Forging Freedom: The Story of Gabriel's Rebellion

Were it not for a typical late summer storm in Central Virginia, the events planned for August 30, 1800 might have changed the history of our country forever. A slave named Gabriel, owned by Thomas Henry Prosser of Brookfield plantation, conceived and organized a widespread slave uprising. Involving several Virginia localities, it was possibly the most far-reaching slave uprising planned in the history of the South. The plan might have succeeded had it not been for a sudden, severe downpour and the disclosure of the plot by several slaves, including Tom and Pharoah, who belonged to Mosby Sheppard of Meadow Farm. The alarm went out and the rebellion was thwarted. The effects of the conspiracy were profound and as a result, county and state leaders instituted legislation to regulate the movement of slaves and free blacks. "Forging Freedom" was produced by HCTV in 2016.