Slavery without submission, emancipation without freedom

How did slaves rebel against the system?

Slave Revolts

• Although slave revolts were not frequent, plantation owners feared them
• New Orleans Revolt- 400-500 slaves rampaged through plantations burning them and gaining followers
• 66 slaves were killed on the spot, while 16 were tried and hanged
• Nat Turner's Rebellion- gathered about 55 slaves and rampaged killing about 55 men, women, & children
• Turner and 18 others were tried and hanged

RUNNING AWAY

• Running away was one of the more realistic ways to rebel
• Hundreds of slaves ran away per year
• Often slaves ran away from torture, to see a spouse, or just to be free
• Slaves who were caught running away were tortured or killed
• Even crippled slaves attempted to run away from abusive owners

Sabotage

• Slaves would work slowly, take unscheduled, and would feign illness
• They would also break down fences, set fire to outbuildings, and sabotage farm equipment
• Completing work sloppily where they damaged the crop, or even not completing tasks was also common
• Some slaves would even hide so that they would not have to complete their tasks

Harriet Tubman

• Harriet ran away on her own after her owner gave her a head injury
• She became the most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad
• She made 19 trips back and forth to free slaves
• She spoke out against slavery and even led troops during the Civil War
• Became a famous activist towards abolition

Frederick Douglass

• Learned how to read and write through various ways as a slave
• After he escaped to the North he became extremely active in the abolition of slavery
• Became a lecturer, newspaper editor, and writer on the topic of abolition
• Founded the "North Star", an abolitionist newspaper
• Helped influence the Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War

Did the system change enough to liberate the slaves?

• At the end of the Civil War slavery was officially abolished in the Constitution
• Many amendments were added to the Constitution giving rights to now ex-slaves
• However, segregation pursued and the new amendments were soon forgotten
• Property was sold to where blacks could not purchase it and had to work in slave-like conditions
• Overall whites discovered loopholes in the amendments protecting blacks rights