Charles Deslondes used his position of power and privilege to lead a slave rebellion in 1811, resulting in his early death at age 31. Like a true upstander, he stood up to the prejudice and discrimination engraved in the lives of slaves. He sacrificed everything he had for the slightest possibility of freedom for his people. Without upstanders like him in history, our world today would be a lot worse than it is now.
Deslondes, originally from Hispaniola (today’s Haiti), was inspired to rebel by the Haitian Revolution. After the gold mines in Haiti dried up, the Spanish presence decreased and was replaced by the French. More slaves were imported and by 1789, nearly the whole population of Saint Domingue was made up of enslaved African Americans. Citizenship was eventually granted to emancipated slaves in 1792 with the help of General Sonthonax. Sonthonax eventually established freedom and citizenship for all African-Americans in 1794.
The well-known Napoleon arrived in Hispaniola during the late 1790s with plans of re-establishing the old regime. In response, the colored population rebelled and defeated Napoleon’s army in 1802. Two years later, Hispaniola was declared independent from France under the name Haiti.
The U.S. government attempted to suppress the revolution in fear that it would inspire something similar among the slaves in the States. Because America wished to maintain decent trade with Haiti, news of the event wasn’t efficiently hidden and Deslondes heard of what had happened. Charles worked as a slave driver on Manuel Andry’s sugar plantation around forty miles from New Orleans on the German Coast. As a job, Charles enforced the slaves while they worked on the plantation. Because of his position he had many privileges that other slaves did not. For example, he was provided with proper housing, food, and nice clothes. Despite his poor relationship with the slaves, he worked hard to convince more than a hundred slaves from nearby plantations to join his makeshift army. On January 8th, 1811, the slaves overthrew the Andry plantation.The slaves armed themselves with anything they could find on the plantation, like hoes and pickaxes. From there, Charles led his army to New Orleans with the intent to establish a black republic in its place. Charles’s army marched along the Eastern bank of the Mississippi River passing through Norco, St. Parrish, and St. John. During the march, more runaway slaves joined the cause bumping the ranks up to 500 soldiers. On the way, three sugar plantations were burnt down and destroyed. Deslondes and his army marched noisily, waving flags and beating on drums. The militia was eventually alerted by the concerned governor of Louisiana, William C. C. Claiborne. Soldiers of the militia were sent from Baton Rouge and from Commodore John Shaw to New Orleans to suppress the uprising. General Wade Hampton organized these forces and started …show more content…
Martin. The leaders of the rebellion were executed and decapitated, their heads sickly displayed around New Orleans on pikes as a warning to any rebellious slaves. The last trial was held two days later on the 15th to decide the fate of Charles Deslondes, the man who started it all. Before he was executed, he was gorily tortured. Both of his hands were cut off and cauterized, then he was shot in both legs. In a similar fashion to those executed previously, he was also dismembered and
Deslondes, originally from Hispaniola (today’s Haiti), was inspired to rebel by the Haitian Revolution. After the gold mines in Haiti dried up, the Spanish presence decreased and was replaced by the French. More slaves were imported and by 1789, nearly the whole population of Saint Domingue was made up of enslaved African Americans. Citizenship was eventually granted to emancipated slaves in 1792 with the help of General Sonthonax. Sonthonax eventually established freedom and citizenship for all African-Americans in 1794.
The well-known Napoleon arrived in Hispaniola during the late 1790s with plans of re-establishing the old regime. In response, the colored population rebelled and defeated Napoleon’s army in 1802. Two years later, Hispaniola was declared independent from France under the name Haiti.
The U.S. government attempted to suppress the revolution in fear that it would inspire something similar among the slaves in the States. Because America wished to maintain decent trade with Haiti, news of the event wasn’t efficiently hidden and Deslondes heard of what had happened. Charles worked as a slave driver on Manuel Andry’s sugar plantation around forty miles from New Orleans on the German Coast. As a job, Charles enforced the slaves while they worked on the plantation. Because of his position he had many privileges that other slaves did not. For example, he was provided with proper housing, food, and nice clothes. Despite his poor relationship with the slaves, he worked hard to convince more than a hundred slaves from nearby plantations to join his makeshift army. On January 8th, 1811, the slaves overthrew the Andry plantation.The slaves armed themselves with anything they could find on the plantation, like hoes and pickaxes. From there, Charles led his army to New Orleans with the intent to establish a black republic in its place. Charles’s army marched along the Eastern bank of the Mississippi River passing through Norco, St. Parrish, and St. John. During the march, more runaway slaves joined the cause bumping the ranks up to 500 soldiers. On the way, three sugar plantations were burnt down and destroyed. Deslondes and his army marched noisily, waving flags and beating on drums. The militia was eventually alerted by the concerned governor of Louisiana, William C. C. Claiborne. Soldiers of the militia were sent from Baton Rouge and from Commodore John Shaw to New Orleans to suppress the uprising. General Wade Hampton organized these forces and started …show more content…
Martin. The leaders of the rebellion were executed and decapitated, their heads sickly displayed around New Orleans on pikes as a warning to any rebellious slaves. The last trial was held two days later on the 15th to decide the fate of Charles Deslondes, the man who started it all. Before he was executed, he was gorily tortured. Both of his hands were cut off and cauterized, then he was shot in both legs. In a similar fashion to those executed previously, he was also dismembered and