Changes

By 1822, the international dimensions of slave revolt were coming into the view. The United States was joined by another new country, built on revolutionary principles: Haiti. Itself a product of a slave revolt, Haiti, recognized the primacy of Black people as free citizens. It was a country premised on the principles of marronage. In Charleston, many of the enslaved Africans had heard of these events, and one who had self-emancipated himself with lottery winnings, Denmark Vesey, led a revolt that had as its aims the destruction of the city and the relocation of Black people to Haiti.  It was a plan that involved large segments of the substantial community of enslaved Africans in the city. The commercial importance of Charleston was also critical, as it was a major port of entry for enslaved Africans prior to the abolition of the slave trade in 1808, and remained critical for the shipping of slavery-produced goods like cotton. The revolt led by Vesey and his network of revolutionaries was also uncovered and the conspirators punished with hangings and banishment, but not before this conspiracy led to South Carolina tightening its grip on Black institutional life. It was recognized that the Black church was at the center of the conspiracy, which led to attacks on those critical institutions.