The slaves’ collective denial of the plot persuaded a manager they were loyal.

Evidence

All the slaves on this plantation were gathered and asked if there was such a plot. The slaves answered “with one voice” that this accusation was a “detestable calumny” and swore “inviolable attachment” to their manager. He believed them, and, as one account lamented when it was too late, “his credulity has been our ruin.” Still, whites were aware that something was afoot, even if they had no idea how extensive the conspiracy really was. For the conspirators, weeks of planning, not to mention many lives, were on the verge of being lost. So, starting with the attack against Mossut at La Gossette, and then the uprisings in Acul, the revolt was set in motion early. — Dubois, Laurent, Avengers of the New World_ The Story of…, 337

Categorization

• QUESTION: Slaves speaking ‘with one voice’ to deny a conspiracy suggests organized discipline even in denial — worth asking how the cover story was coordinated.