Remember Denmark Vesey (1767? - 1822)

ObaVeseyOn July 2, 1822 in Charleston, SC, Denmark Vesey and 5 others were hanged - judged guilty of plotting a slave rebellion. That summer 131 Charlestonians of African descent, were arrested and ruthlessly interrogated. 101 appeared before the SC Court of Magistrate and Freeholders. Of those 101 - 35 were hanged, 2 died in custody, and close to 40 were transported out of the area.

Charleston's population of almost 25,000 was 51% slave, 6% free black and 43% white. On the nearby Ashley and Cooper River plantations, the ratio of ruling whites to slaves was even more unsettling. Immediately after this suppressed Slave Uprising, the City of Charleston established an armory and militia training ground, which became the Citadel and what is now Marion Square. Free black sailors were not allowed to leave their ships. Harsh restrictive laws were enacted that put new restraints on all Charleston blacks - both slave and free.

The trials were held in closed sessions, and when complete, the trial record was sealed. The people of Charleston were urged to destroy all written commentary for fear it might fall be used in another slave insurrection. But the story of Vesey's defiance entered the oral tradition of black Carolinians and when America was eventually drawn into Civil War, the executions of 1822 were not forgotten. The battle cry of African-American regiments like the 54th Massachusetts and the 1st South Carolina became "Remember Denmark Vesey".

Denmark Vesey was 54 that summer, a free black with a respectable carpentry business and a family. He was literate, spoke three languages and was a class leader at the all black African Church where it is said he liked to preach from Exodus. There are no pictures or physical descriptions of Vesey, but it is said he did not bow his head to others easily.

As a 14 year-old boy living in the Danish West Indies (Virgin Islands), he was purchased by a slave trader Captain Joseph Vesey who sold him in Saint-Domingue (Haiti). When the slave was returned having shown signs of epilepsy, Captain Vesey added him to his sailing crew and named him Telemaque. (The name morphed into Denmark most likely from his Danish West Indies origin). Captain Vesey retired to Charleston and brought Denmark with him. In 1799 Denmark won $1500 in the "East Bay" lottery - a huge fortune at the time. For $600 he became a free black, but was not allowed to purchase the freedom of his wife and children. With the rest of the lottery winnings, he set up a carpentry business and moved to 20 Bull Street taking Vesey as his last name.

As a free black, Vesey had to carry travel papers and obey restrictive and demeaning social customs and laws. And his family remained in bondage. As a free black, Vesey had to carry travel papers and obey restrictive and demeaning social customs and laws.  And his family remained in bondage.  In 1818 Vesey’s African Church built a modest house of worship. The City never approved the church and the congregation was harassed. Church leaders and out of town visitors were arrested.  Whether the plot for insurrection was birthed in the church or Vesey’s home, many of the church leaders including Vesey were implicated.

The Vesey Plot, as revealed in the trial testimony, was for urban and plantation slaves to simultaneously slay their masters, set fire to strategic places, and then occupy the city capturing ship captains and harbor vessels. Denmark Vesey, an experienced seaman, would lead a mass exodus of African families to Haiti where slaves had overthrown the white government in 1804. After months of secret meetings, recruiting and gathering of funds and weapons, the revolt was to take place on July 17. To succeed it would take thousands of rebels, military precision, stealth, weapons and money. Nothing could be written. Few could be trusted.

In spite of the danger, a strategically masterful plot was well on its way to implementation when on May 22 a recruiter, William Paul, told Peter Duvany another slave who then informed his master John C. Prioleau. At the same time the slave, George Wilson, told his master who brought the news to the Mayor and the Governor. Arrests soon followed and interrogation begun. Denmark Vesey was arrested a month later on June 22, and in less than two weeks he was executed.

History over time has referred to Charleston's summer of 1822 by many names - Slave Uprising, Failed Conspiracy, Revolution, Plot, Terrorism, "so much talk", Freedom Fight - depending on who is interpreting the events and why. But through the past 190 years, it has always been associated with one man - Denmark Vesey.

His hanging changed Charleston and the South forever - and America drew closer to Civil War.

Timeline Denmark Vesey

1739  Stono Slave Rebellion (SW of Charleston, SC)

1767? Born Danish West Indies (Virigin Islands) or possibly Africa

1771  Capt Joseph Vesey sells him to Saint-Domingue (Haiti) - Returned due to epilepsy Capt Vesey keeps Denmark as a sailor

1783 Capt Vesey retires to Charleston and brings Denmark with him

1791-1804  Haitian Revolution. Slaves overthrow white government

1799 Denmark wins the lottery, purchases his freedom, sets up carpentry business

1808 US Congress bans the importation of slaves

1816 Slave Rebellion (Camden, SC)

1818-21 African Church where Denmark is a Class Leader never approved by City and is harassed

1822 May 22 Plot leaked -  June 22 Denmark arrested - July 2 Denmark hanged

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Denmark Vesey's Charleston Footprints

Emanuel AME Church, 100, Calhoun St.

In 1818 an African Church was erected at Reid and Hanover where Denmark Vesey was a Class Leader. The City never approved the church and the congregation was harassed. Church leaders and out of town visitors were arrested. In 1822, after the hangings of Vesey and others, the church building was razed.  Some AME members returned to their former churches while others continued to worship clandestinely. In 1865, the congregation now named the Emanuel AME built a house of worship at 110 Calhoun St.  Every craftsman who worked on it was of African descent. The architect, Robert Vesey, was the son of Denmark Vesey.  The church structure, damaged in the 1886 earthquake, was rebuilt in 1892.  Emanuel AME Church is the oldest AME Congregation south of Baltimore.

Denmark Vesey House, 56 Bull St.  

At his death Vesey's home was listed at 20 Bull St. In 1976, 56 Bull St. was made a National Historic Landmark and is commonly referred to as the Denmark Vesey House.  There is controversy as to whether the present structure at 56 Bull St was there when Vesey was supposed to reside at this site.

Portrait of Denmark Vesey, Gaillard Auditorium, 77 Calhoun St. 
As no physical description of Vesey is known to exist, any picture of him is an artist's conception. This portrait by Dorothy B. Wright shows him from the back addressing his followers. The portrait, hung in 1976 -- more than 150 years after Vesey's public hanging -- prompted criticism, and the theft of the painting. After Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said the city would commission a replacement, it was returned and more securely mounted.

Hanging Tree and Grave
The hangings of Vesey and 5 others allegedly took place in the northern suburbs at a place called "The Lines". It is also claimed they were hanged from the Ashley Avenue Oak Tree, just past Hwy 17, where Ashley and Line meet. This tree was cut down in the 1970's and it's only mark a grassy medium. The locations of the graves of the 35 hanged in the aftermath of the Vesey Conspiracy remain unknown.

"Denmark Vesey: Spirit of Freedom Monument" Hampton Park
A campaign to commission a Denmark Vesey statue in Charleston was started in 1996. The City and County of Charleston have donated city land and funding. In 2010 ground for the statue was broken in Hampton Park, which is in close proximity to the Citadel. (The armory created immediately after the 1822 Slave Uprising later became the Citadel).  Nationally renowned Sculptor Ed Dwight has created a prototype of a bronze statue of Vesey and the other ringleaders, Peter Poyas and Gullah Jack, standing atop a 5-foot granite pedestal on a plaza. Funds for the monument continue to be raised.