Name
Prosser's Rebellion
By Sharon Fabian
The United States won its freedom from England in the 1700's. It
happened because the colonists had leaders like George Washington
who were willing to plan, and organize, and fight for freedom.
However, even after 1776, one group of Americans was still hoping
for their freedom. These people were the slaves who worked on
plantations in the southeastern states. Then, in the year 1800, they
began to hear of a leader who was planning and organizing to fight for
their freedom. This leader's name was Gabriel Prosser.
Gabriel Prosser was a slave himself. He worked on Thomas Prosser's
tobacco plantation near Richmond, Virginia, yet he was also someone
whom the other slaves looked up to as a leader. Like other slaves,
Prosser had suffered much mistreatment in his life. He was ready to
rebel, and he had heard of other successful revolutions in which
people had gained their freedom. The American Revolution was one.
The French Revolution was another. He was also inspired by a slave
rebellion in Haiti that had been successful.
When other slaves heard of Prosser's plans, many decided to join
him. Of course, all plans had to be made in secret, so no one knows
for sure how many slaves planned to fight with Prosser. Some
estimates say 500. Other estimates say 50,000. Most estimates put the
total somewhere between those two numbers.
Prosser's plan was for the slaves to kill their masters and then to
invade Richmond. There they would seize the armory and important
government buildings. Prosser's group would take over and in this
way gain their freedom.
Prosser laid careful plans for his revolution. He made preparations so
that each part of the plan would be ready to go at the same time. On
visits to Richmond, he studied the layout of the city and the location
of the buildings they planned to attack. Weapons such as swords and
bullets were made and hidden away. Secret messages informed his
followers that the attack was set for Saturday night, August 30, 1800.
Some historians think that Prosser's rebellion would have been
successful if it weren't for the torrential rainstorm that hit that night.
So much rain came down so fast, that it washed out bridges and roads.
The bridge between Prosser's plantation and Richmond was washed
out. Some of the attackers were already on the move, and it was too
late to put off the attack until another time.
At the last minute, an even bigger setback occurred. Two slaves who
had been part of the plot changed their mind. They told their owner
what was about to happen, maybe to save his life. Quickly, their
owner got word out to Governor Monroe, who called out the militia in
force and put down the rebellion. Some of the slaves who were
captured were convicted in court and executed. Prosser himself
escaped aboard a ship for a short time, but was captured in Norfolk
and then executed too.
Gabriel Prosser had given many slaves hope for the future, but the
failure of his rebellion made their lives even harsher. New laws were
put into effect, in Virginia and in other slave states, that restricted the
lives of slaves even more than before. The idea of abolishing slavery
didn't go away, but it did go underground. Slaves continued to hope
and plan for freedom. New leaders would emerge in the future, and
more rebellions would take place. Sooner or later, the slaves would
gain their freedom.
Prosser's Rebellion
Questions
1. Prosser's Rebellion occurred in the year ______.
A. 1600
B. 1700
C. 1800
D. none of the above
2. Gabriel Prosser was ______.
A. a slave in Virginia
B. a leader among the slaves
C. the leader of a rebellion
D. all of the above
In 1800, instant communication was not available as it is today. It
took a long time for a leader to communicate with all of his followers.
When a rebellion was planned in secret, like Prosser's Rebellion was,
it was even more difficult to communicate quickly. Write about how
you think Prosser kept his followers informed about his plans.
Name
3. The purpose of Prosser's Rebellion was to gain ______.
A. money
B. the right to vote
C. freedom
D. land
4. Prosser planned to attack ______.
A. roads and bridges
B. Washington, DC
C. Richmond, VA
D. Thomas Prosser's plantation
5. ______ slaves were ready to join Prosser's Rebellion.
A. 500
B. 1800
C. No one knows how many
D. 50,000
6. Prosser's Rebellion failed because ______.
A. neither
B. a huge rainstorm washed out roads and bridges
C. both
D. the authorities found out that the rebellion was about to
happen
7. Which happened first?
A. Two slaves told their owner that the rebellion was about
to begin.
B. Members of the rebellion were tried and executed.
C. Prosser was captured aboard a ship.
D. Prosser planned and organized for a rebellion.
8. This article is mainly about ______.
A. how Gabriel Prosser was captured
B. Prosser's plan to gain freedom for slaves
C. how many people planned to join Prosser's Rebellion
D. Thomas Prosser's plantation