If you’ve explored any amount of southern Black history; you may have come across the name “Gullah Jack”. He is spoken of both highly and carefully, as he was a man of great spiritual power. Jack was a Methodist and an African conjurer. He was born in Angola and shipped to America under enslavement from Zanzibar. He was first sent to Florida, where he was enslaved on the Kingsley Plantation. In 1812, however, he escaped to Charleston under the cover of a Seminole raid on Kingsley. In 1821, he was re-enslaved under a man named Paul Pritchard.

During his time in Charleston, he became involved with the AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church. He made mojo bags and charms to protect his fellow congregation from the wrath of slave owners and other oppressive forces. He soon met a man named Denmark Vesey, who was planning a conspiracy to revolt against the slaveholders of Charleston. Knowing Jack’s heritage and background, he called on him to recruit African-born slaves as soldiers to his cause.

Jack’s African influence and strong spiritual power was crucial to recruiting soldiers, and it worked fairly well. He wasn’t able to recruit everyone, of course, but it is said that he used his spiritual power to terrify non-participators into silence. He used his conjuring skill to provide their militia with protective amulets and mojo, which encouraged the soldiers and strengthened their will.

Vesey’s plan was to overtake the state armory in Charleston to arm rural and island-bound slaves. The armed men would then storm the city and neutralize the opposing forces before boarding the boats and ships at the port. They planned to escape to Haiti, where the previously enslaved Africans had managed to overthrow the oppressive government. 

Unfortunately, several enslaved non-participators were forced into confessing the conspiracy. Gullah Jack and Denmark Vesey were arrested on July 5, 1822 alongside 130 other conspirators. They were each put on trial, and eventually Gullah Jack and Vesey were hanged to death with 34 other co-conspirators. Despite the failure of this particular call to action, these two men had a massive influence on each survivor.

When Gullah Jack so fearlessly gave his life in pursuit of a better life for his people, it gave others strength. His sacrifice inspired them to fight for their rights as human beings, their God-given right to freedom.