Privileged Slaves Led Many Revolts

Contrary to the 'eruption of misery' narrative, major slave uprisings were often organized by higher‑status enslaved people—drivers, domestics, artisans, preachers, and even former nobles—especially during periods of policy amelioration. Their broader networks and exposure to alternatives raised expectations and made constrained status intolerable. — This reframes revolutionary risk as a product of rising expectations and elite‑intermediary defection, warning that partial reforms can catalyze unrest when hopes outrun reality.