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The Stono Rebellion began at a firearms store — the rebels armed themselves firs
1739 Event

September 9

Stono Rebellion: Largest Colonial Slave Uprising

The Stono Rebellion began at a firearms store — the rebels armed themselves first, then marched south toward Spanish Florida, where authorities had promised freedom to escaped English slaves. About 60 enslaved men gathered, carrying a banner and beating drums. They killed 20 white colonists before the militia crushed them. South Carolina's response was the Negro Act of 1740, which banned slaves from learning to read, earning money, or assembling. The rebels' route to freedom became the justification for deeper oppression.

September 9, 1739

287 years ago

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