2 10 13 https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/515e196c66f8a9369082c72c52976661.jpg 0d7fbc2d150deaa6805eb394de8f4e14 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 Resistance Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource 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, The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition (2016), 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. The works in this section honor these diverse histories of resistance. The <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amistad Memorial</a> in New Haven, Connecticut, recognizes Sengbe Pieh, who led a revolt of abducted Africans against their captors on the Spanish slave ship, the Amistad; the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1159" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Three Rebel Queens of the Virgin Islands</a> in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, celebrates the women of the Fireburn Revolt of 1878; and the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1156" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gaspar Yanga</a> statue highlights a seventeenth-century self-emancipated leader of a maroon colony near Veracruz, Mexico. In the near future, we will add more commemorative works from the Caribbean to this theme including monuments and memorials in Antigua, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. Updated January 26, 2026 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 Denmark Vesey Monument (Charleston, South Carolina) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Antislavery movements--United States Public art Public sculpture Resistance Slave insurrections--South Carolina--Charleston Slavery--South Carolina South Carolina--Charleston Subject (Name) Vesey, Denmark, 1767-1822 Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource The work is dedicated to Denmark Vesey, a carpenter and self-educated Black man who planned one of the most extensive slave revolts in US history in Charleston, South Carolina 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. In May 2021, the base of the statue was vandalized. After months-long restoration, the statue and base was restored to its place in Hampton Park in March 2022. James C. Meadors, owner of Meadors, Inc., donated the new granite base and additional restoration work needed for the sculpture. See https://abcnews4.com/news/local/denmark-vesey-statue-back-in-hampton-park-after-vandalism-months-long-restoration-wciv. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Dwight, Ed, 1933- Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource February 8, 2014 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Denmark Vesey and the Spirit of Freedom Monument Committee: Curtis J. Franks, Henry E. Darby, Dr. Wilmot A. Fraser, Ellen Dresser Moryl; Dr. Bernard Powers, Marion Welch, Donald West, Dorothy Wright; City of Charleston; Charleston County Council Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 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 A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Inscription on front of black granite plinth: Denmark Vesey Slave Rebellion Organizer Born Circa 1767-July 2, 1822 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. 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. 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. 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. Inscription on back of black granite plinth: Denmark Vesey 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." 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. 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. Round sign on side of black granite plinth: Charleston Stories Hear Denmark Vesey here Completing the Story: Bringing a Community Together www.charlestonstories.org History calls back Extent The size or duration of the resource. Statue: 84 in. (213.36 cm) Base: 44 ¾ x 59 in. (113.67 x 149.86 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. Roberts, Blain and Ethan J. Kytle. "Looking the Thing in the Face: Slavery, Race, and the Commemorative Landscape in Charleston, South Carolina, 1865-2010." The Journal of Southern History 78, issue 3 (August 2012): 639-684. Parker, Adam. "Denmark Vesey Monument Unveiled before Hundreds." Post and Courier, February 14, 2014. Accessed April 12, 2019. https://www.postandcourier.com/features/arts_and_travel/denmark-vesey-monument-unveiled-before-hundreds/article_35622532-8a45-5060-a819-0e33a47c8a20.html. Wright, Deborah and Daron Calhoun. "Remember Denmark Vesey of Charleston!" Avery Messenger (Summer 2014): 6-8. Accessed May 27, 2020. https://avery.cofc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/messenger_springsummer2014.pdf. Dykens, Sarah Katherine. "Commemoration and Controversy: The Memorialization of Denmark Vesey in Charleston, South Carolina." M.S. thesis. Clemson University and College of Charleston, 2015. 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 Photograph 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 Bible black granite bronze figurative inscription portrait https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/990388eb5485a0a89742679dfd40fb43.jpg bc0d77466d6e9e70810b5e884ded5097 https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/ea88baa982fcb598efa1609690387907.jpg 99b3021c37bef8fd7ae651e3caab1b1a https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/1cd1d9fd3f817df457740a2b3c439d43.jpg 016363d3c30a7d4d57ed3fae19071563 https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/ba1de0d10afc11fa79b95f2e0b66ff25.jpg b0a6c82a80c8b1fe10065ba5ab43f9ef https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/96f653f0e5edd84308deddb90f203db4.jpg 040f1672e7a3992d8ede8d40be99daed https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/e2940d7ec142b271adf411d20be51a56.jpeg 964a78a0ee72856e7b2dbd47a44246be 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 Resistance Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource 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, The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition (2016), 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. The works in this section honor these diverse histories of resistance. The <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amistad Memorial</a> in New Haven, Connecticut, recognizes Sengbe Pieh, who led a revolt of abducted Africans against their captors on the Spanish slave ship, the Amistad; the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1159" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Three Rebel Queens of the Virgin Islands</a> in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, celebrates the women of the Fireburn Revolt of 1878; and the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1156" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gaspar Yanga</a> statue highlights a seventeenth-century self-emancipated leader of a maroon colony near Veracruz, Mexico. In the near future, we will add more commemorative works from the Caribbean to this theme including monuments and memorials in Antigua, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. Updated January 26, 2026 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 120 in. (304.8 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 Edmonson Sisters Memorial (Alexandria, Virginia) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Antislavery movements--United States Enslaved persons--Emancipation Freedom Public art Public sculpture Resistance Slavery--Virginia Transatlantic slave trade Virginia--Alexandria Subject (Name) Edmonson, Mary, 1832–1853 Edmonson, Emily, 1835–1895 Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource Two young women emerge from a large rocky outcrop, their hands clasped tightly as they stride forward. The over life-sized work depicts the abolitionists and former enslaved sisters, Mary and Emily Edmonson. The statue is located on the site of the former Joseph Bruin’s slave jail, where the sisters were held after a failed attempt to escape from Washington, DC in 1848 on the ship Pearl. On the back of the sculpture is an etching of the ship and the word "Pearl." Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Blome, Erik, 1967- Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 25, 2010 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Carr Development Corporation and The City of Alexandria Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 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 Edmonson Plaza, 1701 Duke Street, Alexandria, Virginia, 22314, United States Extent The size or duration of the resource. 120 in. (304.8 cm) Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Bronze Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Inscription on the work's base: The Edmonson Sisters Erik Blome Sculptor © 2010 Assisted by C. Blome On the obverse of the memorial, Blome included a low relief of the schooner, Pearl. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photographs by Renée Ater Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource City of Alexandria, 301 King Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, United States Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Heid, Markham. "Alexandria Dedicats Sculpture Honoring Edmonson Sisters." Washington Examiner, June 24, 2010. Accessed May 27, 2020. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/alexandria-dedicates-sculpture-honoring-edmonson-sisters. Blome, Erick. "The Edmonson Sisters." Erick Blome-Sculptor. Accessed February 4, 2026. https://www.erikblome.com/edmonson-sisters. Ater, Renée. "The Memory of Slavery in the Urban Landscape of Alexandria Virginia." In Traces and Memories of Slavery in the Atlantic World, eds. Lawrence Ajé and Nicolas Gachon, 215-232. Routledge, 2020. bronze figurative portrait https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/91fe9f6c3146000c29633aa2e7893a9f.jpg a39b736a88c49d6001747cc3733ef266 https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/8167c9f26a5a52ac6ff99320a4f8944b.jpg cf131b4c53b9f51be7224bac52ceca77 https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/6a1c6ac6dd9c3004afe33617e82a8079.jpg 16280465cf6ca1090e06be70fea3a3ef https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/8df8ab2d4d95eb031abf60466b382e21.jpg 8dc7c7f88e9cf710b6ea67519cccb85a 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 Resistance Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource 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, The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition (2016), 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. The works in this section honor these diverse histories of resistance. The <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1122" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amistad Memorial</a> in New Haven, Connecticut, recognizes Sengbe Pieh, who led a revolt of abducted Africans against their captors on the Spanish slave ship, the Amistad; the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1159" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Three Rebel Queens of the Virgin Islands</a> in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, celebrates the women of the Fireburn Revolt of 1878; and the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1156" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gaspar Yanga</a> statue highlights a seventeenth-century self-emancipated leader of a maroon colony near Veracruz, Mexico. In the near future, we will add more commemorative works from the Caribbean to this theme including monuments and memorials in Antigua, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. Updated January 26, 2026 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 Amistad Memorial (New Haven, Connecticut) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Amistad Mutiny Antislavery movements--United States Connecticut--New Haven Public art Public sculpture Resistance Slave insurrections Slavery--United States Transatlantic slave trade Subject (Name) Pieh, Sengbe (Joseph Cinque), ca. 1814-ca. 1879 Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource The Amistad Memorial centers around a large bronze triangular prism adorned with sculptural reliefs, depicting scenes from the life of Sengbe Pieh. In 1839 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 US 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. 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. 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 September 18, 1992 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource The Amistad Committee, Inc. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource 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 A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Inscription on base: 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. Inscription on base: 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. Inscription on base: "Make Us Free" 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. 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. 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. Hernandez, Esteban. "New Haven to Celebrate 175th Anniversary of Amistad, the Slave Ship that Led to Freedom." New Haven Register, March 5, 2016. Accessed April 12, 2019. https://www.nhregister.com/connecticut/article/New-Haven-to-celebrate-175th-anniversary-of-11338269.php. Macaluso, Laura A. Art of the Amistad and The Portrait of Cinqué. American Association of State and Local History Book Series, 2016. 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 Renée 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 bird black granite book bronze figurative inscription portrait