He Shall Go Out Free: The Lives of Denmark Vesey [Hardcover]

Douglas R. Egerton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0945612672 | ISBN-13: 978-0945612674 | Publication Date: January 1, 2000 | Edition: 1st

On July 2, 1822, Denmark Vesey was hanged in Charleston, S.C., for his role in planning one of the largest slave uprisings in the United States. During his long, extraordinary life Vesey played many roles--Caribbean field hand, cabin boy, chandler's man, house servant, proud freeman, carpenter, husband, father, church leader, abolitionist, revolutionary. Yet until his execution transformed him into a symbol of liberty, Vesey made it his life's work to avoid the attention of white authorities. Because he preferred to dwell in the hidden alleys of Charleston's slave community, Vesey remains as elusive as he is today celebrated, and his legend is often mistaken for fact. In this biography of the great rebel leader, Douglas R. Egerton employs a variety of historical sources--church records, court documents, travel accounts, and newspapers from America and Saint Domingue--to recreate the lost world of the mysterious Vesey. Although Vesey's 1822 conspiracy has attracted the attention of earlier scholars, Egerton recaptures the historical drama and significance of the failed exodus by examining the turbulent life that led up to it. If Vesey's plot was unique in the annals of slave rebellions in North America, it was because he was unique; his goals, as well as the methods he chose to achieve them, were the product of a hard life's experience. Writers too often construct generic slave rebels, whose plans and personalities vary little from one plot or revolt to another. Egerton, a leading authority of slave resistance, demonstrates that Vesey's hope of leading his disciples out of the United States set him apart from earlier black insurgents. Whereas most of those who rose for their freedom during the 1790s, such as Toussaint Louverture in Haiti or Gabriel in Virginia, fought to join political society on equal terms, Vesey simply sought to escape it. Unlike Nat Turner's chaotic revolt, Vesey's plan was hardly doomed to failure; his precise design, months if not years in conception, struck his contemporaries as eminently feasible. Vesey's remarkable fifty-five year journey to the gallows is the subject of this book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A fine biography that sheds light on an important but often misunderstood conspiracy. Together with Gabriel's Rebellion, this book establishes Douglas R. Egerton as a leading student of American slave revolts. (Peter Kolchin )

The riveting story of Denmark Vesey and his comrades allows Egerton to explore expertly both the brutality and the limits of white planters' rule. This study is a rich reminder of the centrality of movement and revolt in the history of the emancipation of U.S. slaves. (David Roediger )

This is an extraordinary work, the product of probing research and fluent writing. Despite the sparse written record, Vesey's 'lives' as emigrant, slave, and freeman are sketched with vitality and understanding. The twenty-first century needs this readable reminder of an inspiring man and a significant event. (Fishel, Leslie H., Jr. )

Egerton writes in a clear, engaging style; his work is fully documented and reflects a solid grasp of scholarship on slavery and slave revolts. (Choice )

An informed and compelling portrait of a Herculean figure in Southern history. Egerton combines careful sleuthing and a biographer's intuition to bring a key American life out of the shadows and place it in a complicated Atlantic setting. (Wood, Peter H. )

About the Author

Douglas R. Egerton is the author of the critically acclaimed Gabriel's Rebellion: The Virginia Slave Conspiracies of 1800 and 1802 and Charles Fenton Mercer and the Trial of National Conservatism. He is professor of history at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers; 1st edition (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0945612672
• ISBN-13: 978-0945612674
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,635,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Work, March 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: He Shall Go Out Free: The Lives of Denmark Vesey (Hardcover)

This was an extraordinary book. Douglas Egerton does a marvelous job of telling the different lives of Denmark Vesey. The book is extremely well researched and tells the historical truth of Vesey's life. The author does a wonderful job of finding the true story of Denmark Vesey and incorporates intriging insights into his life. This is a wonderful book that illustrates what life was like for a dynamic slave who turned free. Egerton tells Vesey's story in a fascinating way and does a great job of recapturing Vesey's life. The author tells of how Vesey was a strong-willed, highly intelligent leader who had an ingenious plot to help slaves and free blacks to truly become free. The author shows how fascinating Vesey was even though his plan failed. This is a marvelous book and I highly recomend reading it! It is an absolute joy to read!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars STRONGLY Reccomend Reading!, March 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: He Shall Go Out Free: The Lives of Denmark Vesey (Hardcover)

This book is dynamic and I highly recomend reading it. It is wonderfully written with extaordinary prose. The author does a superb job of bringing the readers into the time period and a wonderful jog of telling Vesey's story. Engaging diction and syntax keep the readers alive. There is not a dull moment in this book. Every page is filled th wonderful insights surrounding the times of the book. This book is a must have for people of all interests.I highly recommend reading it and sharing it with a friend. Douglas Egerton does a fascinating job of telling the history of Vesey's life and atmosphere!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, Interesting and Engrossing, July 8, 2000

By 

Fred M. Blum - See all my reviews

This review is from: He Shall Go Out Free: The Lives of Denmark Vesey (Hardcover)

This is an excellent history of slavery in South Carolina with a focus on the unsucessful revolt led by Denmark Vesey. The strength of the book is the history of Vesey and the evolutionary process that leds him to his death.

What is most intriguing was the discussion of Vesey's rejection of the New Testement as a guide for his actions and his use of the Old Testement as a guide. The book deals well with the issue of the effect of the masters use of the Christian faith as a justification for slavery on the slaves and freemens spiritual life.

The only flaw in the book was the authors obvious admiration for Vesey. Not that such admiration is not deserved, but it tended to color some of the more difficult issues in Vesey's revolt. For instance, a major controversey has arisen concerning whether as part of the revolt the whites of Charleston were to be massacred. The author does not deal with the claim other than to dismiss is as illogical. However, this dismissal is insufficent given the hate and feellings for revenge that the slaves must have felt toward their masters.

All in all, this is a very readable history important events in American history. A good read.