Episode 399: Jeremy Schipper, Denmark Vesey’s Bible

Denmark Vesey’s failed revolt in 1822 could have been the largest insurrection of enslaved people against their enslavers in United States history. Not only was Vesey’s plan large in scale, but Charleston officials arrested well over one hundred rumored participants.

Jeremy Schipper, a Professor in the departments for the Study or Religion and Near and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Toronto and the author of Denmark Vesey’s Bible: The Thwarted Revolt that Put Scripture and Slavery on Trial, joins us to investigate Vesey’s planned rebellion and the different ways Vesey used the Bible and biblical texts to justify his revolt and the violence it would have wrought.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Ben Franklin’s World is a production of Colonial Williamsburg Innovation Studios.

Episode Summary

Jeremy Schipper is a biblical scholar who teaches in the Departments for the Study of Religion and Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto. He’s a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and the author and co-author of several books including co-authored book with Nyasha Junior, Black Samson: The Untold Story of an American Icon, and most recently, Denmark Vesey’s Bible: The Thwarted Revolt that Put Scripture and Slavery on Trial.

During our investigation, Jeremy reveals what historians know about Denmark Vesey and his life prior to his thwarted rebellion; How Denmark Vesey’s literacy and ability to read and interpret the Bible played a significant role in his decision to plan an anti-slavery rebellion in Charleston; And, details about Vesey’s trial and the biblical interpretations Vesey and the white magistrates who tried him employed to refute and support slavery.

What You’ll Discover

Overview of Denmark Vesey’s life
Vesey’s work as a carpenter
How Denmark Vesey purchased his freedom
Vesey’s transition from slavery to freedom
Life in Charleston, South Carolina ca. 1800
Charleston as a slave society
News circulation in early 19th-century Charleston
Vesey’s literacy
Vesey’s connection to the Bible and Christian religion
The Second Great Awakening in Charleston
The Second Great Awakening in the lives of African Americans
The African Episcopal Methodist Church in Charleston
Denmark Vesey’s rebellion and why it never began
The trial of Denmark Vesey
How Charleston magistrates used biblical interpretations against Vesey
Biblical interpretations used by anti-slavery movements

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Time Warp Question

In your opinion, what would have happened if Denmark Vesey and his co-planners had been able to move forward with their insurrection? How might the history of slavery in the early United States be different?