Educational Twitter Thread Tells Tale Of Epic Historical Slave Revolt

Author image for Ada Elder
Ada Elder
Sep 9, 2019 1:00 PM EDT

Writer Michael Harriot dropped some serious history knowledge on Twitter this past Saturday and left us with slightly bigger brains and some serious chills. The Bahamas have been heavily featured in the news following the devastation of Hurricane Dorian, and this Twitter thread gives some powerful background on the history of the storm-ravaged island nation. Michael Harriot's expert storytelling (even when limited to 280 characters) gives serious oomph to an already compelling black history narrative of slaves and ex-slaves sticking it to the man. 

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  • 01
    Text - michaelharriot @michaelharriot Thread: Today I learned the interesting story of Abaco, the island in the Bahamas hit hardest by hurricane Dorian.
    via @michaelharriot
  • 02
    Text - @michaelharriot 2d michaelharriot Replying to @michaelharriot After the Revolutionary War, many of the white people who were loyal to Britain moved to the Bahamas, which was largely empty. A lot of those people brought their enslaved Africans with them. 21 549 4,379 @michaelharriot 2d michaelharriot But harsh conditions made many of the white people leave. Then, in 1807, Britain abolished the slave trade. Many of those freed Africans who were liberated on the open seas went to the Bahamas
    via @michaelharriot
  • 03
    Text - michaelharriot @michaelharriot 2d When the US basically bought Florida from Spain, thousands of enslaved Africans and Black Seminoles said "fuck this" and escaped to the Bahamas. So many ran to freedom that the US government had to build a lighthouse in Cape Florida in 1825 15 1560 5,387 michaelharriot @michaelharriot 2d In 1834, Britain freed all the slaves in its territories and shit really got crazy. See, the Bahamas were a regular stop in the Atlantic. Plus, shipwrecked US vessels als
    via @michaelharriot
  • 04
    Text - michaelharriot@michaelharriot 2d For years, when ships would pull up in the Bahamas (I think that's the nautical term) Bahamians would tell the captains: t2420 4,563 14 michaelharriot @michaelharriot 2d "Umm, I don't know if you heard but we don't play that slave shit over here. Y'all can ride out but you gotta leave the Africans here. They're free now. "Now we can handle this like gentlemen, or we can get into some Gangsta shit." t2837 43 10.5K michaelharriot@michaelharriot 2d Well this
    via @michaelharriot
  • 05
    Text - michaelharriot @michaelharriot 2d So word started getting around plantations about the Bahamas. Then, in 1840, the Hermosa, a US slave ship headed from Richmond going to New Orleans, wrecked in Abaco. t1.448 5 4,594 michaelharriot @michaelharriot 2d Well, the Captain tried to explain that slavery was legal in the US, so technically these enslaved people were cargo. But the Bahamians wasn't having that shit. They FORCIBLY FREED the entire ship and was like: "Now runtelldat." 15 t843 11.9K
    via @michaelharriot
  • 06
    Text - michaelharriot@michaelharriot 2d Of course, these dumb white folks actually ran and told that. The US government got involved but something else happened Enslaved Africans on plantations started hearing about that shit, too! (Yes, shit's about to get good) 13 13.446 6,562 michaelharriot @michaelharriot 2d This is the part of our history that is rarely told: In 1840, a black man named Madison Washington escaped slavery and made it to Canada. But Madison decided to return for his wife. (Of
    via @michaelharriot
  • 07
    Text - michaelharriot @michaelharriot 2d So Madison was on this slave ship, the Creole, with 143 Africans and 17 white people who had ONE GUN! Dassit! Y'all know shit was about to pop off. L2440 5,712 @michaelharriot 2d michaelharriot As soon as one of the crewmen lifted the grate to where they were holding Madison and his crew, they pounced They killed one of the slave traders immediately (you gotta show muhfuckas you mean business). The wypipo didn't even get a chance to fire their lil' gun 28
