American Uprising

A gripping and deeply revealing history of the infamous slave rebellion that nearly toppled New Orleans and changed the course of American history

In January 1811, five hundred slaves, dressed in military uniforms and armed with guns, cane knives, and axes, rose up from the slave plantations around New Orleans and set out to conquer the city. Their march represented the largest act of armed resistance against slavery in the history of the United States. American Uprising is the riveting and long-neglected story of this elaborate plot, the rebel army's dramatic march on the city, and its shocking conclusion. Daniel Rasmussen illuminates the early history of New Orleans and provides new insight into the path to the Civil War and the slave revolutionaries who fought and died for justice and the hope of freedom.