Cato's Rebellion is the largest uprising of enslaved Black people prior to the American Revolution. During the 18th century, the South Carolina colony’s economy is based on rice and cotton, which relies heavily on the labor of enslaved people. The territory’s enslaved Black population outnumbers the white population in the 1730s.

An enslaved African person known as "Jemmy" plans an uprising along with at least 20 other enslaved people. Jemmy and his comrades are natives of the Kingdom of Kongo, a central African nation. On September 9, 1739, the group meets by the Stono River and begins their attack at a store near the Stono River Bridge, killing two white people and seizing firearms. The group of rebels grows to over 80 people, who burn seven plantations and kill more than 20 people. Most of the surviving rebels are executed, and the rest are sold to planters in the West Indies.