The German Coast Slave Revolt of 1811

The Harim Abiff Affect

The German Coast Slave Revolt of 1811 was the largest slave uprising in U.S. history, and it took place in the Territory of Orleans (now Louisiana) along the Mississippi River, specifically in the region known as the "German Coast."

Key Details:

• Date: January 8–10, 1811
• Location: Near New Orleans, along the German Coast of the Mississippi River
• Participants: 200–500 enslaved Africans and Afro-Creoles
• Leaders: The revolt was led by men such as Charles Deslondes, a mixed-race slave driver of Haitian descent, and others influenced by the Haitian Revolution.

The Revolt:
The uprising began on the Andry plantation, where Charles Deslondes and fellow revolutionaries killed the plantation owner’s son. The rebels armed themselves with hand tools, sabers, and a few firearms and marched toward New Orleans, shouting for freedom and attempting to rally more enslaved people along the way.
They were organized in military fashion, and their numbers grew as they moved. The rebels burned several plantation houses and sugar mills. Their goal was to seize New Orleans, but they were intercepted by a combination of local militia, U.S. Army troops, and plantation owners.
Aftermath:

• Casualties: Dozens of enslaved people were killed in battle or executed afterward. Roughly 95 were killed, including many who were captured and summarily tried and executed. Heads were placed on pikes along the river as a warning to others.
• Legacy: Despite its suppression, the revolt demonstrated the powerful yearning for freedom among enslaved people and was deeply influenced by the spirit of the Haitian Revolution. It is now remembered as a pivotal moment of resistance in U.S. history.

This revolt has historically been under-recognized, but recent scholarship and public history efforts have brought it back into focus, especially in the context of broader African diasporic resistance movements.

Send us a text

Support the show