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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Monuments to Resistance
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Renée Ater
Description
An account of the resource
<div style="padding-right: 30%;">
<p>The monuments and memorials in this section commemorate the enslaved and free men and women who resisted bondage and worked to end the institution of slavery. In her book, <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300227116/slaves-cause" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="The Slave's Cause"><em>The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition</em></a>, historian Manisha Sinha examines the long history of Black resistance to chattel slavery. Resistance to enslavement took many forms—from rebellions aboard slave ships and on plantations to the enslaved slowing the pace of work, breaking tools, feigning illness, and escaping from bondage. <br /><br />The works in this section honor these diverse histories of resistance. The <em></em><em><a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amistad Memorial</a></em> in New Haven, Connecticut, recognizes Sengbe Pieh, who led a revolt of abducted Africans against their captors on the Spanish slave ship, the Amistad, while the<i> <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/990388eb5485a0a89742679dfd40fb43.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Edmonson Sisters Memorial">Edmonson Sisters Memorial</a></i><a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/990388eb5485a0a89742679dfd40fb43.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Edmonson Sisters Memorial"> </a>in Alexandria, Virginia, celebrates the abolitionists and formerly enslaved sisters Mary and Emily Edmonson.</p>
</div>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Written by Grace Yasumura
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Sculpture
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image
Bronze statue: 84 in. (213.36 cm.)
Granite base: 44 ¾ x 59 in. (113.67 cm.)
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
<em>Denmark Vesey Monument</em> (Charleston, SC)
Subject
The topic of the resource
<p>Subject (Topic)<br />Anti-slavery movements--United States<br />Public art<br />Public sculpture<br />Slave insurrections--South Carolina--Charleston<br />Slave revolt--South Carolina--Charleston<br />Slavery--South Carolina<br />South Carolina--History</p>
<p>Subject (Name)<br />Vesey, Denmark, 1767-1822</p>
<p>Subject (Object Type) <br />Commemorative sculpture</p>
Description
An account of the resource
<p>The work is dedicated to Denmark Vesey, a carpenter and self-educated black man who planned one of the most extensive slave revolt in U.S. history in Charleston, SC in 1822. Vesey, elegantly dressed in a collared jacket, trousers, and an exceedingly long and slim cravat, is shown holding his carpentry bag, his hat, and his Bible. The figure stands atop a massive granite pedestal that is inscribed on two sides with biographical and historical information about Vesey and his vital contributions to the fight for the emancipation of black people.</p>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Dwight, Ed, 1933-
Date
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Dedicated: February 8, 2014
Contributor
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Denmark Vesey and the Spirit of Freedom Monument Committee and City of Charleston.
Relation
A related resource
To watch a video of the the monument's dedication, click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaQOovmfq6Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here.</a>
Format
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JPEG
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Visual Arts-Sculpture
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Hampton Park, 30 Mary Murray Drive, Charleston, South Carolina, 29403, United States
Has Part
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<p><em><strong>Inscription on front of black granite plinth:</strong></em><br />Denmark Vesey<br />Slave Rebellion Organizer<br />Born Circa 1767-July 2, 1822<br /><br />Denmark Vesey, previously named Telemaque, was born either in Africa or on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas. At the age of 14, he was purchased by the slave trader Captain Joseph Vesey and transported to the French Colony of St. Domingue, where the young African was sold along with 389 other slaves. Claimed to be suffering from epilepsy by his new owner, Denmark was returned to Captain Vesey.<br /><br />The young man accompanied Captain Vesey on many trading voyages as part of the crew. In 1873, immediately after the American Revolution, Captain Vesey relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, where Denmark continued to serve him for approximately another 17 years. In 1799, however, Denmark won $1,500 in the East Bay Street Lottery in Charleston and purchased his freedom for $600.