3 10 21 https://www.lva.virginia.gov/collections/educator-resources/dbva/files/original/3a5a18576e6245fd5802825c2694a407.jpg dff7ba38dab61b32fac55df54bfb2c15 https://www.lva.virginia.gov/collections/educator-resources/dbva/files/original/a94e6d4dc29f1085503296dc8d5e066e.jpg fd833fd9067e078e482e186a29908829 https://www.lva.virginia.gov/collections/educator-resources/dbva/files/original/de8118818e45a5044e094011188d1d36.pdf 894982910b5509da4d7fc50c544de734 https://www.lva.virginia.gov/collections/educator-resources/dbva/files/original/15f0f3456b3888b1e033c49a3c8810d2.pdf c7fce07522e139cdf098a306e3c979a5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Expansion and Reform Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1800-1860 Description An account of the resource Between 1800 and 1860, the United States underwent a period of increased territorial growth, immigration, economic growth, and industrialization. At the same time as the nation was increasing in population and size, regional differences were becoming more and more pronounced, and politically confrontational. The idea of Manifest Destiny led to expansion first across the Appalachians, then across the Mississippi, and finally to the Pacific Ocean. Vast swaths of land were aquired via the Louisiana Purchase from France and through the United States’s victory in the Mexican-American War. This expansion, however, did have some negative results, most notably the removal of many Indian nations in the Southeast and old Northwest. Economic development, while increasing wealth and prosperity, also brought regional differences more sharply into focus. Northeastern industrial development, increased urbanization, and technological advancements separated it even further from the agrarian South. There was also a transportation revolution involving railroads, canals, and trans-regional roads, many times centered in the North. The issue of slavery caused increasing strife and political debate as new western territories sought to join the Union. Despite expansion, free African Americans and women were still largely disfranchised. Reforms movements related to temperence, women's rights, education, mental health, and imprisonment occurred in bursts, setting the stage for post-Civil War major reforms. Learn more in the <a title="This external link will open in a new window." href="http://www.nchs.ucla.edu/history-standards/us-history-content-standards/united-states-era-4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National U.S. History Content Standards</a>. Lesson Plan A resource that gives a detailed description of a course of instruction. 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. <a href="https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/br4o1h/alma9918118736505756">Also available online in Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative</a>. <a href="https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/gabriels-conspiracy-1800/">Learn more about Gabriel's Conspiracy online at Encyclopedia Virginia</a>. <a href="https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/collectionDiscovery?vid=01LVA_INST:VU&inst=01LVA_INST&collectionId=81116276490005756">Find more documents in the Gabriel's Conspiracy Digital Collection</a>. <a href="https://www.lva.virginia.gov/public/dvb/bio.asp?b=Ditcher_Jack">Learn more about conspirator Jack Ditcher (alias Jack Bowler) in his Dictionary of Virginia Biography entry</a>. 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? Standards USI.8, USI.9, VUS.5, VUS.7, VUS.8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Gabriel's Conspiracy, Testimony of Solomon, 1800 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1800 African American History Government and Civics