For slave owners and non-slave owners alike, slavery represented two very serious realities. The first was the possible wealth that could be earned from owning slaves, and the other was the constant fear of being executed by those same slaves while they slept. Added to the mix was the fact that some of these captives brought with them military experience learned in Africa and what you have are slaves terrorized by their owners, and owners terrorized by the potential of their property. It was a combination of these factors and events like the Nat Turner-led slave revolt of 1831, which ended in the deaths of whites and blacks, that produced very strict laws against black movements and black ownership of firearms as evidenced below in a sample of laws created in 1832:
· Virginia on March 15, 1832
No free negro or mulatto shall be suffered to keep or carry any firelock of any kind, or any military weapon.
· North Carolina 1832
No slave shall go armed with gun, sword, club, or other weapon, or shall keep any such weapon, or shall hunt or range with a gun in the woods, upon any pretense whatsoever.
· Alabama January 16, 1832
Should any person distribute, circulate, or publish, or cause to be distributed, circulated, or published, any seditious papers, pamphlets, or writing, tending to produce conspiracy, or insurrection, or rebellion, among the slaves or colored population, such person, upon conviction thereof, shall suffer death.
Despite these and similar laws that were put in place to restrict their access to firearms, enslaved persons did gain access to them in limited ways. At times they were taken along on hunting trips with their masters to perform various tasks around the camp, and to serve as beaters to drive game toward waiting hunters. Some enslaved people worked in roles such as blacksmiths or skilled laborers and had access to firearms as a part of their work duties. These individuals could have used their skills to fashion weapons or repair firearms for their owners, occasionally allowing them to learn how to use these tools for their own purposes.
There were times when enslaved people gained access to firearms with the support of their masters. Sometimes masters sent slaves out to hunt for their own food that might be used at the master’s table or to be used to supplement the rations given to the slaves. When hunting alone or with their masters, slaves were often entrusted with a firearm and given very clear instructions about their use. In these rare cases when masters gave their slaves guns, they carefully tracked the amount of ammunition and powder and compared it to the amount of game that was brought back.
Finding photos of enslaved people with firearms is rare if they exist at all. The system of slavery was based on control and this control was maintained through the firearm. While most states had laws against slaves carrying guns, many people would be surprised to know that while the fear of uprisings was great, some slaves were given permission from their masters to carry guns.
Hunting gave slaves a chance to be independent inside of a condition that was totally controlled by others, and it produced self-respect for the hunter who was able to provide additional food for his family. Possessing firearms was a necessary act of defiance, as the enslaved attempted to assert their humanness in the face of possible cruel consequences.
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