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 efforts to escape a racial labor system, rather than acceptance of enslavement.
People in this event
No images or videos for this event yet.
Related Events
Montesinos challenges the enslavement of Indigenous people 21 December 1511
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...
Pueblo communities rise against Spanish colonial rule 10 August 1680
An alliance of Pueblo communities attacked Spanish colonial authorities after repression of their religious practices and labor exploitation. The revolt drove Spanish colonists from New Mexico for...
Germantown petition rejects racial enslavement 18 April 1688
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....
Colonial forces kill Zumbi of Palmares 20 November 1695
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’...
Akwamu-led revolt begins on St John 23 November 1733
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...
👉 Stono rebels seek freedom beyond South Carolina Current 9 September 1739
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...
Ndyuka resistance wins a peace treaty 10 October 1760
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...
Saamaka communities secure recognition of freedom 19 September 1762
Saamaka leaders concluded a peace treaty with the Dutch after decades of resistance. Recognition of their communities’ freedom did not abolish slavery elsewhere in Suriname; provisions concerning...
Enslaved people launch the Berbice rebellion 23 February 1763
Enslaved people rose on a Berbice plantation in resistance to Dutch colonial slavery. The rebellion expanded into a major struggle for freedom associated with Cuffy and other leaders. Plantation...
James Somerset’s legal challenge prevented his enslaver from forcibly shipping him from England to Jamaica. The ruling limited an enslaver’s power in England but did not abolish slavery throughout the...
Enslaved petitioners demand freedom in Massachusetts 6 January 1773
A petition submitted under the name Felix asked Massachusetts authorities to address the condition of enslaved people. The petitioners asserted their humanity and appealed collectively for liberty....