Denmark Vesey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Denmark Vesey
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| Born | 1767 St. Thomas, Danish West Indies
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| Died | July 2, 1822 (aged 54–55) |
| Nationality | Black-American, possibly of Coromantee or Mandé ancestry |
| Other names | Telemaque |
| Occupation | Interpreter, domestic servant, carpenter, and pastor |
| Known for | Convicted of plotting a slave revolt |
Denmark Vesey (also known as Telemaque) was a free Black man and a community leader in Charleston, South Carolina, in the early 1800s. He was accused and found guilty of planning a large slave revolt in 1822. Even though the plan was discovered before it could happen, the idea of such a big revolt scared the powerful plantation owners in the Southern states. This fear led to even stricter rules for both enslaved and free Black people.
Vesey was likely born into slavery around 1767 on St. Thomas, which was a Danish colony then. He was bought by Captain Joseph Vesey and later brought to Charleston. There, Denmark Vesey won a lottery and bought his freedom when he was about 32 years old. He became a successful carpenter. He tried to buy his wife, Beck, and their children out of slavery, but her owner refused to sell them.
Vesey was very active in his community. In 1818, he helped start an independent African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in Charleston. This church, now called Mother Emanuel, quickly grew to be the second-largest AME church in the country. It had over 1,848 members.
In the summer of 1822, Vesey was accused of using his influence to plan a major slave revolt. The plan was said to involve killing slaveholders in Charleston, freeing enslaved people, and sailing to the newly independent Black nation of Haiti for safety. Some reports at the time claimed thousands of enslaved people in the city and nearby plantations were involved. City officials sent a militia to arrest the leaders and many suspected followers before the revolt could begin. No white people were killed or hurt. Vesey and five enslaved men were quickly found guilty by a secret court and hanged on July 2, 1822. Vesey was about 55 years old. Later, about 30 more followers were also executed. Others, including Vesey's son Sandy, were sent away from the United States. City leaders ordered Vesey's church to be torn down.
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Denmark Vesey's Early Life
Most of what we know about Denmark Vesey comes from the court records of his 1822 trial in Charleston, South Carolina. The court found him guilty of planning a slave rebellion and sentenced him to death.
The court reported that he was born into slavery around 1767 in St. Thomas. This island was a colony of Denmark at the time. His owner, Captain Joseph Vesey, renamed him Telemaque. Historians believe Vesey might have been from the Coromantee people (who spoke an Akan language) or the Mandé people.
When Telemaque was about 14, Captain Joseph Vesey, a sea captain and slave trader, bought him. Captain Vesey later sold Telemaque to a plantation owner in Saint-Domingue (which is now Haiti). But when Telemaque seemed to have epileptic fits, Captain Vesey took him back. Some historians think Denmark might have pretended to have seizures to escape the harsh conditions in Saint-Domingue.
Telemaque worked as Captain Vesey's personal helper and interpreter in the slave trade. This job meant he traveled a lot, including to Bermuda. He became fluent in French, Spanish, and English. After the American Revolutionary War, Captain Vesey stopped his sea career and settled in Charleston, South Carolina. Telemaque had learned to read and write by this time.
Charleston was a busy port city and a center for rice and indigo plantations. Most of its population were enslaved people. In 1796, Captain Vesey married Mary Clodner, a wealthy free woman. Telemaque worked as a house servant at Mary's plantation near Charleston.
Gaining Freedom and Community Work
On November 9, 1799, Telemaque won $1500 in a city lottery. At 32 years old, he bought his freedom for $600. He then took the last name Vesey and the first name 'Denmark,' after the country that ruled his birthplace. Denmark Vesey started his own successful carpentry business.
He was married to Beck, an enslaved woman. Their children were born into slavery because of a law called partus sequitur ventrem. This law meant that children born to an enslaved mother also became enslaved. Vesey tried to buy his wife and children's freedom, but her owner refused to sell them. This meant any future children they had would also be born into slavery.
Vesey and other enslaved people had attended the Second Presbyterian church, but they felt limited by its rules for Black members.
In 1818, after becoming a freedman, Vesey helped start a new church. It was part of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church), which was the first independent Black church group in the United States. It had started in Philadelphia in 1816.
The AME Church in Charleston grew quickly. By 1818, it had 1848 members, making it the second-largest AME church in the country. White authorities in Charleston were worried about large groups of enslaved people. They briefly closed the church in 1818 and again in 1821. City leaders worried that the church's classes were becoming a "school for slaves," as enslaved people were not allowed to be taught to read. Vesey was known as a leader in the church. He used stories from the Bible, like the Exodus story of the Israelites escaping slavery in Egypt, to inspire hope for freedom.
