- About
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Student Exhibits
- Rebellions Abroad! — by Travis Heeren
- A Glossary of Black Women in Rebellion — by Kaylor MacLaughlin
- Rumored — by Serena Morgan
- Fragmented Individual Acts of Rebellion — by Twila Neiwert
- John Brown, Harpers Ferry, and the Media — by Bessie Rudd
- Louisiana: Rumors and Insurrections — by Stephanie Smith
- Revolutionaries & Art in Black Cuban Uprisings — by Jiesha Stephens
- Mapping Rumored Rebellions in the South — by Jalen Thompson
- Black Asylum and Sovereignty — by Adam Vernon
- Days in a Demi-Decade: Miscellaneous Rebellions in 19th Century African American Newspapers (1856-1860) — by Hannah Zeller
- Summarily Punished
January 8, 1857: In The National Era, "General Intelligence"
The Full Page: Annotated "General Intelligence" Section
Scroll your mouse over this page from The National Era's publication on January 8, 1857, to find the "General Intelligence" section. In it, you will find accounts of rebellion and resistance to enslavement that have been marked and transcribed.
A Closer Look: Annotated Rebellions in the "General Intelligence" Section
Below are each of the transcribed newspaper entries from the page above in a larger format. Alongside the entries are brief descriptions of the content of the entry and how it fits within a history of open rebellions against slavery.
"The Tragedy at the State Prison"
This account tells of general social clamor that continues to surround a rumored attack on a guard in a prison in Charlestown, Massachusetts.
"Excitement in Caroline County, Va."
This passage tells of a letter that someone at the newspaper received. This letter reportedly tells of a large amount of "excitement" in Virginia surrounding a rumored planned rebellion. According to the text, a Black man named Thornton was found with a letter detailing the rebellion on Christmas Eve. The text then types the letter it states to have found on the man and concludes before providing it that they "publish it as a warning" against other rebellions.
"Slave Troubles"
This entry tells of rumor in St. Francis County surrounding a planned rebellion set for Christmas. In this county, multiple enslaved people were tortured until they admitted to the rumor. This rumor is stated to have also circulated in counties in Louisiana and Mississippi.
"Fifteen N. Killed"
This report begins by telling of the actions taken by enslavers in response to suspected rebellions. Fifteen enslaved people were killed, and multiple enslaved people have escaped. The text also states that enslaved people have been found with "powder and muskets" and that the white people in the area are arming themselves in response. This account displays both the wide array of ways enslaved people rebelled and the response and anxieties of enslavers.
"Shocking Affair--A Family Poisoned--Six Dead"
This entry displays another form of rebellion: poisoning. In this, it tells of the death of an enslaver and his family due to their food being poisoned by the person they enslaved. This text displays another form of rebellion that is often overlooked due to its slow, quiet, and hidden nature.