My eighteenth century sketch drawing “Revolte sur un baitment negrier” (Revolt on a slave ship) from The Library Company of Philadelphia digital collection, drawn in 1883 by Albert Laporte captures what a revolt by slaves looks like and this sketch is a testament to the historical documentation of the slave revolts. Counter to what many history texts may say regarding Africans, this illustration depicts Africans as powerful, in control, and possessing strength and rage. My eighteenth century text is Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko which serves as evidence of slave revolt at that particular time but also what the slaves in the object felt when they were captured. My object and text support each other although they can be assumed to have very different endings. My object simulates the slaves looking as if they will dominate their captors, while the text Oroonoko openly ends with the slaves going back to the plantation defeated in various ways.
In this case, the protagonist Oroonoko gathers negroes and incites a revolt at the Parham Plantation. He did this in his harangue by reminding them of who they are saying “why my friends and fellow-sufferers, should we be slaves to an unknown people? Have they won us in Honourable Battle?…No, but are bought and sold like Apes or Monkeys, to be the Sport of women, Fools and Cowards” (80). Here we use that Oroonoko being a traditionalist would not mind being a slave if we won in honorable battle. But the fact that is not the case and he has been subjected to slavery is beneath him and disrespectful to him. Oroonoko holds himself up to certain standards but understands his worth is far greater than he is being treated. By the end you see that Oroonoko has convinced them that death is better than slavery “Men that had the Courage and the Bravery to attempt, at least, for Liberty; and if they died in the Attempt, it would be more brave, than to live in perpetual Slavery. They bow’d and kiss’d his Feet at this Resolution, and with one Accord vow’d to follow him to Death” (82). The slaves realize that Oroonoko is right and the life they are living pitiful and tragic with no end. They begin to feel as if they have more worth and are strong enough to fight for freedom. Oroonoko gives these slaves a feeling of empowerment. As the slaves are found and the battle begins between them and the slave owners, we see the slaves decide yield instead of commiting suicide or fighting for their freedom to the end. The empowerment and strength given by Oroonoko has now dissipated. These slaves go back to their prior feelings of unworthiness and inability to escape. The slaves make the decision to go back to their lives of perpetual slavery. This is an example of slave revolt in the seventeenth century and the possible outcome of defeat.
Moreover, in Oroonoko we are aware the revolt failed, while archival object gives viewers more of a belief that the slave revolt was successful. The sketch with the viewer’s attention on the right side on a slave holding onto a white man seems to knock him over. Another slave in the sketch carries his chain above his head free with enraged eyes while the white man’s profile shows him petrified although he’s holding up a knife. At their feet is another slave who is dead on the ground and his positioning seems as if he had fought and now lies there with his battle over but still going strong. The image continues to the right side of the illustration where two white men with axes and another in the background with a bat. The white men’s faces seem to capture the feelings of being worried, determined, and one wears a slight smirk. All the weapons are over their head to be swung in a downward position. It seems like slaves are coming up on deck from being below in large numbers and quickly although the photo portrays five. Their eyes are full of rage as they are reaching out with strength and dominance holding ripped chains in their hands. Likewise in Oroonoko, the same frey spirit is shown by the slaves who were “sullen Fellows, that would drown or kill themselves before they would yield” (Behn, 84)
A point what is often overlooked, are the tactics that slave owners used to strike terror into the souls and minds of slaves, making it extremely difficult for them to even think of leaving. An example is the the tragic murder of Oroonoko. When word spread of the rebellion that Oroonoko had incited an executioner deemed it necessary to make a very public example out of him to prevent others slaves from getting any ideas. The executioner tied Oroonoko to a post “cut off his Members, and threw them into the fire; after that, with an ill-favor’d Knife, they cut off his Ears and his Nose, and burn’d them; he still smoak’d on, as if nothing had touch’d him; they hack’d off one of his arms, and still he bore up and held his Pipe: but at the cutting of the other Arm, his head sunk, and his pipe dropt” (Behn 10,101). Oroonoko’s death was cruel and gruesome yet he handled his execution with dominance and power. For the other slaves forced to watch, this was the outcome of rebelling and having strength. The torcher wouldn’t end there, the executioner cut Oroonoko’s body into quarters sending the pieces to all the plantations in that area as a warning of what will happen if you attempt to rebel. Slaves seeing the king they held in such high regard and worshipped almost as a god chopped up into pieces would cause them to lose hope or thought of ever leaving the clutches of slavery. The thought of escaping slavery would almost be unfathomable unless you want the same terrible death. Grim examples like those were normal in the seventeenth century, yet even in those conditions, there were still slaves that would rebel.
Many American middle school and high school textbooks do not teach students about slaves rebellions and often seem to highlight the stupidity of African royalty for selling their people to white colonizers. The rare event that is documented is that Nat Turner rebellion and still it’s only deemed worth speaking of because working-class whites were involved. But the object and text are evidence that slave rebellions did occur. This new knowledge causes me to question. How many of these rebellions occurred? What were the outcome of rebellious leaders like Oroonoko? Were there groups who succeeded in escaping slavery? How did they live and are they documented? How many slaves would have rather died than go into captivity?
Work Cited
1.Behn, Aphra. Oroonko. First Melville House Printing. August 2014.
2. Laporte, Albert. Revolte sur un bâtiment negrier. The Library Company of Philadelphia. 1883. 11 February 2018. http://www.inmotionaame.org/gallery/detail.cfm?migration=1&topic=99&id=340515&type=image&metadata=show&page=8
