| Existing comment:
Mayo's Bridge at 14th Street played a role in one of the most famous anti-slavery plots in U.S. history. In 1800, Gabriel, an enslaved blacksmith, recruited hundreds, and possibly thousands, to his plan to attack Richmond and demand that all slaves in Virginia be freed. Inspired by the ideals of the American Revolution, Gabriel took as his motto "Death or Liberty," evoking the words spoken 25 years earlier by Patrick Henry at St. John's Church, just 10 blocks from here. The plan, which called for some troops to secure Mayo's Bridge, while others set fire to Rockett's Landing, was foiled by a violent storm. Before a second attempt could be made, Gabriel was betrayed. He was eventually captured, tried, and hanged at 15th and Broad Streets. |