Denmark Vesey, or Telemaque while enslaved, (1767 – July 2, 1822) was an African-American man who was most famous for planning a slave rebellion in the United States in 1822. He was enslaved in South Carolina. After purchasing his freedom, he planned an extensive slave rebellion. Word of the plans was leaked, and authorities arrested the plot’s leaders at Charleston, South Carolina, before the uprising could begin. Vesey and others were convicted and executed.
Many antislavery activists came to regard Vesey as a hero. During the American Civil War, abolitionist Frederick Douglass used Vesey’s name as a battle cry[clarification needed] to rally African-American regiments, especially the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.[citation needed]
Although it was almost certainly not Vesey’s actual home, the Denmark Vesey House at Charleston was named a National Historic Landmark in 1976.