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Context
Gabriel’s Conspiracy illustrated the lengths to which some enslaved people were willing to fight for freedom in pre-Civil War America. In 1800, a group of enslaved men living in the vicinity of Richmond planned a conspiracy to take over the capital, kill enslavers, and negotiate for enslaved people’s freedom.
An enslaved blacksmith named Gabriel (who is sometimes identified as Gabriel Prosser using the surname of his enslaver) and several other enslaved men began to recruit others through their networks. Gabriel, who lived in Henrico County, became a leader of the group, enlisting his brother Solomon (no surname given) and others working at a forge in Hanover to fashion weapons out of scythes. He and other members of the group spread the word at church and social gatherings, and even planned to recruit members from nearby Petersburg, from where they had heard rumors of unrest among the enslaved population. Conspirators hailed from Henrico, Richmond, Hanover County, and as far as Caroline County. The group planned to seize Richmond, capturing arms and ammunition and taking the governor (future president James Monroe) hostage. From there, they would move through the tidewater after connecting with men in Petersburg to liberate enslaved people and demand freedom for enslaved Virginians.
The attack was devised to surprise whites and overwhelm them with a large force. Without enough weapons, the conspirators planned to set a fire near the James River to draw forces away from where they would enter the city from the north. Gabriel and a group even scoped out the capitol to determine where munitions were kept, so they could descend on that area to take what they needed. Although it is difficult to determine how many were involved in the conspiracy, estimates range between 500 to 10,000. Solomon believed that about 1,000 were expected to gather on the night of August 30, when the attack was planned. The attack was thwarted when a massive rainstorm flooded creeks around Richmond, and two conspirators turned on the force and informed their enslavers of the plot. The local militia immediately began to round up suspects, and Gabriel escaped to Norfolk but was eventually captured and taken to Richmond for trial.
In all, seventy-two men were tried. Twenty-six, including Gabriel, were found guilty and executed, eight were transported out of the state, and thirteen were pardoned. The two men who informed about the conspiracy were granted their freedom in 1801 and awarded a lifetime pension of $60 per year. Governor Monroe eventually pardoned additional plotters because the cost of extensive militia patrols, the trials, and the reimbursements to the owners of men who were executed was draining the state treasury.
In the immediate aftermath of the conspiracy, the General Assembly sought to restrict the movement of both enslaved and free Black Virginians. Militia companies were mobilized in a show of force and to guard against potential uprisings. An act passed in 1801 required free Black residents to register annually at their local magistrates’ offices. Another act empowered magistrates to send out patrols in their localities. A public guard was also established in Richmond. Gabriel’s Conspiracy sent a strong message to white Virginians about enslaved Black people’s desire for freedom, and the whites in power responded with force both legally and legislatively.
This document is the confession given by Solomon, Gabriel’s brother, and recorded by local magistrates. Solomon was the first man tried and executed for his role in the conspiracy. It is part of a collection of testimonies given by witnesses and defendants to the court.
Citation: Confession of Solomon, Sept. 15, 1800, Executive Papers of Governor James Monroe, 1799–1802, Accession 40936, Record Group 3, State Government Records Collection, Library of Virginia. Also available online in Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative.
Learn more about Gabriel's Conspiracy online at Encyclopedia Virginia.
Find more documents in the Gabriel's Conspiracy Digital Collection.
Learn more about conspirator Jack Ditcher (alias Jack Bowler) in his Dictionary of Virginia Biography entry.
An enslaved blacksmith named Gabriel (who is sometimes identified as Gabriel Prosser using the surname of his enslaver) and several other enslaved men began to recruit others through their networks. Gabriel, who lived in Henrico County, became a leader of the group, enlisting his brother Solomon (no surname given) and others working at a forge in Hanover to fashion weapons out of scythes. He and other members of the group spread the word at church and social gatherings, and even planned to recruit members from nearby Petersburg, from where they had heard rumors of unrest among the enslaved population. Conspirators hailed from Henrico, Richmond, Hanover County, and as far as Caroline County. The group planned to seize Richmond, capturing arms and ammunition and taking the governor (future president James Monroe) hostage. From there, they would move through the tidewater after connecting with men in Petersburg to liberate enslaved people and demand freedom for enslaved Virginians.
