The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, has origins that date back to 1822 when Denmark Vesey, a free black man and founding member of Emanuel AME Church, plotted a slave revolt in Charleston. Before the insurrection could begin, Vesey and his co-conspirators were discovered and publicly hanged. That year, the S.C. Legislature voted to create a municipal guard and arsenal at Marion Square to fortify Charleston against future slave rebellions. In 1842, the Legislature established the South Carolina Military Academy with locations in Charleston and Columbia. The first class of Citadel cadets reported to school at Marion Square in 1843.