On this day in 1811, throughout slave plantations along the eastern coast of the southernmost stretch of the Mississippi River, on land long called home by the Chitimacha people, 200–500 people rebel against their enslavement. They carry improvised weapons, marching south together towards New Orleans, setting fire to buildings along the way. In three days, white militias suppress the rebellion, killing 40–45 people and trying and executing 44 more, putting decapitated heads on stakes as a warning against future uprisings. The German Coast Uprising is considered the largest slave rebellion in U.S. history. In 2024, Jo and Joy Banner of The Descendants Project purchased the Woodland Plantation, where the revolt began.