The Fires Of Jubilee Summary

The Fires of Jubilee by, Stephen B. Oates, a former professor of history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Oates is an expert in 19th-century United States history. Stephen B. Oates wrote The Fires of Jubilee, a compelling narrative of Nat Turner and his journey in the slave revolt against Virginia slave owners in mid 1800’s that marked the turning point in America’s history. The book is based on a biography of Nat turner, the actions that lead to the rebellion and the legacy it left behind. Nat Tuner was an enslaved African American who led the slave rebellion in Virginia on August 21, 1831. The African-American boy was named “Nat” by Benjamin Turner, the man who owned his mother and him as slaves. When Turner died in 1810, Nat

White militias formed in retaliation against the slaves. 56 slaves were killed by the state for being apart of the rebellion. A total of 200 blacks murdered by militias, some of which did not even participate in the revolt. Two weeks after Nat’s rebellion, whites were still killing blacks. General Epees had to order troops and whites to stop the brutal violence against the blacks. The slave owners blamed the rebellion on Nat and his influential abilities. Nat was in hiding for two months before being taken in for investigation. Even though Nat did not regret any actions he and the slaves had committed , Nat did confess to his owners treating him fairly. Yet he did not apologize for his actions of the revolt. Nat said that other slaves had seen the visions that he had seen and that he did not regret following through with the rebellion. After the rebellion the state banned slaves from receiving education and white ministers were mandatory at all religious services. The future of slavery in Virginia was debated the following spring yet was overruled by the proslavery population. Even though education was banned some slave owners taught their slaves to read and write. The Northerners thought the education issue for slaves was the most important issue in the postwar South. This created an inspiration for people to start up public education for the first time ever in the South. A law was later passed for racial segregation and black schools were way