- Spartacus: Led the Third Servile War against the Roman Republic in 73-71 BC.
- Toussaint Louverture: Led the Haitian Revolution against French colonial rule from 1791-1804, which resulted in the independence of Haiti.
- Nat Turner: Led a slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia in 1831.
- John Brown: Led a raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859, with the goal of inciting a slave rebellion.
- Denmark Vesey: Planned a slave rebellion in Charleston, South Carolina in 1822, but the plot was discovered before it could be executed.
- Joseph Cinqué: Led the revolt on the slave ship Amistad in 1839, resulting in the freedom of the slaves on board.
- Gabriel Prosser: Led a planned slave rebellion in Richmond, Virginia in 1800, which was discovered and suppressed.
- Queen Nanny: Led the Maroons, a group of escaped slaves who formed their own independent communities in Jamaica in the 18th century.
- Harriet Tubman: While not directly leading a slave rebellion, Tubman played a crucial role as a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds of enslaved people escape to freedom.