General Gabriel Prosser (1775-1800) On August 30, 1800, Gabriel Prosser intended to lead a rebellion and become the king of Richmond and several surrounding counties. An enslaved man, Gabriel was "owned" by Thomas Henry Prosser of Brookfield plantation near Richmond, Virginia. He was most likely born on the plantation where he lived. He was married and he was a skilled blacksmith, He believed that his people were being unjustly enslaved and wanted to do something about it Out of that, he organized a major slave uprising. It was the boldest plan of its kind to be conceived of in the history of slavery in the Southern states. It may have succeeded. However, it was literally rained out. There was a sudden and severe downpour. Also, some of the slaves of Mosby Shepherd told their master of the plot and it was thwarted. After this attempted uprising, new laws went into effect limiting the mobility, literacy, and relative freedom of enslaved peoples. Did he...
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