Planning the Revolt
Even after becoming free, Denmark Vesey stayed connected with many enslaved people. He became determined to help them break free from slavery. In 1819, he was inspired by the national debates about whether Missouri should join the Union as a slave state or a free state. This made him feel that slavery was being challenged.
Vesey gained followers among the mostly enslaved Black people in his church. His church's members made up more than 10% of the Black population in Charleston. They were unhappy with how city officials treated them. Economic problems in Charleston also made life harder. In 1821, Vesey and a few enslaved men began to secretly plan a revolt.
To make the revolt successful, Vesey needed to recruit many people. As a lay preacher, he held religious classes at his home. During these meetings, he would review the plans for the revolt with his followers. Vesey inspired enslaved people by connecting their desire for freedom to the biblical story of the Exodus.
Vesey, who was in his 50s and had his own carpentry business, reportedly planned the uprising for Bastille Day, July 14, 1822. This date was important because it was linked to the French Revolution, which had ended slavery in Saint-Domingue (Haiti). News of the plan was said to spread among thousands of Black people in Charleston and on plantations nearby. Charleston's population was mostly Black at the time.
Vesey held many secret meetings. He gained support from both enslaved and free Black people in the city and countryside. He was said to have organized thousands of enslaved people who promised to join his planned uprising. Vesey used family connections between people in the city and the countryside to build a large network of supporters.
His plan was to first attack the Charleston Meeting Street Arsenal to get weapons. Once they had weapons, these freedom fighters planned to take ships from the harbor and sail to Haiti, possibly with help from Haitians. Vesey and his followers also planned to kill white slaveholders throughout the city, similar to what had happened in Haiti. Records show that many members of his group were "French Negroes," enslaved people brought from Saint-Domingue by white refugees.
The Uprising is Discovered
Because so many enslaved people knew about the planned uprising, Vesey worried that the secret would get out. He reportedly moved the date of the revolt up to June 16.
In May, two enslaved men, George Wilson and Joe LaRoche, told Charleston officials about the upcoming uprising. They said a "rising" was planned for July 14. George Wilson was a mixed-race enslaved man who was very loyal to his owner. Their reports confirmed an earlier, less specific warning from another enslaved man named Peter Prioleau. Officials believed Wilson and LaRoche because their owners trusted them.
Joe LaRoche had originally planned to join the revolt. He brought another enslaved man, Rolla Bennett, to talk about the plans with his close friend, George Wilson. Wilson had to choose whether to join or tell his master. Wilson refused to join and urged LaRoche and Bennett to stop their involvement. Wilson convinced LaRoche that they had to tell his master to prevent the plan from happening.
The Mayor, James Hamilton, Jr., was informed. He organized a citizens' militia and put the city on high alert. White militias and armed groups patrolled the streets daily for weeks. By the end of June, many suspects were arrested, including 55-year-old Denmark Vesey. Suspects were held in the Charleston Workhouse until a special court could hear their cases. Dr. Benjamin Palmer visited Vesey after he was sentenced to death. Vesey told the minister that he would die for a "glorious cause."
The Court Proceedings
As suspects were arrested, the Charleston City Council decided to create a special Court of Magistrates and Freeholders to judge them. There was a lot of tension and fear in the city. The court held its meetings in secret and promised secrecy to all witnesses.
From June 17 to June 28, officials arrested 31 suspects. The court heard secret testimony against them. Newspapers did not report much while the court was meeting. The court first announced that Denmark Vesey and five enslaved men were guilty and sentenced them to death. These six men were hanged on July 2. None of them confessed, and they all said they were innocent until the end. Their deaths helped calm some of the city's fears.
Concerns about the Court
Governor Thomas Bennett, Jr. and Supreme Court Justice William Johnson were worried about how the court was run. They felt it was wrong that defendants could not face their accusers or hear the evidence against them. However, the owners of the accused enslaved people and their lawyers were allowed to attend.
Justice Johnson wrote an article in a local newspaper. He reminded people of a past case where an enslaved person was wrongly executed. He hoped this would make the court more careful. But his article seemed to make white residents defend the court even more.
More Arrests and Convictions
After July 2, the number of arrests and charges increased greatly. The court claimed it was hard to find strong evidence. It noted that three men sentenced to death accused "scores of others" when they were promised lighter punishments.
