Gabriel's Insurrection

Perhaps no state rivals Virginia when it comes to early history. Yet, there are many aspects of Virginia's early history that are either unknown or vaguely known by the general public. Over the last thirty years, Larson has written over thirty plays that deal with these aspects and the generally well-known men and women involved in them. These people include such names as Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, Patrick Henry, Meriwether Lewis, John Randolph, John Robinson, Nathaniel Bacon, William Berkeley, John Chiswell, Martha Jefferson, Harry Lee, Nancy Randolph, Theodosia Burr and Edmund Pendleton. The name Gabriel Prosser is little known, yet in the summer of 1800 this enslaved blacksmith planned to lead a large slave insurrection in the Richmond area; however information regarding the revolt was leaked prior to its execution and Gabriel's plans were thwarted. Gabriel and twenty-six members of the revolt were hanged. In 2007 Virginia Governor Tim Kaine gave Gabriel and his followers an informal pardon in recognition that his cause, "the end of slavery and the furtherance of equality for all people --- has prevailed in the light of history."

Dr. Ron Larson is a professor of mathematics at The Pennsylvania State University, where he has taught since 1970. He received his Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Colorado and is considered the pioneer of using multimedia to enhance the learning of mathematics, having authored over 30 software titles since 1990. Dr. Larson conducts numerous seminars and in-service workshops for math educators around the country about using computer technology as an instructional tool and motivational aid. He is the recipient of the 2013 Text and Academic Authors Association Award for CALCULUS, the 2012 William Holmes McGuffey Longevity Award for CALCULUS: AN APPLIED APPROACH, the 2011 William Holmes McGuffey Longevity Award for PRECALCULUS: REAL MATHEMATICS, REAL PEOPLE, and the 1996 Text and Academic Authors Association TEXTY Award for INTERACTIVE CALCULUS (a complete text on CD-ROM that was the first mainstream college textbook to be offered on the Internet). Dr. Larson authors numerous textbooks including the best-selling Calculus series published by Cengage Learning.