Nat Turner's Rebellion Research Paper

In the early national period of the United States, Nat Turner’s rebellion stood as a turning point that rocked the South. As an enslaved African American preacher, Nat Turner’s uprising in Southampton County, Virginia, struck fear into the hearts of slave owners and sparked heated discussions within abolitionist circles. Nat Turner’s insurrection had a profound impact on how people saw black resistance, freedom, and the institution of slavery, ultimately hardening pro-slavery sentiments in the South.

Nat Turner’s revolt intensified fear among slaveholders, challenging their assumptions of control and obedience. Before Turner’s rebellion, slave owners had a mentality that they had complete authority over the slaves. The article “Chastisement: Wives and Slaves in Nineteenth-Century North Carolina,” unveiled the mentality that enslavers had, stating that Masters had the legal right to exert physical power over the slaves, they had the right to beat or whip their slaves as long as the slave did not die. Any sign of disrespect or disobedience, even mere insolence from the slave, was considered a provocation. Having the power to abuse the slaves meant that Masters thought they had this overwhelming dominance over the slaves, confident that slaves would not dare to disobey, ultimately creating this assumption that all slaves are obedient. According to Nat Turner’s Insurrection by T.W. Higginson, an active abolitionist in the 1840s and 1850s, this

The rebellion shattered assumptions held by enslavers, leading to the enforcement of slave codes and stricter regulations. The aftermath, marked by thirsty acts of revenge and perception of negative stereotypes, hindered the abolitionist cause in the South. In the end, Nat Turner’s rebellion was a complex moment with consequences that shaped perceptions of resistance, freedom, and slavery in the early period of the United