<br /><br />Denmark Vesey was a highly skilled carpenter and well known within free black and slave society. According to his contemporaries, he harbored frustration at his inability to legally free his wife and children. His antislavery sentiments may have received a wider audience when in 1818 enslaved and free black Charlestonians established a branch of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church where he served as a church leader.<br /><br />Vesey envisioned a community where all would be free , but recently planned state legislation of 1820 made legal emancipation of slaves nearly impossible. Furthermore, municipal authorities repeated attacks on the AME Church convinced Vesey slavery was such a violation of God's law that rebellion was necessary to obtain liberty. He placed his own life at risk as he dared to plan to recruit others to achieve the goal of freedom.</p>
<p><em><strong>Inscription on back of black granite plinth:</strong></em><br />Denmark Vesey<br /><br />Vesey and his lieutenants "Gullah" Jack Pritchard, Peter Poyas, and Monday Gell developed a plan for a revolt, which may have involved thousands of followers. Their war of liberation was originally planned for July 14, 1822, and called for conspirators to seize weapons and set fires around the city. Once reinforced by rural slaves, as many as possible were to escape to Haiti where African people had already abolished slavery and formed an independent nation. According to Congregational minister and abolitionist Thomas Wentworth Higginson, the plan was "the most elaborate insurrectionary project ever formed by American slaves."<br /><br />When two slaves informed the authorities of the plot, the conspirators tried to move the date to June 16, but their plan failed. Arrests and trials followed and beginning on July 2, 1822, two days before Independence Day, Vesey and 34 of his compatriots were hanged. This figure represents the greatest number of slave conspiracy-related executions in American history. 37 were banished, most outside the United States, and four whites were briefly fined and incarcerated for for sympathizing with the conspirators. To strenghten security, officials demolished the AME Church, and the state legislature imposed rigorous new laws, including the Negro Seaman Act subjecting free black sailors from outside the state to arrest when their ships docked in Carolina ports. Free black men were required to have white guardians, and those who left the state were barred from returning. By the mid-1820s, the city fortified itself with an arsenal and barracks. In 1842, the Military College of South Carolina, now known as the "The Citadel," was established on that same site.<br /><br />Despite the daunting opposition, Vesey's Spirit and liberating vision did not die. He became an inspiring symbol of freedom for later abolitionists including David Walker, John Brown, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Beecher Stowe. His resolve demonstrates the timeless universality of men and women's desire for freedom and justice irrespective of race, creed, condition, or color.</p>
<p><em><strong>Round sign on side of black granite plinth:</strong></em><br />Charleston Stories<br />Hear Denmark Vesey here<br />Completing the Story:<br />Bringing a Community Together<br />www.charlestonstories.org<br />History calls back</p>
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
Bronze statue: 84 in. (213.36 cm.)
Granite base: 44 ¾ x 59 in. (113.67 cm.)
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
Bronze; Granite
Bibliographic Citation
A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible.
<p>Parker, Parker, "Denmark Vesey Monument Unveiled before Hundreds." Post and Courier, February 14, 2014. Accessed April 12, 2019, <a href="https://www.postandcourier.com/features/arts_and_travel/denmark-vesey-monument-unveiled-before-hundreds/article_35622532-8a45-5060-a819-0e33a47c8a20.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.postandcourier.com/features/arts_and_travel/denmark-vesey-monument-unveiled-before-hundreds/article_35622532-8a45-5060-a819-0e33a47c8a20.html.</a></p>
<p>Mellnik, Ted. "The Remarkable History of Charleston's Racial Divide, As Told by the City's Silent Statues." Washington Post, June 24, 2015. Accessed April 12, 2019, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/24/the-remarkable-history-of-charlestons-racial-divide-as-told-by-the-citys-silent-statues/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/24/the-remarkable-history-of-charlestons-racial-divide-as-told-by-the-citys-silent-statues/</a>.</p>
<p>"Denmark Vesey Monument." Charleston Justice Journey. Accessed May 27, 2020, <a href="https://charlestonjusticejourney.org/locations/denmark-vesey-monument/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://charlestonjusticejourney.org/locations/denmark-vesey-monument/</a>.</p>
<p>"Denmark Vesey, Hampton Park." Charleston Stories. Accessed May 27, 2020, <a href="http://charlestonstories.org/statues/Denmark-Vesey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://charlestonstories.org/statues/Denmark-Vesey/</a>.</p>
