American War History Story

Chapter 20: Black slave riots in North America and South Carolina

Views:

The social structure of the British North American colonies is like a pyramid. At the top are the commercial bourgeoisie and plantation slave owners. They are the upper class of the colony, the local rulers, and the bottom is indentured slaves and black slaves.

The Indians were regarded as objects of extinction by the British colonists. Enslaved black slaves took various forms to fight against them. In 1720, the black slaves of South Carolina conspired to resist, but were suppressed. The number of blacks in South Carolina has grown rapidly, reaching 32,000 in 1724, reaching 90,000 in 1765, accounting for 60% of the total population at that time. The black slaves couldn't stand the abuse, and they continued to resist. Within 1 year of 1739, there were 13 black slave uprisings in South Carolina. Once in Charleston, in addition to black slaves, there was a Spaniard and an Irishman who participated in the uprising.

The biggest one was led by the slave Cato. The goal of the slave rebels was to flee to Florida, a Spanish possession after the uprising, because the governor of the place allowed freedom to all escaped British slaves. The uprising black slaves killed two gunpowder depot guards and marched towards Florida. Along the way, many fugitive black slaves and poor white men joined in one after another. The team continued to grow, shaking the whole territory. They were attacked by the army. After two days of fighting, more than 30 blacks were killed, 40 were arrested, and only 10 blacks finally reached the destination.