Glossary
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The first independent black-run Protestant church in the United States, founded in 1816 by Richard Allen in Philadelphia. It emerged as a response to racial discrimination within white-dominated Methodist churches.
Example:
The African Methodist Episcopal Church provided a vital spiritual and social hub for free African Americans in the North, fostering community and serving as a platform for early abolitionist sentiment.
David Walker
A free black abolitionist who published 'Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World' in 1829. This radical pamphlet called for enslaved people to resist their bondage, even through violence, and urged white Americans to confront the evils of slavery.
Example:
David Walker's 'Appeal' was a fiery and uncompromising call for immediate abolition, inspiring fear among slaveholders and galvanizing the more radical wing of the abolitionist movement.
Denmark Vesey
A formerly enslaved man who purchased his freedom and became a prominent leader in the African American community in Charleston, South Carolina. He organized a large-scale slave revolt in 1822, which was ultimately betrayed.
Example:
Denmark Vesey's bold plan for rebellion, though unsuccessful, demonstrated the deep desire for freedom among enslaved people and the constant threat of uprising perceived by slaveholders.
Gang System
A labor system predominantly used on large plantations in the Cotton Belt, where enslaved people worked in groups under the direct supervision of an overseer or a black 'driver' from sun-up to sun-down.
Example:
Under the Gang System, enslaved workers might spend all day picking cotton in unison, with little personal autonomy over their pace or tasks.
Harriet Tubman
An iconic conductor on the Underground Railroad, an escaped enslaved woman who made numerous dangerous trips back into the South to guide over 300 enslaved people to freedom. She was known as 'Moses of her people.'
Example:
Harriet Tubman's incredible bravery and unwavering commitment to freeing others made her one of the most celebrated figures in the abolitionist movement.
Internal Slave Trade
The domestic buying and selling of enslaved people within the United States, especially from the Upper South to the Deep South, driven by the expansion of cotton cultivation and the demand for labor.
Example:
The booming cotton industry in Alabama led to a significant increase in the Internal Slave Trade, tearing apart countless families as individuals were sold south.
Manumission
The act of a slave owner freeing their enslaved person, either voluntarily or through legal processes. This was one of the few ways enslaved individuals could gain freedom before the Civil War.
Example:
Some slaveholders, often influenced by religious beliefs or personal relationships, chose to grant manumission to their enslaved workers, though this became increasingly difficult and rare in the Deep South.
Nat Turner
An enslaved Baptist preacher who believed he was divinely chosen to lead his people to freedom. He orchestrated the 1831 slave rebellion in Virginia that bore his name, becoming a symbol of violent resistance against slavery.
Example:
Nat Turner's conviction that God had called him to lead a revolt made his rebellion particularly unsettling to white Southerners, who often used religious arguments to justify slavery.
Nat Turner’s Rebellion
A violent slave revolt that occurred in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831, led by enslaved preacher Nat Turner. The rebellion resulted in the deaths of approximately 55 white people before being suppressed.
Example:
Nat Turner’s Rebellion was one of the most significant and terrifying slave uprisings in U.S. history, leading to widespread panic in the South and the passage of even more repressive laws against enslaved and free African Americans.
Passive Resistance
Non-violent and indirect methods used by enslaved people to resist their bondage and assert their agency. These acts aimed to undermine the slave system without direct confrontation, often due to the high risks of open revolt.
Example:
Forms of Passive Resistance included feigning illness to avoid work, intentionally breaking tools, slowing down labor, or even stealing provisions as a way to reclaim their stolen labor.
Peculiar Institution
A euphemism used by some white Americans, particularly in the South, to refer to slavery without explicitly using the word 'slavery.' It highlighted the unique and often contradictory nature of slavery within a nation founded on principles of liberty.
Example:
Southern politicians often defended the Peculiar Institution as a necessary economic system, avoiding direct moral debates about human bondage.
Task System
A labor system common in the low country of South Carolina and Georgia, particularly for rice cultivation, where enslaved individuals were assigned specific tasks to complete each day. Once their tasks were finished, they had more autonomy over their time.
Example:
An enslaved person working under the Task System might finish their assigned rice cultivation duties by early afternoon, allowing them some time for personal activities or tending a small garden.
Underground Railroad
A clandestine network of safe houses, secret routes, and abolitionist sympathizers that helped enslaved people escape from the Southern states to freedom in the North or Canada during the antebellum period.
Example:
The Underground Railroad was not a literal train, but a complex system of courageous individuals who risked their lives to guide thousands of enslaved people to liberty.
Vesey Slave Conspiracy
A planned slave revolt in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1822, organized by Denmark Vesey. The plot aimed to seize the city, kill the governor, and burn down Charleston, but it was ultimately leaked and suppressed.
Example:
The discovery of the Vesey Slave Conspiracy sent shockwaves through the South, leading to even stricter slave codes and increased fear among white slaveholders.