aug 17, 1739 - Security Act

Description:

To settle the white people’s fears of insurrection, in August 1789, the South Carolina Colonial Assembly issued the Security Act. The Security Act stated that all white men – plantation owners - had to carry weapons (firearms) when going to church on Sundays to prevent their slaves from revolting when their masters were at church. The owners were ‘required’ to do so, and those who disobeyed had to pay a fine. This act later triggered the Stono Rebellion, which happened in the last remaining Sunday before the act was about to be enforced.

Claudia Sutherland, "Stono Rebellion", https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/stono-rebellion-1739/

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