Gabriel, who often for the sake of convenience is mistakenly referred to as Prosser, was the leader of an unsuccessful slave revolt in Richmond, Virginia in 1800. Born into slavery around 1775, Gabriel was the chattel of Thomas H. Prosser of Henrico County, Virginia. Little is known of his life before the revolt that catapulted him into notoriety. Gabriel’s two brothers, Solomon and Martin and his wife, Nanny, were all owned by Thomas Prosser, and all participated in the insurrection.

At the time of the insurrection, Gabriel was twenty-four years old, six feet two inches tall, literate, and a blacksmith by trade. He was described by a contemporary as “a fellow of courage and intellect above his rank in life.” With the help of other slaves including Jack Bowler and George Smith, he devised a plan to seize control of Richmond by killing all of the whites (except the Methodists, Quakers and Frenchmen) and then establishing a Kingdom of Virginia with himself as monarch.

Gabriel and the other revolt leaders were probably influenced by the American Revolution and more recently the French and Haitian Revolutions with their rhetoric of freedom, equality and brotherhood. In the months prior to the revolt, he recruited hundreds of supporters and organized them into military units. Although Virginia authorities never determined the extent of the revolt, they estimated that several thousand planned to participate including many who were to be armed with swords and pikes made from farm tools by slave blacksmiths.

Gabriel planned to initiate the insurrection on the night of August 30, 1800. However, earlier in the day two slaves who wanted to protect their masters betrayed the plot to Virginia authorities. Governor James Monroe alerted the militia. A rainstorm prevented the army from assembling outside Richmond thereby delaying the uprising by 24 hours and giving the militia crucial time to prepare a defense of the city. Realizing their plan had been discovered, Gabriel and his co-conspirators dispersed into the countryside. About 35 leaders were captured and executed but Gabriel was able to escape to Norfolk where he was betrayed by other enslaved people for the reward. He was captured on September 25 and returned to Richmond where he was tried and found guilty on October 6 for his role in the abortive uprising. He was executed on October 7, 1800.

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  • Ho_Chi_Chungus [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
    20·
    1 year ago

    i only have like 2 close irl friends and they’re both trans femmes and one of them keeps trying to convince me to trans my gender and i’m just sitting here being haunted by the specter of estrogen like

    kel-sad trans-specter

      • Ho_Chi_Chungus [she/her]@hexbear.netEnglish
        7·
        1 year ago

        okay so like I’m 90% sure I’m a cis man but f1nnster or however you spell it is also a cis man and honestly I wouldn’t be opposed to cosplaying as a girl as a hobby

        • Frank [he/him, he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
          4·
          1 year ago

          It’s okay to be a cis man and present femme when it suits you. There’s an ancient quote from Iggy Pop. He was wearing a dress and an interviewer asked him if he wasn’t ashamed for wearing women’s clothes. He said no, and when the interviewer pressed him as to why he said “because I don’t think it’s shameful to be a woman”.

          Gender identity is internal and personal. Clothes, makeup, demeanor, shoes; that’s socially constructed gender performance. Also worth noting; there are many cultures where gender presents very differently from the modern west. Ancient romans allegedly thought pants were effeminate. “Viking” men took very good care of their hair and enjoyed fine clothes and perfumes. Combs are an extremely common archeological find in northern european sites. Taureg men veil their faces in the company of all but close relatives, while Taureg women to not. High heels were once a very masculine fashion intended to accentuate the calves. Back in the 70s atheltic men wore short shorts and crop tops and it was considered masculine and attratcive.

          The cultural performance of gender varies all over the world and is mutable and can change quite quickly. It can be embraced, defied, subverted, queered, ignored, or innovated on without necessarily bearing on your internal, personal gender identity.

          Also; skirt go spinny. Everyone should own a few 24yd maxi skirts if they can.

    • RadioMartinaise [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
      9·
      1 year ago

      LEOPARD-PATTERNED BODYSUIT - This is a men’s size L leopard-patterned unitard with short sleeves. There are bits of seaweed stuck to it. It speaks to the animal inside you.

      YOU - What should I… do with it?! (Continue.)

      ELECTROCHEMISTRY - There’s only one thing left to do – see how it fits.

      COMPOSURE - Just know that once the leotard goes on, it never comes off. You will change, irrevocably.

      ELECTROCHEMISTRY - But don’t you want to feel different? It can be a secret that only you know.

    • Frank [he/him, he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      It’s not cool to pressure someone on their gender identity. Even if you feel differently later, that’s not who you are right now and it’s not kind to pressure someone. I am, however, sympathetic to the desire to share something important with friends and people you lvoe.