    via @michaelharriot
  • 08
    Text - michaelharriot @michaelharriot 2d First they tried to force the Creole's captain to take them back to Africa, but the captain was like "Y'all got some Africa gas money?" Plus, without Google Maps, they'd probably have to print out directions from Mapquest and the ship's printer was out of ink or something t1566 55 9,147 michaelharriot @michaelharriot 2d Then one of the revolters said: "Aye Madison, did you hear that story about the Hermosa in the Bahamas? Maybe we should see what they're
    via @michaelharriot
  • 09
    Text - michaelharriot @michaelharriot 2d So Madison and the slave rebellers get to the Bahamas and a bunch of black soldiers come on board The captain tells the soldiers that the people were his property but the Bahamians attorney general was like: "y'all can go. You're free now." t2419 5,275 @michaelharriot 2d michaelharriot And the enslaved Africans were like: "Go where? Man, we're a thousand miles from home! We're on the goddamned ocean! Aside from what's on this ship, we ain't even got no fo
    via @michaelharriot
  • 10
    Text - michaelharriot @michaelharriot 2d So they go above deck and look out on the ocean and witness something astonishing: The slave ship was surrounded by a "fleet" of tiny little boats manned by local Bahamians ready to take the revolters to freedom They would be free forever. t518 7,313 15 michaelharriot @michaelharriot 2d But the Bahamians atty. gen. held 17 of the men responsible for the white dude's death on the boat. It became an international incident. The US even tried to organize an a
    via @michaelharriot
  • 11
    Text - michaelharriot @michaelharriot 2d When the people in the US heard about the revolt, they were OUTRAGED. They demanded a trial. The British agreed. But the Bahamians were like: "Well we don't have an extradition treaty with those filthy slave traders, so the trial will have to be in the Bahamas. t1.416 5,508 3 @michaelharriot 2d Now they couldn't be tried for murder because the British had already ruled that enslaved people could do whatever they deemed necessary to get free. So the Bahami
    via @michaelharriot
  • 12
    Text - @michaelharriot 2d The court ruled, in essence, this: michaelharriot "How you gon' charge them with pirating their own bodies? GTFOHWTBS Cased dismissed!" again, not a literal translation t1535 36 8,673 @michaelharriot 2d Less than a year later, the Creole would sail no more after it wrecked again... michaelharriot In a hurricane. All told, 128 enslaved Africans aboard the Creole were freed 14 L1406 5,534
    via @michaelharriot
  • 13
    Text - @michaelharriot 2d michaelharriot They will teach you about slave revolts by Denmark Vessey, Nat Turner and John Brown But this is the story of Abaco, The Bahamas and what is called: The most successful slave revolt in US history t13,171 819 27.8K
    via @michaelharriot
  • 14
    Text - Raffaella77 @HeelSpurs0 Replying to @michaelharriot This is so good Now where's the movie @Jordan Peele 4:04 AM 9/7/19 Twitter Web App 54 Retweets 1,200 Likes Kathleen Dartez @DartezKathleen 2d Replying to @HeelSpurs0 @michaelharriot and @JordanPeele Could use the profits to help the Bahamas recover 93 t110 314
    via @michaelharriot
  • 15
    Text - Eugene Scott @Eugene_Scott Replying to @michaelharriot Yo @ComedyCentral can we get Michael to narrate an episode of @drunkhistory please? Thanks.
    via @michaelharriot
  • 16
    Text - Kevin Capitalism set the wo... @IAmKevinBates Replying to @michaelharriot Damn, that's badass. Thanks for that
    via @michaelharriot
  • 17
    Text - PrettySadiTeeTee @danamesteetee Replying to @michaelharriot "Y'all got some Africa gas money?" Plus, without Google Maps, they'd probably have to print out directions from Mapquest and the ship's printer was out of ink or something" SirrrrT YOU GOT SOME MCDONALD MONEY?
    via @michaelharriot

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