The institution of slavery has plagued the American history. It persisted in the South, and state legislatures encouraged it. The brutality with which the slaves were treated by their masters is no hidden knowledge. However, there have been many slave revolts, such as the 1800’s Gabrielle rebellion or Nat Turner’s rebellion. While these revolts have been documented, there are many instances of covert ways slaves resisted slavery.
One such event is when a group of slaves takes revenge on their master for not feeding them properly. The master had ordered the slaves to kill seven hogs for meat. However, the slaves presented a picture that depicted that the hogs had died because they were suffering from a disease called “malitis.” In reality, one of the strongest slaves had struck the hogs with a mallet on their heads. The master, who didn’t wish to eat the meat, ordered his slaves to keep all the meat for themselves. Thus, the poorly-fed slaves were able to trick their masters into giving them healthy meat for the winter[1].
A similar account is that of a slave named Joe Sutherland. He was his master’s coachman and always visited the courthouse with the master. This is how Sutherland learned to read and write, unbeknownst to his master. He then began to write passes and also forged county seals on them. He helped many slaves to escape to the free states with the help of those passes. Many slaves escaped that way, and it was one of the very simple yet clever ways to oppose slavery.
One case of resistance through deposition is that of Solomon Northup. Solomon Northup was born a free man in New York. He was later kidnapped and sold into slavery in Louisiana, where he remained for 12 years[2]. However, he managed to enlist help for his escape through a Canadian carpenter, Samuel Bass. He sent letters to his family in New York through Bass. He was legally freed from slavery because it was illegal to sell a free New York citizen into slavery.
Bibliography
Fiske, David, Clifford W. Brown Jr, and Rachel Seligman. Solomon Northup: The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years A Slave: The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years a Slave. ABC-CLIO, 2013.
Wheeler, William Bruce, and Lorri Glover. Discovering the American Past: A Look at the Evidence, Volume II: Since 1865. Vol. 2. Nelson Education, 2015.
- Wheeler, William Bruce, and Lorri Glover. Discovering the American Past: A Look at the Evidence, Volume II: Since 1865. Vol. 2. Nelson Education, 2015. ↑
- Fiske, David, Clifford W. Brown Jr, and Rachel Seligman. Solomon Northup: The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years A Slave: The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years a Slave. ABC-CLIO, 2013. ↑
