Feigned Illness: Slaves would pretend to be sick to avoid work and disrupt plantation operations.
Work Slowdowns: Slaves would deliberately work slowly or inefficiently to sabotage production.
Theft: Slaves would steal food, tools, and other supplies from their owners.
Escape: Many slaves attempted to escape from plantations and seek freedom. Some even formed communities of escaped slaves, known as maroons, in remote areas.
Rebellion: In some cases, slaves organized larger-scale rebellions against their owners. Notable examples include the Stono Rebellion in South Carolina (1739), the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804), and the Nat Turner Rebellion in Virginia (1831).
Acts of Sabotage: Slaves sometimes damaged equipment or crops to cause economic losses to their owners.
Insubordination: Openly refusing or defying orders given by the enslaver.
Pregnancy and Childcare Slowdown: Women may have intentionally spaced pregnancies or intentionally slowed their work when pregnant to reduce the number of children they birthed and to care for them when they did.
Slave resistance was a response to the dehumanizing conditions of slavery, the brutal treatment they endured, and their desire for freedom. By resisting, slaves sought to assert their humanity, maintain their dignity, and ultimately achieve emancipation. Their actions also contributed to the eventual abolition of slavery and played a crucial role in shaping the history of the United States.