The attack was devised to surprise whites and overwhelm them with a large force. Without enough weapons, the conspirators planned to set a fire near the James River to draw forces away from where they would enter the city from the north. Gabriel and a group even scoped out the capitol to determine where munitions were kept, so they could descend on that area to take what they needed. Although it is difficult to determine how many were involved in the conspiracy, estimates range between 500 to 10,000. Solomon believed that about 1,000 were expected to gather on the night of August 30, when the attack was planned. The attack was thwarted when a massive rainstorm flooded creeks around Richmond, and two conspirators turned on the force and informed their enslavers of the plot. The local militia immediately began to round up suspects, and Gabriel escaped to Norfolk but was eventually captured and taken to Richmond for trial.
In all, seventy-two men were tried. Twenty-six, including Gabriel, were found guilty and executed, eight were transported out of the state, and thirteen were pardoned. The two men who informed about the conspiracy were granted their freedom in 1801 and awarded a lifetime pension of $60 per year. Governor Monroe eventually pardoned additional plotters because the cost of extensive militia patrols, the trials, and the reimbursements to the owners of men who were executed was draining the state treasury.
In the immediate aftermath of the conspiracy, the General Assembly sought to restrict the movement of both enslaved and free Black Virginians. Militia companies were mobilized in a show of force and to guard against potential uprisings. An act passed in 1801 required free Black residents to register annually at their local magistrates’ offices. Another act empowered magistrates to send out patrols in their localities. A public guard was also established in Richmond. Gabriel’s Conspiracy sent a strong message to white Virginians about enslaved Black people’s desire for freedom, and the whites in power responded with force both legally and legislatively.
This document is the confession given by Solomon, Gabriel’s brother, and recorded by local magistrates. Solomon was the first man tried and executed for his role in the conspiracy. It is part of a collection of testimonies given by witnesses and defendants to the court.
Citation: Confession of Solomon, Sept. 15, 1800, Executive Papers of Governor James Monroe, 1799–1802, Accession 40936, Record Group 3, State Government Records Collection, Library of Virginia. Also available online in Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative.
Learn more about Gabriel's Conspiracy online at Encyclopedia Virginia.
Find more documents in the Gabriel's Conspiracy Digital Collection.
Learn more about conspirator Jack Ditcher (alias Jack Bowler) in his Dictionary of Virginia Biography entry.
Standards
USI.8, USI.9, VUS.5, VUS.7, VUS.8
Suggested Questions
Preview Activity
Analyze: Read the document and look at how Solomon described the planning. How serious was this conspiracy? How would you describe the planning process?
Post-Activities
Be the Journalist: Imagine you were able to interview Gabriel. What would you ask him? What do you think his answers would be?
Cell Phone From the Past: Imagine you found Gabriel’s phone. What three contacts would you see in his list, and why? Name three apps he may have had on his phone. Why did you choose these?
Another Perspective: Based on the actions of the General Assembly after Gabriel's Conspiracy, what do you think white Virginians at the time feared the most, and why?
Analyze: Read the document and look at how Solomon described the planning. How serious was this conspiracy? How would you describe the planning process?
Post-Activities
Be the Journalist: Imagine you were able to interview Gabriel. What would you ask him? What do you think his answers would be?
Cell Phone From the Past: Imagine you found Gabriel’s phone. What three contacts would you see in his list, and why? Name three apps he may have had on his phone. Why did you choose these?
Another Perspective: Based on the actions of the General Assembly after Gabriel's Conspiracy, what do you think white Virginians at the time feared the most, and why?