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
silence in history
- making sources: what gets recorded
- keeping sources: what gets saved
- talking about sources: who decides what to retell
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