Denmark Vesey
Denmark Vesey (also Telemaque) (c. 1767–July 2, 1822) was a free Black and community leader in Charleston, South Carolina, who was accused and convicted of planning a major slave revolt in 1822. Although the alleged plot was discovered before it could be realized, its potential scale stoked the fears of the antebellum planter class that led to increased restrictions on both enslaved and free African Americans.
Denmark Vesey | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1767 St. Thomas, Danish West Indies |
| Died | July 2, 1822 (aged 54–55) |
| Nationality | Virgin Islander, possibly of Coromantee or Mandé ancestry |
| Other names | Telemaque |
| Occupation(s) | Interpreter, domestic servant, carpenter, and pastor |
| Known for | Convicted of plotting a slave revolt |
Likely born into slavery in St. Thomas, Vesey was enslaved by Captain Joseph Vesey in Bermuda for some time before being brought to Charleston. There, Vesey won a lottery and purchased his freedom around the age of 32. He had a good business and a family but was unable to buy his first wife, Beck, and their children out of slavery. Vesey worked as a carpenter and became active in the Second Presbyterian Church. In 1818, he helped found an independent African Methodist Episcopal (AME) congregation in the city, today known as Mother Emanuel. The congregation began with the support of white clergy and, with over 1,848 members, rapidly became the second-largest AME congregation in the nation.
In the summer of 1822, Vesey allegedly used his substantial influence among the black community to plan a major slave revolt. According to the accusations, Vesey and his followers planned to kill slave-holders in Charleston, liberate slaves, and sail to the newly independent black republic of Haiti for refuge. By some contemporary accounts, the revolt would have involved thousands of enslaved Charlestonians and others who lived on nearby plantations. City officials sent a militia to arrest the plot's leaders and many suspected followers before the rising could begin, and no white people were killed or injured. Vesey and five slaves were rapidly judged guilty by the secret proceedings of a city-appointed court and executed by hanging on July 2, 1822. Vesey was about 55 years old. In later proceedings, some 30 additional followers were also executed. Several others, including his son Sandy, were convicted of conspiracy and deported from the United States. City authorities ordered that Vesey's church be razed, and its minister was expelled.