Here’s something else we didn’t learn about in school…a well-organized uprising in 1811 of blacks against an unjust system of slavery. It’s incredible the pieces of history that have been cast aside as unimportant.
Briefly, approximately 500 slaves led a well-organized march toward New Orleans starting in St. Charles parish and traversing the River Road along the Mississippi River almost within striking distance of the city. They were spurred on by the recent Haitian revolution which itself seems to have been sparked by the French Revolution and cries for “Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite.”
On Friday January 15, 2011, I had the pleasure of going on a tour called “The Hidden History Tour.” It traced the steps of the 1811 Slave Uprising and also pinpointed slave and ex-slave cemeteries…some contained the remains of black Civil War soldiers. None of these cemeteries are marked.
If you want to know more about the definitive story of the uprising check out the book “On to New Orleans, Louisiana’s Heroic 1811 Slave Revolt, A brief history & documents relating to the rising of slaves in January 1811, in the Territory of Orleans” by Albert Thrasher. For those of you who plan to visit Louisiana this year look for The Hidden History tour conducted by Leon Waters.
–by Nicka Sewell Smith, AAGSNC Lifetime Member
