Brazil, namely, the antagonism of an Anti-slavery
North, which aided the Negroes by "underground railroads" to escape to
free territory, or to cross the Canadian line, where slavery was
prohibited. The Dismal Swamp in Virginia, and the Everglades of
Florida were favorite hiding places for fugitives.[43] In Brazil the
universal prevalence of slavery and the lack of opposition to the
practice by any considerable group up to the last days of its
existence gave the fleeing slave few friends. However, there was a
trackless wilderness to which he might flee. Especially qualified
runaway slave catchers were employed to trail such fugitives.

The other method of resisting the institution of slavery was by
organized risings. Riots and local revolts occurred occasionally in
the Old South, but were never serious and were easily quelled. The
most noteworthy revolts of blacks in America were actually mere
spouts. In the first half of the eighteenth century, for example, New
York was thrown into hysteria at the rumors of a threatened Negro
plot,[44] out of which nothing materialized. Gabriel's riot planned in
Richmond, Virginia, in 1800, ended very much like that in New York.
Another incident was the attempt in 1822 of a certain Negro, Denmark
Vesey, to start an insurrection at Charleston, which utterly failed.
Nat Turner, a religious fanatic, was the cause of the most serious
uprising of all. In 1831 he organized a revolt in Virginia which cost
the lives of several score of whites before it was quelled.[45] The
other spontaneous turn of the worm was the _Amistad_ incident,[46] in
which Negroes of the slave ship _Amistad_ rose and took possession of
the ship, and ordered the crew to guide her back to Africa. Instead,
the crew steered the vessel into a hospitable harbor, thus baffling
its captors. The rising of the slaves of the _Creole_ in somewhat the
same manner was more romantic.

All these pin pricks in the South are now to be contrasted to a series
of serious organized risings of slaves in Brazil, eruptions which at
times threatened the political control or integrity of a whole
district or province. In the United States the slave placidly
submitted. In Brazil he was at periods actually class conscious.

In Pernambuco, the Brazilian government was actually challenged by
slave rebels. It was during the chaotic days of 1630-1654, when the
Dutch were in occupation of Pernambuco, and the Brazilians were at war
with them, that hund