Description:

1841 LOUISIANA SLAVE REVOLT
Fine content early letter mentioning an early slave revolt, 2pp. 4to., St. Francisville, La., Aug. 20, 1841 in which H. Hinchey writes his brother in Illinois. He opens his letter discussing the prevailing heat, yellow fever spreading through New Orleans, and his brother's plan to ship pork to the region. He continues: "...We had considerable excitement in this parish about a month since in regard to a supposed intended insurrection amongst the colored population...it is a subject that I do not like to write about. The excitement ceased almost as suddenly as it sprang up, but as to my opinion of the matter, I believe that the slaves did contemplate a revolt, but had fixed on no definite time when to commence. The matter was hushed up, and so there is an end to it, at least for the present...The people here are well prepared to put down an outbreak of this kind, but some of our worthy citizens might suffer in the execution of it...We keep a good look out for white agitators on this subject and when a man is caught in the act of tampering with our slaves, he is harnessed [hanged] without much ceremony. There have been several meetings in this state, when the people resolved to declare non-intercourse with the citizens of Ohio. I would not be surprised that if some retaliatory measures should be attempted to be adopted by our Legislature...There is great excitement here against the whole state of Ohio...". One small hole affecting nothing, with integral address leaf and receiving docket. In the same year, slaves revolted aboard the slave ship Creole and the Amistad defendants were freed by the Supreme Court. In July, 1841 newspapers in New Orleans reported on large and widespread plots in both Louisiana and Mississippi. Editorials spoke of "the late repeated attacks of negro upon the white man in our city" and urged that these "should excite our suspicions whether they be not the piquet guard of some stupendous conspiracy among the blacks to fall upon us unawares." The newspapers also beseeched the readers to "Let us always be on our guard, and grant no indulgences to the negro, but keep him strictly within his sphere."

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October 9, 2010 11:00 AM EDT
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