<p>Wright, Deborah and Daron Calhoun. "Remember Denmark Vesey of Charleston!" Avery Messenger (Summer 2014): 6-8. Accessed May 27, 2020, <a href="https://avery.cofc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/messenger_springsummer2014.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://avery.cofc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/messenger_springsummer2014.pdf</a>.</p>
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Renée Ater
Source
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Photographs by Izetta Autumn Mobley
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
City of Charleston, 80 Broad Street, Charleston, South Carolina, 29401, United States
anti-slavery
Charleston
Denmark Vesey
Ed Dwight
rebellion
South Carolina
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Monuments to Resistance
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Renée Ater
Description
An account of the resource
<div style="padding-right: 30%;">
<p>The monuments and memorials in this section commemorate the enslaved and free men and women who resisted bondage and worked to end the institution of slavery. In her book, <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300227116/slaves-cause" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="The Slave's Cause"><em>The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition</em></a>, historian Manisha Sinha examines the long history of Black resistance to chattel slavery. Resistance to enslavement took many forms—from rebellions aboard slave ships and on plantations to the enslaved slowing the pace of work, breaking tools, feigning illness, and escaping from bondage. <br /><br />The works in this section honor these diverse histories of resistance. The <em></em><em><a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amistad Memorial</a></em> in New Haven, Connecticut, recognizes Sengbe Pieh, who led a revolt of abducted Africans against their captors on the Spanish slave ship, the Amistad, while the<i> <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/990388eb5485a0a89742679dfd40fb43.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Edmonson Sisters Memorial">Edmonson Sisters Memorial</a></i><a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/990388eb5485a0a89742679dfd40fb43.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Edmonson Sisters Memorial"> </a>in Alexandria, Virginia, celebrates the abolitionists and formerly enslaved sisters Mary and Emily Edmonson.</p>
</div>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Written by Grace Yasumura
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Sculpture
Physical Dimensions
The actual physical size of the original image
168 in. (426.72 cm.)
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
<em>Amistad Memorial</em> (New Haven, CT)
Subject
The topic of the resource
<p>Subject (Topic)<br />Abolitionists--United States<br />Amistad Mutiny<br />Anti-slavery movements--United States<br />Northeastern United States<br />Public art<br />Public sculpture<br />Slave insurrections<br />Slave trade<br />Slavery--United States<br /><br /></p>
<p>Subject (Name)<br />Pieh, Sengbe (Joseph Cinque), ca. 1814-ca. 1879</p>
<p>Subject (Object Type)<br />Commemorative sculpture</p>
Description
An account of the resource
<p>The <em>Amistad Memorial </em>centers around a large bronze triangular prism adorned with<span> sculptural </span>reliefs, depicting scenes from the life of Sengbe Pieh. In <span>1839 </span>Pieh led a revolt of abducted Africans against their captors on the Spanish slave ship, the Amistad. The Amistad was seized off the coast of Long Island, NY, by the U.S. brig, Washington and the Africans on board were imprisoned on charges of murder. The case went to the US Supreme Court, where Pieh and his fellow Africans were found to have rightfully defended themselves as they were free individuals, having been kidnapped and transported illegally.</p>
<p>The memorial stands on the site of the New Haven jail, where Pieh and the other Amistad Africans were held during their trials. The three sides of the sculpture depict the life of Pieh: the first side shows him as a young man in Africa; the second side depicts his court trials, and the third side shows Pieh after he won his freedom. A fourth side of the sculpture, only visible from the upper floors of City Hall, includes images of disembodied hands emerging from ocean waves, a reminder of the thousands who perished during the Middle Passage. Pieh's famous courtroom statement, "make us free" is inscribed on the work’s granite base. The memorial rests atop a squared platform, which was inserted into a purpose-built recessed space added to City Hall during a 1990 renovation.</p>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Hamilton, Ed, 1947-
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Dedicated: September 18, 1992
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
The Amistad Committee, Inc.
