Gabriel's Rebellion

by Egerton, Douglas R.

• ISBN13: 9780807844229
• ISBN10: 0807844225
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-10-01
• Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr

Summary

Gabriel's Rebelliontells the dramatic story of what was perhaps the most extensive slave conspiracy in the history of the American South. Douglas Egerton illuminates the complex motivations that underlay two related Virginia slave revolts: the first, in 1800, led by the slave known as Gabriel; and the second, called the 'Easter Plot,' instigated in 1802 by one of his followers. Although Gabriel has frequently been portrayed as a messianic, Samson-like figure, Egerton shows that he was a literate and highly skilled blacksmith whose primary goal was to destroy the economic hegemony of the 'merchants,' the only whites he ever identified as his enemies. According to Egerton, the social, political, and economic disorder of the Revolutionary era weakened some of the harsh controls that held slavery in place during colonial times. Emboldened by these conditions, a small number of literate slaves--most of them highly skilled artisans--planned an armed insurrection aimed at destroying slavery in Virginia. The intricate scheme failed, as did the Easter Plot that stemmed from it, and Gabriel and many of his followers were hanged. By placing the revolts within the broader context of the volatile political currents of the day, Egerton challenges the conventional understanding of race, class, and politics in the early days of the American republic.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
PART ONE. RICHMOND 1800	3	(116)
1. The Revolutionary Storm	3	(15)
2. An Upright Man	18	(16)
3. The Year 1800	34	(16)
4. The Preparation	50	(19)
5. A Plot Discovered	69	(11)
6. Cemeteries Take What Is Given Them	80	(15)
7. A Companion Picture	95	(24)
PART TWO. HALIFAX 1802	119	(60)
8. Recalled to Life	119	(13)
9. The Footsteps Die Out	132	(15)
10. A Place of Asylum	147	(16)
11. The Power in That Name	163	(16)
Appendix 1. Gabriel's Religion	179	(3)
Appendix 2. The Frenchmen	182	(4)
Appendix 3. Slaves Executed	186	(3)
Notes	189	(48)
Bibliography	237	(16)
Index	253