In Astronomy, an eclipse is an event in which an object is covered by passing through another body or having another body pass through it and the viewer. In our American history, there have been numerous events that have happened in certain years that we will never forget. 1831 is an unknown year for most people because most think that it was a just another year and that nothing important happened. Louis P. Masur would say other wise in his book 1831 Year of Eclipse. Masur depicts an “eclipse” as a pivotal year in American history because there were many historical events that occurred.
Nat Turner was a slave himself and every couple of months, he would get visions from the Spirit telling him things to do or look out for. Throughout his years, he was moved to different owners. In February 1831, there was an eclipse of the sun and Turner saw this as a sign that he needed to take action. Him and his four most trusted men got together and planned to hold the insurrection on July 4th. They were unable to do so on that day due to Turner’s illness. On August 13, there was another sign in which the sun appeared bluish-green. Turner set out to Joseph Travis, his owners house and killed the whole family. After that, they continued to kill all white people they came in contact with. As the rebellion continued, Turner’s men were being captured and killed. Turner escaped but was then captured and sentenced to execution. Nat Turner still remains a controversial black figure because of the rebellion, but his legacy of inspiring other slaves to find freedom by any means will still remain. Turner’s rebellion had a huge impact on the south because he was standing up for all of those who were in slavery.
William Lloyd Garrison...
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...re tested on in school but also do further reading on other years that contributed to those specific events.
I think that Masur gave very informative details on events that happened during the time period of 1831. I did not realize that one year can make a difference a big difference especially in our history. I wanted to know more about the Niagara Falls parable, how it got its name and what was the significance. The chapter about religion was hard for me to understand because my knowledge on that topic is not too strong. I think it would be helpful to have gone over the different religions before reading the book to get a more clear understanding of each religion’s viewpoints. Overall, this book was very informative and it helped expand my knowledge of our history because I did not know that all these event occurred and that they were very important.
The Fires of Jubilee, by Stephen B. Oates, tells an account of Nat Turner’s rebellion. Beginning with Nat’s early life and finally ending with the legacy his execution left the world, Oates paints a historical rending of those fateful days. The Confessions of Nat Turner by Thomas R. Gray and approved by Nat himself is among Oates’ chief sources. Oates is known as a reputable historian through his other works, and has strong credentials however, in the case of The Fires of Jubilee there are some limitations. It is, therefore, worth analyzing Oates’ interpretation for reliability. In doing so one sees that The Fires of Jubilee, because of its weak use of citations, failure to alert the audience of assumed details and the way in which Oates handles the chief source Confessions, quickly begins to shift from a decently steadfast description to an untrustworthy and unreliable account.
The very first thing that I have to say about this book is that it was very dry and has many grammatical errors. Even with these errors it is a good book for people to read in pre-revolutionary class. It brings a new look at how the little people in the revolution played big parts, but where never given their dues.
Many Americans would not consider the year 1831 to be a turning point in United States History. Louis Masur, in his book 1831:Year of Eclipse, shines light on crucial events and culture shifts during 1831, that shaped the United States today. Masur’s metaphorical title suggests the importaince the eclipse of 1831 had on America. This twelve month period featured transitions in leadership, slavery issues, religious controversy, working class issues, and technological advances in the United States. Eventhough America spread and developed through techological advances, controversy over democratic values were a reoccuring theme that year, which exposed the US internal breakdown. After the eclipse on February 12th, Americans no longer feared the end of the world, but many were still anxious about the uncertanty of their counties fate. Prior to the eclipse on February 13, many Americans felt “a kind of vague fear, of impending danger-a prophetic presentiment of some approaching catastrophy” (5).
...lity between the whites and blanks regardless of the skin colour. Although Nat’s expectations were not met, but the rebellion injected some sense against slavery more need for freeing the slaves.
