Who Was Gabriel Prosser And Why He Matters Today

Born in a country that taught people of color to serve their masters, individuals' upbringing included slaves being sold to other masters which created generations and generations of systematic racism. As Gabriel Prosser grew up seeing this, an industrious person was born which led to what is called Gabriel’s Rebellion.  And today our culture is rebelling to face politicians trying to suppress important history.

Gabriel Prosser, a man born into slavery, is important to know because his rebellion was the first in U.S. history; slaves couldn’t express freedom, equality, or opportunity to grow. Gabriel was the leader of an unsuccessful slave revolution in Richmond, Virginia in the 1800s. Gabriel was owned by Thomas H. Prosser of Henrico County, Virginia; it’s believed Gabriel was born in the 1700s.

This slave master expressed apathy and avarice behavior; Gabriel’s two brothers, Solomon and Martin and his wife, Nanny, were all owned by Thomas Prosser and participated in the insurrection. Thomas H. Prosser gave him the name Gabriel Prosser so we will never know what his true name was. 

Gabriel Prosser was a blacksmith initially. His upbringing was like many other slaves, with not many avocations to choose from, families were found in derelict households, and life during that time for African Americans was full of calamity. Thomas held Gabriel’s brothers Solomon and Martin in bondage which meant that Gabriel and his brothers weren’t considered people to their slave master, but viewed as property. These events in history are important to remember as we still have people who abuse their power.

Today, the African American culture is contending with politicians trying to remove the option to learn about African American history. For example, Governor Ron DeSantis is pushing to remove some aspects of our history being taught in schools. Every day, we have to fight to be heard and push for change. Gabriel Prosser is an important man to know because even though he started a slave rebellion and failed, he was able to motivate others that look like us to push for change.

What is happening in today’s society is an example of why Gabriel chose to plan a slave rebellion in the first place. Although the Florida Governor's website states that it is a myth FL has banned instruction on African American history, the current policy isn’t sufficient. The Governor has signed legislation that ensures Florida’s students learn about the 1920 Ocoee Election Day Riots in addition to requiring instruction on slavery, the Civil War, and Jim Crow laws but more is needed.

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Gabriel was one first to challenge the Founding Fathers with a straight forwarding approach; the rebellion ended with many whites and slave masters making a public announcement of an execution.  Then a local blacksmith planned the event for various people to witness Gabriel and twenty-five supporters hung.

This location made history as it is now known as the site for Gabriel’s execution; which is called the Burial Ground for Negroes. James Monroe was the Governor at the time who said it was legal to punish African Americans by hanging instead of having a fair trial. This is another example of abuse of power since Gabriel’s act conflicted with politician’s beliefs. 

These contemptuous acts had a domino effect for more rebellions and belligerent behavior. The state of Virginia including state legislatures passed limitations on free blacks, such as prohibiting education, assembly, and employing slaves to restrict their ability and chances to plan similar rebellions.

Black history is a sensitive subject to many but you can’t erase the past; Society doesn’t show many individuals that played a big part in changing the dynamics of history. Gabriel fought for black rights and resisted racial oppression but, today Governor DeSantis seems to believe Florida schools shouldn’t teach a complete version of African American History.  

There are many social media posts that show Governor DeSantis flaunting Florida’s high-quality standards for required instruction of African American History.  These extensive African American History educational requirements in state law that Governor DeSantis successfully helped expand in recent years often reflect a negative impact on African American culture. 

As Erika D. Smith states in the LA Times “As odious as DeSantis is, it has become increasingly clear that his culture-war antics, especially his anti-trans, anti-Black crusade to ban books, which recently ensnared Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb,” are more popular among Americans than they should be.” 

Since the 1800s, African Americans have fought for change but many still in our community today don’t know the individuals who fought and died for us to have these rights to learn about adversarial acts in history. Society demonstrates that important footnotes are being erased from black culture's history.

Our culture sees government officials trying to reverse time by removing libraries and subjects in colleges that teach correct versions of black events decades ago. Ron DeSantis is the face and example of many politicians trying to reverse time because it conflicts with government's true beliefs.