Brief Summary: The Life Of Nat Turner

On October 2nd, 1800, “Nat” Nathaniel Turner was born to Nancy Turner, who was a slave under the ownership of one Benjamin Turner. When Nat turned ten, Benjamin died and Nat and his mother became property of his son Samuel Turner. Samuel and his wife allowed Nat to learn of reading, writing, and religion at an early age. Nat became deeply religious as he became older and could be frequently found praying, fasting or reading his copy of the Bible. He sometimes would receive visions which he believed were messages from God. Becoming a preacher, Nat led the African-American slaves on Benjamin Turner’s plantation and some slaves from neighboring plantations. He declared that he had been chosen by God to free his followers from bondage. He had yet

On May 12, 1831, Nat Turner "heard a loud noise in the heavens, and the Spirit instantly appeared to me and said the Serpent was loosened, and Christ had laid down the yoke he had borne for the sins of men, and that I should take it on and fight against the Serpent, for the time was fast approaching when the first should be last and the last should be first". In February 1831, Nat planned a rebellion along with “four in whom (he) had the greatest confidence”, his friends Henry, Hark, Sam, and Nelson. They planned to hold the rebellion on July 4th of that year, but they were unable to because Turner fell ill. However, on August 21st, something happened. It was an atmospheric disturbance that made the sun appear bluish-green. However, Nat saw it as a sign for the revolt to begin. He gathered his friends, hosted dinner in front of a campfire, and set off for the house of his new master, Joseph Travis. He grabbed the axe in the front yard from when he was chopping firewood, broke down the door, and murdered the Travis family. He then rallied the Travis’ slaves, who gathered their own weapons from the house, and then moved on to the next house. They kept repeating this process until they had amassed an army of about seventy, leaving fifty-one white men, women, children, and infants in their