000 black members left white churches in protest, and formed an African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. Denmark Vesey followed them, leaving the segregated Second Presbyterian Church, where slaves were taught the words of St. Paul: "Servants, obey your masters." He joined the newly formed African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1817, as Vesey found the freedom to preach his beliefs. He became a "class leader," preaching to a small group in his home during the week. White Charlestonians constantly monitored the African church, disrupting services and arresting members. An angry Vesey began preaching from the Old Testament, particularly Exodus, and taught followers that they were the New Israelites, the chosen people whose enslavement God would punish with death.

In 1822, Vesey and other leaders from the African Church began plotting a rebellion. His chief lieutenant was an East African priest named Gullah Jack, who led conspirators in prayer and rituals and gave them amulets to protect them in battle. Vesey's theology of liberation, combined with Gullah Jack's African mysticism, inspired potential participants, and word of the rebellion grew. Vesey set the date for revolt on July 14, and men from Charleston and surrounding plantations planned to seize Charleston's arsenals and guard houses, kill the Governor, set fire to the city, and kill every white man they saw. But in June, several nervous slaves leaked the plot to their masters, and Charleston authorities began arresting leaders. Vesey was captured on June 22, and he and the conspirators were brought to trial. Despite torture and the threat of execution, the men refused to give up their followers. On July 2nd, Denmark Vesey and five other men were hanged. Gullah Jack was executed several days later, with the total number of executions reaching 35 by August 9th.

In the aftermath of the Vesey rebellion, the African Church was burned down and authorities passed a series of laws further restricting the rights of Charleston slaves. Although devastated by the destruction of their church, black Charlestonians continued to honor Vesey's revolutionary Old Testament theology in secret. For abolitionists such as David Walker, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Beecher Stowe, Vesey became a symbol of resistance and an inspiration in their writings. White Charleston responded by increasing efforts to convert slaves to New Testament Christianity, and by passing legislation to further restrict the rights of slaves. This increasingly militant path eventually led to the Civil War. Finally, it is important to note that the AME church of Vesey would later become the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, affectionately known as "Mother Emanuel", where nine churchgoers were shot and killed by 21-year-old Dylann Roof in July 2015 at a Wednesday night bible study in what authorities called a hate crime. This church continues to be a revered symbol of black resistance to slavery and racism.