October–November 1687
RepressionBook sources
Virginia responds to an alleged Westmoreland slave plot
Northern Neck and Westmoreland County, Virginia
After Nicholas Spencer reported an alleged conspiracy among enslaved people, Virginia’s governor and council arranged for detention and possible expedited trial. They also ordered stricter enforcement of existing controls on movement and gatherings, including funerals.
Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.
Context / qualification
The council’s record reports officials’ allegations and intended punishments. It does not establish that the accused carried out an uprising or that proposed executions occurred; the trial outcomes are unknown.
Sources
- Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, chapter 2, p. 32; supplied print pages, edition/year unidentified
- Virginia Council, 24 October 1687; Executive Journals 1:86–87 ↗
- Walter Rucker, Westmoreland Slave Plot: November 5 proclamation and missing trial outcomes ↗