Prince William
Famous Astronauts
Nelson Mandela
Kanye West
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Liberace
Leonardo DiCaprio
Annie Oakley
I Survived
Quick Facts
- NAME: Denmark Vesey
- OCCUPATION: Civil Rights Activist
- BIRTH DATE: c. 1767
- DEATH DATE: c. 1822
- AKA: Telemaque
Best Known For
Denmark Vesey was a freed slave who held meetings to organize what would have been the biggest slave revolt in U.S. history.
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowDenmark Vesey. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 08:06, Jun 20, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/denmark-vesey-9517932.
Denmark Vesey. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/denmark-vesey-9517932 [Accessed 20 Jun 2013].
"Denmark Vesey." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 20 2013, 08:06 http://www.biography.com/people/denmark-vesey-9517932.
"Denmark Vesey," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/denmark-vesey-9517932 [accessed Jun 20, 2013].
"Denmark Vesey," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/denmark-vesey-9517932 (accessed Jun 20, 2013).
Denmark Vesey [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 20] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/denmark-vesey-9517932.
Denmark Vesey, http://www.biography.com/people/denmark-vesey-9517932 (last visited Jun 20, 2013).
Denmark Vesey. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/denmark-vesey-9517932. Accessed Jun 20, 2013.
Synopsis
A slave, Denmark Vesey spent 20 years sailing with his master. In 1800 he purchased his freedom, took up carpentry and prospered at his trade. Although he would later deny it, he allegedly held meetings at his home to collect arms for an uprising he was planning for as many as 9,000 African Americans in South Carolina. The plan was betrayed by several fearful slaves and he and others were seized.
Profile
Insurrection leader. Probably born on St. Thomas, West Indies. The property of Captain Vesey, a Charleston, South Carolina, slave trader and planter, he spent 20 years sailing with his master. In 1800 he purchased his freedom (allegedly having won a lottery), took up carpentry in Charleston, and prospered at his trade.
By 1818 he was preaching to slaves at plantations throughout the region and, drawing on the Bible, he told them that, like the Israelites, they would gain their freedom. Although he would later deny it, he allegedly held meetings at his home to collect arms for an uprising he was planning for as many as 9000 African-Americans in South Carolina. The plan was betrayed by several fearful slaves and he and others were seized.
He defended himself ably at his trial, but was sentenced and hanged along with about 35 blacks; some 35 others were sold to West Indian plantation owners. It would have been the largest slave revolt in U.S. history, but its end result was the passing of even stricter laws against African-Americans.
© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.
profile name: Denmark Vesey profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
Famous Black Activists
View groupAfrican-Americans have a long history of activism in America, from fighting for the right to vote to pushing for integrated public spaces. Activists like Stokely Carmichael organized freedom rides, James Meredith fought to integrate blacks and whites at the University of Mississippi, and Rosa Parks instigated the Montgomery Bus Boycott. These protests were often legal and nonviolent, and made a powerful impact on civil rights in the United States. With the help of activists like these—and many others—the country slowly worked to acknowledge the basic rights and contributions of African-Americans. Activists outisde of the U.S. include Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, who have fought against apartheid in South Africa. Learn more about the many black activists who fought against the odds in order to achieve equality.
Famous Black Activists 133 people in this group
-
Famous Civil Rights Activists
View group"Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love." Stated by legendary civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., these words represent a basic human philosophy to which black history's greatest leaders have passionately subscribed. Learn more about the world's most revered civil rights activists, known for their fight against social injustices and lasting impact on the lives of black citizens, including Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Nelson Mandela, Nina Simone, Mary McLeod Bethune, Lena Horne, Marva Collins, Rosa Parks, W.E.B. Du Bois, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
Famous Civil Rights Activists 156 people in this group
-
Famous Activists
View groupBrowse notable activists such as Pink, Quincy Jones, and Robert Kennedy.
Famous Activists 485 people in this group
