By the 1800, the population of slaves in the
Charleston area had surpassed the population of Europeans by more than three to
one.&nbsp; Rebellions and rumors of rebellions
had occurred throughout the south during the slavery period.&nbsp; In an environment where the whites were so
outnumbered, fear and hysteria could easily be summoned.&nbsp; When the Denmark Vesey conspiracy to revolt
was discovered in 1822, it was quashed before it could become a full-blown
rebellion. &nbsp;To ensure that the city was
better prepared for any other future upheavals, Charleston’s northern boundary
was fortified.&nbsp; This was done by the
legislature’s passage of an "Act to Establish a Competent Force to Act as
a Municipal Guard for the Protection of the City of Charleston and its
vicinity." This act provided that a building be erected for the deposit of
the arms of the State and included a guard house. Thus the South Carolina State
Arsenal was established on the site of the old Citadel, an old British Colonial
government fortress that had been built in 1763.

This arsenal, would eventually become the South
Carolina Military Academy in 1842, a liberal arts military college and
eventually known as The Citadel.&nbsp; The
original arsenal building is located at 337 Meeting Street and was renovated for
use as a hotel in 1994.&nbsp; The college was
relocated its current campus along the bank of the Ashley River.

When the Denmark Vesey slave rebellion was discovered and stopped before it could happen in 1822, the white population remained in fear.  The South Carolina Legislature established an arsenal to protect the city.  The arsenal served its purpose until it was turned into the South Carolina Military Academy in 1842.  This school soon became known as The Citadel

The Citadel

Instructor

At the age of fourteen, a young man of African descent who came to be known as Denmark Vesey was acquired by&nbsp;slave trader Joseph Vesey. After accompanying Captain Vesey on multiple slave-trading voyages in the Atlantic, young Denmark accompanied his master to Charleston, South Carolina. Being a skilled carpenter and being&nbsp;allowed to retain a small amount of wages he earned for his master, Denmark Vesey purchased the modern-day equivalent of a lottery ticket. Remarkably, Vesey not only won the contest when his number was drawn, he was permitted to retain his winnings and use them to purchase his freedom.&nbsp; Vesey joined and soon became a leading member of Charleston's African Methodist Episcopal Church. After many of his fellow church members were arrested, and after he was repeatedly harassed for teaching Bible classes, Vesey turned to a more radical Christian&nbsp;theology that emphasized liberation. He and others planned a rebellion that they hoped would allow Charleston-area slaves to escape by capturing one or more sailing vessels and fleeing to the recently independent Black republic of Haiti. Understanding that any white resident who saw the rebels or learned of their plan would alert the slave patrols,&nbsp;the rebels planned to kill every white person they saw and set&nbsp;fire to the city. As a result, Vesey and his co-conspirators believed that whites would be unable to capture the rebels before they had safely made their escape. The success of Vesey's&nbsp;plan relied upon a large number of participants as well as absolute secrecy. As the date of the planned rebellion neared, however, several slaves leaked news of the plot to their masters. Vesey and five other men were publicly hanged on July 2d, 1822. While Vesey became a martyr to the opponents of slavery, white residents of Charleston recoiled with horror at his plan. As part of their efforts to intimidate would-be rebels, dozens of African Americans faced trial and a total of 35&nbsp;were executed for their alleged connection to Vesey and his co-conspirators.&nbsp;

In the midst of a park named in honor of Confederate General Wade Hampton stands a monument that honors Denmark Vesey- a former slave who was executed in 1822 for his role in planning an attempted slave insurrection. The monument was dedicated in 2014 and tells of Vesey's enslavement and self-emancipation, his role in establishing Hampstead AME Church, his role as an educator, and his efforts to end slavery. Vesey was one of thirty-five African Americans who were executed following a series of trials that revealed the scope of the planned rebellion against the institution of slavery in South Carolina. In addition to creating slave patrols and a military barracks to protect the city from possible slave rebellions in the future, the city of Charleston destroyed Vesey's church. 

Denmark Vesey Statue

The African Methodist Episcopal Church has its
beginnings in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.&nbsp;
In 1787, Richard Allen and others of African descent left St. George’s
Methodist Church after being treated unkindly after restrictions were placed on
them.&nbsp; Purchasing a Blacksmith shop for
worship, Allen founded the Free African Society.&nbsp; Adhering to the Doctrines of Methodism, the
movement blossomed into the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1816.&nbsp; Richard Allen was the denomination’s first
bishop.

