Gabriel's Insurrection

Perhaps no state rivals Virginia when it comes to early history. Yet, there are many aspects of Virginia's early history that are either unknown or vaguely known by the general public. Over the last thirty years, Larson has written over thirty plays that deal with these aspects and the generally well-known men and women involved in them. These people include such names as Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, Patrick Henry, Meriwether Lewis, John Randolph, John Robinson, Nathaniel Bacon, William Berkeley, John Chiswell, Martha Jefferson, Harry Lee, Nancy Randolph, Theodosia Burr and Edmund Pendleton. The name Gabriel Prosser is little known, yet in the summer of 1800 this enslaved blacksmith planned to lead a large slave insurrection in the Richmond area; however information regarding the revolt was leaked prior to its execution and Gabriel's plans were thwarted. Gabriel and twenty-six members of the revolt were hanged. In 2007 Virginia Governor Tim Kaine gave Gabriel and his followers an informal pardon in recognition that his cause, "the end of slavery and the furtherance of equality for all people --- has prevailed in the light of history."