Who is responsible for the abolition of chattel slavery? Afrikans are Mainstream history books have made us believe that enslaved Afrikans were freed because of a change of heart by the United States government. The truth is, the ongoing revolts by Afrikans in the Western Hemisphere made the institution of chattel slavery impossible to maintain. "Insurrection " gives a summary of how Afrikans in the Americas freed themselves from bondage, by any means necessary