Colonial America

Rebellion & the Historian's Craft

Dr. Kane

mkane2@albany.edu Social Science 116 | MWF 12:35-1:30 PM

Office Hrs: M 10:20 - 11:20 & F 1:30 - 3:30 Social Science 60S

Wednesday, October 18

coming up

  • Argumentation paper Oct 27
  • stay caught up with Lepore!

today's class

  • rebellions & paranoia
  • what does a historian do
  • and who cares
  • what happened in 1741?

New York Revolt 1712

  • 1700: ~20% of population enslaved
  • shift away from Dutch half-freedom
  • no gambling, no marriage, no separate worship, no association with free blacks
  • 200 pound tax to free enslaved person
  • probably real

St. John's Revolt 1733

  • 1000 enslaved people, 200 whites
  • hurricane, drought, cost cutting
  • led by Ghanaian nobility/professionals
  • escaped plantation owners alerted help
  • definitely real

Antigua Revolt 1736

  • 1700: ~85% of population enslaved
  • suspicion of slaves in positions of trust
  • fear of Ghanaians
  • fear of African Christian worship
  • probably not real

Stono Rebellion 1739

  • 1700: ~80% of population enslaved
  • malaria epidemic, new law to carry arms on Sunday, Spanish destabilization
  • most successful mainland revolt
  • fear of Catholic Congolese
  • definitely real

common factors

  • fear of free blacks
  • belief in "docility" of New World-born blacks/danger of African born enslaved people
  • pervasive fear of rebellion
  • shift in religious attitudes towards slavery
  • New York as "dumping ground" for rebellious slaves

background to 1741

  • rebellions & fear of rebellions
  • 20% of NY enslaved
  • fear spread by increased literacy & access to press
  • skilled enslaved people used to out-compete poor whites
  • reduced military presence during War of Jenkin's Ear
diary
diary

silence in history

  • making sources: what gets recorded
  • keeping sources: what gets saved
  • talking about sources: who decides what to retell
minerva
minerva

how do you use these skills?

  • historians are careful readers and careful writers
  • historical & social context matters
  • assessment of evidence

what happened in 1741?

  • the plot, 5-14, 60-63
  • Quack (Roosevelt) & Cuffee (Philipse), 59-63, 96-97, 102-106
  • Caesar (Vaarck), 36-38, 89-90, 137-141
  • Jack & Gerardus Comfort, 130-135, 144-150
  • Mary Burton, 36-39, 78-79, 96-97
  • Peggy Kerry, 36-39, 85-89
  • John Hughson, 36-39, 108-110, 126-128, 137-138