There once was a time when Virginia celebrated heroes of the Civil War like Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and JEB Stuart. Virginia has, by and large, moved beyond its nostalgia for the Lost Cause, rightfully honoring heroes of the American Revolution, such as Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry, and the Civil Rights era, such as the recently deceased Olive W. Hill.
Now, it appears, the Old Dominion may be transitioning to a new era, honoring a far more controversial figure, as evidenced by the little-noted action of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine informally pardoning Gabriel Prosser.
Who, you may ask, is (or was) Gabriel Prosser? He was the leader of an aborted slave rebellion who was hanged, along with 34 other slaves, in 1800. “Gabriel’s Rebellion” is well known to students of African-American resistance to the institution of chattel slavery. The 25-year-old slave, inspired by Biblical stories of the Jews’ flight from slavery in Egypt and the teachings of the American Revolution, organized an uprising by thousands of slaves. His plan: to massacre all whites (excepting Methodists, Quakers and Frenchmen) and to install himself as king of a new nation.
The plot was revealed at the last moment, and the congregation of rebels outside Richmond was disrupted by a torrential downpour of rain. Prosser delayed the attack until the next day, but by then the whites, alerted to the threat, were well organized to suppress the rebellion. Prosser fled to Norfolk, where he was betrayed by his fellow slaves, brought back to Richmond and hung.
In restoring Prosser’s “good name,” Kaine noted that he was motivated by the rebel’s “devotion to the ideals of the American revolution.” Said Kaine: “It was worth risking death to secure liberty. … History favorably regards Gabriel’s cause while consigning legions who sought to keep him and others in chains to be forgotten.”
Kaine’s pardoning of Prosser fellows a similar pardon last year in clearing the name of accused 18th century witch Grace Sherwood, of Virginia Beach, reports Jeff Schapiro in the Times-Dispatch. (Sorry, folks, I’d like to the story but I can’t find it in the T-D archives.)
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