There is, to my knowledge, no concrete evidence as to why
the informants exposed the Denmark Vesey plot in 1822. However, it is possible to make
informed guesses. I would argue that the betrayal shows us how different slaves
experienced the system of slavery in different ways.
It is
important to note that the plot was betrayed by a house slave. House slaves were often
seen as being closer to their masters--having better relationships with them. Because
of this, the plotters had tried to avoid recruiting any of them. However, someone
eventually brought this house slave in on the plan and he told his
mistress.
This shows us that different slaves had different
attitudes. A slave who was well-treated might have a pretty positive attitude towards
his masters. This might be especially true if he was a house slave interacting with his
masters on a regular basis.
So I feel that the slave
informants betrayed Vesey because they had sympathy for their masters and did not want
to see them hurt. This shows us that not all slaves experienced slavery in the same way
and did not react to being enslaved in the same way.
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