Pueblo communities rise against Spanish colonial rule

Antonio de Montesinos condemned colonists’ exploitation of Indigenous people in a sermon in Hispaniola. This challenged religious excuses for domination, but Indigenous voices were not given control...

Four Germantown Quakers petitioned against buying and holding people in slavery, arguing that different skin color did not justify unequal treatment. Their meeting did not adopt immediate abolition....

Zumbi, a leader of the Palmares communities formed by people escaping slavery, was killed by colonial forces. Palmares challenged the plantation system by maintaining settlements outside enslavers’...

Enslaved Africans seized the fort at Coral Bay and began a revolt against Danish plantation rule. Collective planning and knowledge of military organization helped sustain resistance. The uprising...

Enslaved people took up arms near the Stono River and moved toward Spanish Florida, where some escapees could obtain freedom. Colonial forces crushed the rebellion. It demonstrated collective...

After sustained resistance by people who had escaped slavery, Dutch colonial authorities concluded a treaty with the Ndyuka. It recognized their freedom and autonomy, but also required the return of...