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Stono's Rebellion
This event began on September 9th, 1739 in South Carolina, when a group of armed male and female slaves, led by a man named Jemmy, attempted to gain freedom. The group was caught by a militia of white colonists and fought in a battle where many lives were lost on each side. This resulted in a new slave code called the Negro Act of 1740 which prohibited slaves from traveling, writing, gathering, and growing their own food. -
New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741
Following a series of thirteen fires over the course of a year in New York City, seventeen people were executed and seventy slaves were sold to the West Indies. The events of Stono's rebellion fed the fear that there was a conspiracy by slaves to kill their masters and overrun the city. This event caused more racial divide between blacks and whites. -
Pontiac's Rebellion
Pontiac, the Ottawa war chief, along with hundreds of natives, laid siege on Fort Detroit and Fort Pitt. With stories of violent attacks, scalpings, burnings at the stake, and other horrific crimes, colonists' hostility and fear rose against all Indians. Pontiac's war ended in 1766 after signing the Treaty of Oswego and the realization that the French, who he had hoped would join him in eradicating the British, would not be returning to America. -
The American Revolution
George Washington did not allow slaves to join the Continental army, but permitted free blacks to enlist. Many slaves, after promises of freedom, fled to the British colonies to fight against the Continental Army. Indians fought for the British as well in hopes of keeping their land, which most was eventually turned over to the Americans when the British were defeated. -
New York Manumission Society
John Jay was the first president of the New York Manumission Society which was founded in 1785. This anti-slavery group made up of prominent white men was one of the earliest abolitionist groups. This society helped with the education of African Americans and furthered the cause for freeing slaves. -
Three-fifths Compromise
Three out of every five slaves were agreed to count toward state populations and for taxation purposes. This agreement was reached after James Madison recommended it because the North and the South could not agree on the numbers. Once this compromise was reached, the Southern states gained much more representation in the House of Representatives.
