Originally published on March 14, 2022 (Episode 255)
Introduction
On July 2, 1822, Denmark Vesey was executed in Charleston, South Carolina, for attempting to lead a slave revolt. Alongside him, five supporters were hanged that day; within the month, a total of 35 men were put to death, including 22 in a single mass execution.
As Jeremy Schipper shows in Denmark Vesey’s Bible: The Thwarted Revolt That Put Slavery and Scripture on Trial (Princeton University Press, 2022), both Vesey’s prosecutors and his allies appealed to the Bible—each claiming divine sanction for their cause. This mirrored Abraham Lincoln’s later observation in his Second Inaugural Address: “Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other.” In Charleston, those words applied to enslavers and enslaved, White and Black Southerners alike. How scripture was read, invoked, and contested is therefore central to understanding Vesey’s thwarted revolt and the religious dimensions of slavery and racial conflict in America.
About the Guest
Jeremy Schipper is Professor of Religion at Temple University. He is the author of several books on biblical interpretation and religion.
For Further Investigation
Jeremy Schipper, Denmark Vesey’s Bible: The Thwarted Revolt That Put Slavery and Scripture on Trial (Princeton University Press, 2022)
“In the Matter of Nat Turner” — comparing another slave uprising grounded in reading and reasoning through Christian scripture
Douglas Egerton on Reconstruction
💬 Listen & Discuss
What does it mean when both oppressors and the oppressed appeal to the same sacred texts? How does this shape our understanding of religion’s role in slavery and rebellion? Share your thoughts in the comments—and consider forwarding this episode to a friend who’s interested in the intersections of history, race, and religion.