...ue detailing what Ralegh and White did after the Roanoke colonies. To sum up my opinions, this book was not only an excellent read from a scholarly perspective, but is also great for anyone to read if they are interested in the early colonization efforts of the New World and how it functioned. I would, however, not advise anyone to read this without having some background information on Western European powers and knowledge of Indian tribes in the mid to late 16th century.
... He was on the run and he got away for about six weeks. He hit out in many different places before he was captured. When he was captured, he was put in prison. November 5, 1831 was the day when he was sentenced to be put to death. But on November 11, 1831, the whites skinned and hung him for everyone to see. Although he is was gone physically, slaves admired him for what he did for them. He was never forgotten and he inspired a lot of people to go against slavery. As a result of the insurrection, Virginia debated about ending slavery but the state did not agree with the end of slavery.
Nat Turner's belief that he was a mystic, born for some great purpose; a spiritual savior, chosen to lead Black slaves to freedom, justified his bloody rebellion against slave owners in Virginia. His actions did not so much spring from the fact that members of his family had been beaten, separated or sold, but rather from his own deep sense of freedom spoken in the Bible. From the time Nat Turner was four-years-old, he had been recognized as intelligent, able to understand beyond his years. He continued to search for religious truth and began to have visions or signs of being called by God. By the time Nat Turner reached manhood, the path his life would take was clear; his destiny would be to bring his fellow slaves out of bondage.
I was able to better understand how easy it was for English laws to change on a case-by-case basis and see how Virginia changed so many of the English laws not long after the first settlers arrived. Also, reading this book helped me understand the reasons behind the changes. Life in Virginia differed than life in England, giving them a need for different laws in certain situations. Not everything in Virginia could be the same as it was in England. Another thing this book helped me to see was how different things were then, than they are now. Laws have changed so much and we have an organized system of keeping the laws. Also, it seems as if a lot of the laws and court cases back then were corresponding to labor and economy. Lastly, each section helped me understand how men and women were treated differently. Initially, men and women were punished just as much for having sex out of wedlock, but later in the book, women were held responsible and men got away with
Nat Turner was an Africa American solder born October 2, 1800 in Southampton County. Nat Turner was a rebellion leader. Turner had a vison that god wanted him to kill all whites. On the day of August 22, 1831 started the revolt, limiting rights for blacks, and the confessions of Nat Turner.
There are pinnacle years in American history that are raised above others because of the events that occurred in the midst of that year. Very familiar years such as 1492, 1607, 1776, and 1861 yield memories of significant occurrences that citizens have been taught their entire lives. However, after reading 1831: A Year of Eclipse, I have realized that the year 1831 was a monumental year for America as a country and was the tipping point for what the country would look like in the future. Louis Masur is trying to portray the importance of the year 1831 and have the audience understand that without the events that happened in that year, the United States would not look the same. In 1831, there was a notable shift in the thought process and the way Americans accomplished tasks and Masur is trying to allude to this change and deem it as important in the minds of his audience.
This book was a good read for me, but I also read book reviews to help me keep track on what I am reading. These book reviews just made a better understanding of what I was reading.
When the Nat Turner rebellion occurred, Gray had to have realized how big this story was. Not only had one of the biggest slave rebellions in American history just occurred, but also the authorities had the main instigator alive in a prison cell. Gray probably realized controversy would erupt over what Turner had to say, and so he left for Jerusalem, Virginia right away to interview Turn... ... middle of paper ... ... acts of the number dead are hard to change.
Many sections of the book were unnecessary and useless for my certain task. Most of the book was also written in a story format and was not cold hard facts. However Chapter 5 gave an in-depth description of the Boston Tea Party and also the effects it had on the colonist. It also stated what the colonies did about this and how they went about rectifying it.
I found this book to be a rather interesting read. I enjoyed how Levathes researched this book and wrote it to try to explain about this specific period of time and how it is very non-fiction.
Professor’s Comments: This is a good example of a book review typically required in history classes. It is unbiased and thoughtful. The Student explains the book and the time in which it was written in great detail, without retelling the entire story… a pitfall that many first time reviewers may experience.