The history of Emanuel African Episcopal Church is
similar in that in 1816, Black members of Charleston’s Methodist Episcopal
Church withdrew over a disputed burial ground.&nbsp;
Over 4,000 Black members left white churches in protest.&nbsp; The leader, Morris Brown, organized a church
for Blacks and sought affiliation with Allen’s denomination.&nbsp; In 1818, it arose through the Hampstead
church, one of the three churches in the Bethel circuit created for the area.&nbsp; The Hampstead church was located at Reid and
Hanover Streets.

Denmark Vesey was one of the church’s founders,
along with Rev. Brown.&nbsp; In 1822, when
word leaked that Vesey was plotting a slave revolt, the church also became a
target of investigation.&nbsp; During the
hysteria that followed this controversy, the church was burned.&nbsp; Brown was suspected of knowledge of the plot,
but was never convicted.&nbsp; He went north
to Philadelphia where he eventually became the second bishop of the AME
denomination.

The church was rebuilt and worship continued until
1834 when all-Black churches were outlawed.&nbsp;
Worship continued underground until the end of the Civil War.&nbsp; The church publically reorganized in 1865 and
adopted the name Emanuel, which in Hebrew means “God with us.”&nbsp; 

A two-story wooden church was built at the current
site in 1872 but was destroyed in a devastating earthquake on August 31,
1886.&nbsp; The present building was completed
in 1891with the Rev. L. Ruffin Nichols as pastor.&nbsp; The Gothic Revival building was restored,
redecorated and stuccoed during the years 1949-51.&nbsp; Rev. Nichols and his wife were exhumed and
entombed at the base of the steeple as a sign of appreciation for the church
they helped nurture.

On June 17th, 2015 the church was the site of a mass shooting. Nine parishioners and&nbsp;Senior&nbsp;Pastor and State Senator Clementa Pinckney were killed on site while attending Bible Study class.&nbsp;

Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, or “Mother Emanuel,” is the oldest African Methodist Episcopal church in the south.  Founded in 1818, it was investigated for involvement in the Vesey slave revolt and burned.  The church was rebuilt and worship continued until 1834, when all-Black churches were outlawed.  Worship still continued underground, until it was reorganized in 1865, and took the name Emanuel, which in Hebrew means “God with us.”  A two-story wooden church was built at the current site in 1872, was damaged in the Charleston Earthquake of 1886.  The present day structure was built in 1891. 

Emmanuel A.M.E. Church

Denmark Vesey (1767-1822) was owned by Captain
Joseph Vesey and accompanied him on his trading voyages until he retired to
Charleston.&nbsp; Vesey won a street lottery
in 1799 and was able to purchase his freedom with $600 of his winnings.&nbsp; He was unable to purchase the freedom of his
wife and children and it is speculated that this failure motivated his crusade
to end slavery.&nbsp; It is believed that he
set up his carpenter shop in the neighborhood of 56 Bull Street.&nbsp; He joined the newly formed African Methodist Episcopal
church in 1817, becoming a class leader.&nbsp;
He became enraged by interference of white Charlestonians and began to
preach that those of African descent were the New Israelites and chosen by God.

In 1822, Vesey along with other members of the
church, plotted a slave uprising with the intent of seizing the arsenals and
guard houses, freeing all slaves in the area as well as killing all whites,
setting fire to the city and fleeing to Haiti.&nbsp;
The rebellion was to occur on July 14, Bastille Day.&nbsp; With more than 9000 expected to participate,
they were betrayed by fellow slaves. Three hundred thirteen alleged
participants were arrested, 67 were convicted with 35 of those executed.&nbsp; Denmark Vesey was hanged.

The house at 56 Bull
Street was initially believed to be the home of Vesey and was designated a
National Historic Landmark in 1976 even though there was no concrete evidence
that the home had been owned by him.&nbsp;
Further research has concluded that this was not his home and that it
may not have been standing during his lifetime.&nbsp;
The house is privately owned and not open to the public.&nbsp; It is currently used as a college student rental
property.&nbsp; No plaque is present

National Register Number: 76001698, designated a
National Historic Landmark May 11, 1976

This single family dwelling was initially thought to be the home of Denmark Vesey, a free Black Charleston carpenter who was tried and executed for planning a slave uprising in 1822.  There is no concrete evidence that Vesey ever lived in this house and further research since the time of nomination has concluded that 56 Bull Street was not his home and that the house may not have been standing during his lifetime.  It is privately owned, not open to the public, and is currently used as a college student rental property.  Privacy of the owners/occupants should be respected


Denmark Vesey Tour

The Citadel

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources