Customer Reviews

Denmark Vesey: The Buried History of America's Largest Slave Rebellion and the Man Who Led It

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Robertson's book is a very good introduction to a very interesting subject. However, it lacked detail and insight into a number of critical issues.

The focus of the book is on the 1822 aborted revolt of slaves around Charleston, South Carolina. Robertson does a fine job discussing the general slave conditions and their interactions with their oppressors. Particularly, his discussion of the "Magnolia and Sable Curtain" is absorbing. It is when the details of the rebellion are discussed that the book slips.

In fact there are very little details. This may be due to a lack of information in that the slave owners went to great lengths to destroy the record. Many important and interesting questions are left unanswered, including how the slaves could have got so close to sucesses.

The planned outcome of the revolt would have been the destruction of Charleston, the murder of all whites, including white children, in the City, and the sailing of the slaves to Africa. What is not even discussed is what would have been the effect of the sucess of the revolt on the abolition movement and the future of slavery. One could not reasonably contend that the killing of thousands of whites by slaves and the burning of an entire city would not have has a dramatic impact on the history of America.

All in all, the book was a worthwhile read. It was a good primer on the subject.

The more History I read of this Country the more I seem to read about South Carolina. I am not a concentrated reader of The Civil War, and while South Carolina played key roles in that conflict, it also was the locale of a number of additional notable events in this Country's History. If I were to pick one State the approximate vintage of South Carolina, I cannot make a better argument for a single State that was as independently oriented, and that defended its independence from influence outside its borders, and defended it with even greater passion from any Federal influence. To the very present, South Carolina has been expressing the same theme through the issue of what Flag they will fly over their Capital, and who the decision will be made by. A decision was reached, the flag may no longer fly over the Capital, but it shall fly not far from it.

Denmark Vesey's birthplace is unknown contrary to the conflicting commercial reviews. From the book, "It is not confirmable whether Vesey was born in Africa or The West Indies". If there is a consistent thread through the book, it is how much is not known about this man who attempted what would have been a massive Rebellion, Slave in makeup or otherwise composed. This is not to say the book is not well done, quite the contrary. I believe that the documentation achieved by Mr. David Robinson is nothing short of remarkable when the effort to destroy all remnants of the rebellion is considered. The book loses no credibility because we don't know from what tree he was executed, nor where his body was finally buried. These issues are more legend than they will ever be fact, but these issues do not change the heart of the event, and the facts of what took place. Even Mr. Vesey's appearance is unknown except for the most impressionistic of drawings; the man visually is an enigma.

The story as related is brief, 153 pages. But as evidenced by photographs and 40 pages of notes, the Historical detective work was clearly done. The Author presents what he knows, makes very little speculation, and to the extent he does, he places his feelings in a distinct chapter, "A Personal Conclusion".

Staying away from the story so as not to spoil it, there was however an aspect of the South in 1822 that I had never read about in such detail. There were not 2 groups, there were many. Slaves, freed slaves like Mr. Vesey, and very defined and distinct groups among the black and white Communities. The distinctions amongst the people that Vesey wished to lead were the same that lead to his rebellions defeat.

It is necessarily a brief story unless more information comes to light. With the material at hand and the documentation the Author found, I believe he did a very credible job of relating a relatively unknown event in our History.

The question of what would have happened had Vesey succeeded, and the implications on this Country are not to be found in the book, nor do I believe it would be appropriate for such counter-factual debate to be placed in a Historical work. The "what if" scenarios are varied and certainly would have been momentous. However History did not take place as Mr. Vesey planned, and the historical record was systematically destroyed to the extent possible.

What is important is that Denmark Vesey and other leaders like him take their place in our Historical record. Whether positive, negative, or aborted, events like these must be recounted or our History is incomplete.

Probably the biggest obstacle to writing a biography of Denmark Vesey is the wealth of rumors and legends and a dearth of facts. All the greater is the loss as Mr. Vesey was a fascinating part of the history of Charleston and the history of this nation. Some of these legends survive even to this day and appear below in some of the reviews. A closer look implies that the plot almost certainly did not include the massacre of all whites in Charleston. Instead any whites seen coming out of their doors in the areas under attack, such as the armory, or seen to be assembling would be killed. Also, there were plans to put fire to parts of Charleston to create greater confusion if need be. These would be strategies necessary to the success of such an insurrection. In fact, the in-depth planning, organization and strategy of this attempted uprising is what sets it apart from other slave revolts in this country. I would strongly suggest reading this book as well as Egerton's to help get a clearer picture of the man and the insurrection.

What a pity! I had heard great things about this book and was hoping for an evenhanded historical tale worthy of the subject matter. What I got instead was an obviously well researched study that inexplicably refused to consider a number of critical points. How did Vesey's deliverance from bondage play into his evolving perception of the world around him? While Robertson speculates on less relevent material, this event is hardly noted. How about the evidence against the existence of a well planned, well backed rebellion? Virtually no weapons were found, few dedicated participants identified relative to the 9000 soldiers claimed to have been proselytized by Vesey's vision, and amazingly, no apparent incorporation of the female slave population! In fact, from the evidence provided by the author it can be argued that this rebellion was simply a violent plot hatched by a small group of unusually autonomous black slaves under the leadership of an ever increasingly unbalanced leader.

The best evidence favoring the view put forth by Robertson are the cultural identities exploited by Vesey and his captains and their ability to effectively communicate in any number of languages. This point has been noted as a key factor in the successful slave rebellion in Haiti and cross comparisons between these events were noticibly absent.

All this said, the book does bring forward an important sociological event in American history. I just wish the author had taken a more rigorous historical approach.

I have never seen a book collapse so quickly. I was caught up in it -- it has many virtues. It is well written, interesting, covers an obscure incident which should be better known...then I came to the last 100 words which reduced the whole thing to the level of a Hallmark card or below. They could have been omitted and the book would not suffer a bit and I would have awarded it 5 stars. However, they made me go back and review the whole thing, and then I got suspicious of other passages where far too much sentimentality and the author's own emotions (which are not as interesting as he thinks they are) crept in... I confess that I have never had such an odd experience with a book before. I do recommend it, but it is flawed. Read and enjoy it, but bring a skeptical eye to bear on it.

The subject of Denmark Vesey and his slave revolt is interesting and required reading for anyone who desires to know what pre Civil War America was like. The book does an excellant job generally describing the interaction of slaves and masters in 1820's South Carolina; espically in how slaves dealt with their opression. However, the book falls short in the specifics of planning and failure of Vesey's revolt. This could be because the information is scanty, but the book left me with the feeling that there was more.

Vesey organized a revolt that if sucessful would have devestated Charleston, including the massacre of the white population. How Vesey came so close to suceeding is not adequately discussed. It is left to generalizations.

On the whole the book is very worthwhile reading. However, it is only a start and suceeds in wetting ones appetite.

David Robinson attempts to define the life of Denmark Vessey. Since Vessey is little known, and not much has been written about him, this short book attempts to define what motivated Denmark Vessey to try to lead on of the largest slave rebellions. Good background material about Barbados and Charlestown's links with the slave island. One of the previous reviewers called Vessey a Haitan, but his name indicates origin in the Danish Virgin Islands, as Robertson asserts. Because his origin is so obscure, Robertson puffs up what is known and makes it book length. More research could have led to a more interesting book. However Robertson does shed light on an interesting time in U. S. History.

I have just finished Denmark Vesey and consider it one of the finest books I've ever had the pleasure to read. David Robertson is an extraordinary and talented author whom I feel deserves national attention. He gives us an extensively researched and scholarly piece of work that should be required reading for every high school student nationwide. I found his narrative both an informative and enlightening journey into the horrors of slavery in the 19th century South. Also well worth mentioning are Mr. Robertson's insights and philosophy which give us all a well needed opportunity to examine our own consciences as to what we have learned from history and how we as a nation still need to work to achieve harmony for all races in an ever growing diverse United States of America. An outstanding book.

I was often annoyed with the author's inability to write an accurate and even handed account of the Great Denmark Vesey. There are way better books out there. I will continue to search until I find a historian who is fair and isn't afraid to tell it like it was. These myth makers are getting on my last nerves.

The only positive thing I can say is that the author directed me to some other historians, most notable John Hope Franklin. I bet he has done a better job.

This book leaves out a lot of good information on Denmark Vesey out. There are also errors in this book. It is not even a good coffee table book. I would reccomend reading Douglas R. Egerton's He Shall GO Out Free. That book was fantastic. I would not reccomend this book it was very disappointing. I gave it 1 star for the picture.