Relation
A related resource
To read more about the Supreme Court Case, <em>United States v. The Amistad</em>, click <a href="https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/amistad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here.</a>
Format
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JPEG
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Visual Arts-Sculpture
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
New Haven City Hall, 165 Church Street, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States
Has Part
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<p><em><strong>Inscription on base:</strong></em><br />This monument is a memorial to the 1839 Amistad Revolt and its leader, Sengbe Pieh, also known as Joseph Cinque. Sengbe Pieh was one of the millions of Africans kidnapped from their homes and transported in bondage to the Americas. Sold into slavery in Cuba, he and forty-eight other men, and four children were bound aboard the schooner La Amistad. During a storm, Sengbe Pieh successfully freed himself and his fellows. The Africans seized the ship, but their offers to steer La Amistad homeward were thwarted. After futile weeks at sea, they were captured off Long Island by the U.S.S. Washington.</p>
<p><em><strong>Inscription on base:</strong></em><br />On this site, the Amistad Africans were jailed awaiting trial for piracy and murder. To aid their struggle for freedom, the Amistad Committee formed, counting in its number ministers Simeon Jocelyn, Joshua Leavitt, and James Pennington; merchant Lewis Tappan; professor Josiah Gibbs; and lawyer Roger Baldwin. The Africans were tried twice prior to their ultimate triumph before the United States Supreme Court, where former President John Quincy Adams courageously defended them. Sengbe Pieh and his fellows were declared Free Persons.</p>
<p><em><strong>Inscription on base:<br /></strong></em>"Make Us Free"<br /><br />The Africans sought to return home. To raise funds for their voyage and to further the anti-slavery cause, they engaged in a series of speaking tours. In 1841, after a sojourn that profoundly influenced the abolitionist movement, they set sail, free at last.<br /><br />To commemorate the heroism of the Amistad Africans and those who shared in their quest for freedom, the 1989 Amistad Committee commissioned his sculpture by Ed Hamilton and dedicated it on September 26, 1992.</p>
Extent
The size or duration of the resource.
168 in. (426.72 cm.)
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
Bronze; Granite
Bibliographic Citation
A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible.
<p>Hernandez, Esteban. "New Haven to Celebrate 175th Anniversary of Amistad, the Slave Ship that Led to Freedom." <em>New Haven Register</em>. Accessed April 12, 2019, <a href="https://www.nhregister.com/connecticut/article/New-Haven-to-celebrate-175th-anniversary-of-11338269.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.nhregister.com/connecticut/article/New-Haven-to-celebrate-175th-anniversary-of-11338269.php</a>.</p>
<p>"Our Public Art Collection." Department of Arts, Culture, and Tourism, City of New Haven. Accessed May 27, 2020, <a href="https://www.newhavenct.gov/gov/depts/arts/public_art/public_art_collection.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.newhavenct.gov/gov/depts/arts/public_art/public_art_collection.htm</a>.</p>
"Amistad Memorial." Public Art Archive. Accessed May 27, 2020, <a href="https://locate.publicartarchive.org/art/Amistad-Memorial?ib=ext" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://locate.publicartarchive.org/art/Amistad-Memorial?ib=ext</a>.
<p>"The Amistad Memorial." Amistad Committe, Inc. Accessed May 27, 2020, <a href="https://www.amistadcommitteeinc.org/amistad-memorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.amistadcommitteeinc.org/amistad-memorial</a>.</p>
Rights Holder
A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource.
Renée Ater
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Photographs by Renee Ater
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Department of Arts, Culture, and Tourism, City of New Haven, 165 Church Street, 6th Floor, New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States
Amistad
Connecticut
Ed Hamilton
rebellion
slavery