1a. What's it all about?
The plan was this — an organized group of slaves, free blacks and whites were going to “set fire to a building on the Poydras estate, and when the masters from neighboring estates rushed to put out the fire, they would be slaughtered. The slaves would then take arms and ammunition from Poydras’ store and wipe out the remaining masters, as well as the creole slaves who refused to become involved in the plot” (344).
The conspiracy originated in April of 1795 and the trial began on May 4, 1795 — 222 years ago!