In total, the courts found 67 men guilty of conspiracy. 35 men, including Vesey, were hanged in July 1822. 31 men were sent out of the country. 27 were found not guilty, and 38 were questioned and released.
Vesey's Family
Denmark Vesey had at least one child, Denmark Vesey, Jr., who stayed in Charleston. His enslaved son, Sandy Vesey, was arrested and sent out of the country, likely to Cuba. Vesey's third wife, Susan, later moved to Liberia, a colony in Africa for freed American slaves. Two other sons, Randolph and Robert Vesey, who were children of his first wife Beck, lived past the American Civil War and became free. Robert helped rebuild Charleston's African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1865.
Aftermath and Changes
In August, Governor Bennett and Mayor Hamilton both published their own accounts of the events. Governor Bennett tried to play down the danger, saying the court's actions and lack of fair process hurt the state's reputation. But Mayor Hamilton's 46-page report became the widely accepted story. It described a near-disaster that was prevented by the city's quick actions. Hamilton blamed the uprising on Black Christianity, the AME African Church, increased literacy among enslaved people, and masters being too kind to their slaves.
Because they believed "Black religion" caused the uprising, Charleston officials ordered the large AME church to be broken up and its building torn down. The church's minister, Rev. Morris Brown, was forced to leave the state. He later became a bishop of the national AME Church. No independent Black church was started in Charleston again until after the Civil War. However, many Black worshippers continued to meet in secret. Today, the Emanuel AME Church and the Morris Brown AME Church continue the legacy of that first AME Church in Charleston.
After the Vesey Plot, the state legislature made it even harder for enslaved people to gain freedom. They also put more restrictions on free Black people. If a free Black person left the state, they could not return. Also, every free Black person had to have white "guardians" to vouch for their character.
In 1822, the legislature also passed the Negro Seamen Act. This law required free Black sailors on ships docking in Charleston to be jailed while their ships were in port. This was to stop them from talking to and influencing enslaved and other Black people in the city. This act was later ruled unconstitutional by a federal court.
After the Seaman's Act, white residents of Charleston formed the South Carolina Association. This group took over enforcing rules for enslaved and free Black people in the city. The city also asked the state to create a "municipal guard" (city guard) for Charleston. The state agreed and provided money to build an arsenal and guard house. This became known as the Citadel, completed in 1829.
Historical Discussions
Historians have studied the Vesey Conspiracy for many years. The court's official report from 1822 has been the main source of information. Many historians see the conspiracy as an example of Black resistance to slavery. They praise the unity shown by Black people, as few confessed or spoke against the leaders despite threats.
In 1964, historian Richard Wade looked at the court's report and other records. He found differences and a lack of physical evidence, like hidden weapons. He suggested that the Vesey Conspiracy might have been mostly "angry talk" rather than a well-planned action. He believed there were "strong grievances on one side and deep fears on the other," which made people believe in a large rebellion. Other historians later disagreed with Wade, saying he might have missed some important details.
More recently, some historians have questioned how much of the conspiracy was real. They point out that the evidence was gathered under great pressure during the trials. However, other historians argue that there was indeed a plot. They note that some free Black people who knew Vesey continued to speak about the plot years later.
Some historians also suggest that Mayor James Hamilton, Jr. might have made the rumors of the conspiracy seem bigger. They think he might have used the situation to gain political power and pass stricter laws against enslaved and free Black people. However, other historians believe Hamilton truly thought there was a plot and acted accordingly.
White residents of Charleston were very dependent on slavery. They were also worried about the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which limited slavery's expansion. They feared that enslaved people knew about this and thought they would be freed. In 1822, white people in Charleston strongly believed that Black people had planned a large uprising. This was their biggest fear.
Legacy and Honors
- The Denmark Vesey House in Charleston, though likely not his actual home, was named a National Historic Landmark in 1976.
- In 1976, the city of Charleston ordered a portrait of Vesey, which was displayed in a public auditorium.
- Since the 1990s, African-American activists in Charleston wanted to build a memorial to Denmark Vesey. This idea was debated because some white residents saw him as a "terrorist." Others believed a memorial would honor his fight against slavery and the struggles of enslaved people for freedom. By 2014, the city's population had changed, and the Denmark Vesey Monument was built in Hampton Park. It shows Vesey as a carpenter holding a Bible.
- During the 2020 NFL season, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins wore a sticker on his helmet with Vesey's name.
Images for kids
See also
- List of slaves
