San Miguel de Gualdape

2025-2026 Bill 1090: San Miguel de Gualdape - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Download
This Bill
in Microsoft Word Format
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
S. 1090
STATUS INFORMATION
Senate Resolution
Sponsors: Senator Sabb
Document Path: SR-0619KM-AMB26.docx
Introduced in the Senate on April 1, 2026
Adopted by the Senate on April 1, 2026
Summary: San Miguel de Gualdape
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

4/1/2026

Senate

Introduced and adopted (
Senate Journal-page 10
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
04/01/2026

A
senate
RESOLUTION

To recognize the five hundredth anniversary of the
San Miguel de Gualdape Revolt and to honor the legacy of those who first fought
for freedom.

W
hereas, 2026 marks the
historic five hundredth anniversary of the San Miguel de Gualdape Revolt, a
pivotal yet often overlooked chapter in the history of North America; and

W
hereas, in 1526,
Spanish magistrate Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón established San Miguel de Gualdape,
the first European settlement in what is now the continental United States,
likely located along the coast of present-day South Carolina or Georgia; and

W
hereas, among the six
hundred settlers were approximately one hundred enslaved Africans-the first
documented instance of Black enslavement in North America-who were forced to
endure brutal labor, starvation, and disease; and

W
hereas, in October 1526, these
enslaved individuals rose up in defiance of their captors, carrying out the
first recorded rebellion against slavery in the territory that would become the
United States; and

W
hereas, during the rebellion,
the enslaved Africans freed Spanish settlers who were imprisoned by mutineers
and set fire to the homes of Spanish mutineers, a courageous act that
contributed to the eventual collapse of the colony; and

W
hereas, the self-liberated
Africans of the revolt escaped into the wilderness to live among the local
Indigenous population, becoming the first non-native community to peacefully
coexist with Native Americans. This union marked the birth of a multi-racial
tradition of resistance and the first known instance of Afro-Indigenous maroonage
in North America; and

W
hereas, this uprising,
occurring two hundred fifty years before the Declaration of Independence,
remains a powerful testament to the enduring human spirit and the foundational
quest for liberty and equality on this continent; and

W
hereas, recognizing
this five hundredth anniversary provides an opportunity for all American citizens
to reflect on our shared history, honor the ancestors of this resistance, and
recommit to the principles of freedom and justice for all. Now, therefore,

B
e it resolved by the
Senate
:

T
hat the members of the
South Carolina
Senate
, by this resolution,
recognize the five hundredth anniversary of the San Miguel de Gualdape Revolt
and honor the legacy of those who first fought for freedom.

B
e it further resolved
that a copy of this resolution be presented to Gullah Goodz Heritage Foundation.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on April 1, 2026 at 1:12 PM