Gabriel Prosser Plans Mass Uprising in Henrico County, Virginia

Gabriel, an enslaved blacksmith in Henrico County, Virginia, organized what would have been the largest slave rebellion in US history. He planned to march approximately 1,000 armed men on Richmond, take Governor James Monroe hostage, and force the state to end slavery. The plan was set for August 30, 1800, but two enslaved men — Pharaoh and Tom — informed their enslaver. Monroe called out the militia. A violent storm that night also prevented assembly. Gabriel evaded capture for weeks before bei