Nat Turner, grew up very religious, but turned his visions into actions and became the leader of a vigorous slave rebellion in Southampton Virginia on August 21, 1831. This rebellion also known as (Southampton Insurrection) resulted with over 50 whites killed over a two day span. The whites then took charge in the killings of many African Americans throughout the state. Nat Turner was one of the most important figures in the time period of 1790 to 1850, because of his leadership in the malicious slave rebellion which regarded him as a hero to some but to others a terrorist. Nat turner grew up in a very religious and stable family where he spent most of his time reading the bible. During the time of 1776 to 1860 there were over …show more content…
Three years after Turner had his first vision another one came to him as a message from God. Stated in a later confession Turner explained "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. “On Turner’s third and final vision he explained Turner would receive another sign to tell him when to fight, but this latest message meant" I should arise and prepare myself and slay my enemies with their own weapons." Having his own interpretation of the bible Nat Turner attacked and killed over fifty whites mainly children and wives on August 21, 1831. On the day of the rebellion Turner and six other slaves gathered in a forest, making their plans of terror to kill any whites they see. The first whites that Turner and his men killed were the master and his entire family. As the killing spree went on over forty other African Americans took part in brutal rebellion. Terror of the rebellion had spread immediately and destroyed the complexity of the south. According to Timothy Paulson, “By attacking slavery with the sword, they had shattered the complacency of the …show more content…
According to William Styron he was regarded as a hero all over the African American community because of his great impact in the process of ending slavery. While the revolt took place he gave many others the opportunity to run away and be free. He is perhaps one of the most impactful people to help demolish slavery, due to how he gave up his life for
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.
This is a report on the book Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner's Fierce Rebellion, written by Stephen B. Oates. The story is about a slave revolt that happened in 1831 and the person who led it, Nat Turner. It tells of his life, the area and time in which he lived, and of the bloody revolt as well as the bloodier repercussions after it was suppressed.
The Fires of Jubilee, is a well written recollection of the slave insurrection led by Nathaniel Turner. It portrays the events leading towards the civil war and the shattered myth of contented slaves in the South. The book is divided into four parts: This Infernal Spirit of Slavery, Go Sound the Jubilee, Judgment Day, and Legacy.
Published in 1975 by Harper Perennial, The Fires of Jubilee by Stephan Oates explores the personality of Nat Turner and the events which lead up to his leadership of the Virginian slave revolt of 1831 (Oates 4, 126). Young Nat was born into slavery in 1800, but, due to his precocity, he was early lead to believe in the probability, nee inevitability, of his eventual freedom (11-16). However, things were not to be so simple for him. Disease, death, and the vicissitudes of fortune all converged to cause Nat to remain a slave in the hands of several different owners. Of a highly introspective, superstitious nature, Nat chaffed at and brooded extensively on his circumstances – longing for freedom (24-32). Seeking an outlet for his intelligence
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.
Born into slavery, Nat Turner was perhaps one exception to the rule; he was a master's worst nightmare come true. Nat Turner was not only an intelligent man, he knew how to read and write; but he was also determined, willing to go to tremendous measures to gain his freedom, even if it meant killing. He was liked by both the whites and fellow slaves, some of whom came to think of him as a prophet, a savior of slaves.
Unfortunantly for the new leaders of the nation, they were left with many issues that challenged American ideals, including slavery. 1831 was a very pivotal year for the beginning of the abolishment of slavery. Soon after the eclipse, fear spread throughout Virginia of a possible slave rebellion. Eventhough some slave owners treated their slaves well, it did not mean they were safe from attack. On August 22, Nat Turner killed his master along with his family, the first account of slave rebellion in history. Turner’s Rebellion instilled fear in southern slave owners that a planned attack could occur at any moment (19). Thomas R. Gray, a slave owner and lawyer interviewed the slaves behind bars. He spoke with Turner for three day...
They are fully cognizant that having the word of God on their side affords them even more power over their slaves, and they use this knowledge as a channel through which slave behavior may be controlled. “After the alarm caused by Nat Turner’s insurrection had subsided, the slaveholders came to the conclusion that is would be well to give the slaves enough of religious instruction to keep them from murdering their masters” (Jacobs 57). This passage is the first to demonstrate whites using religion itself as an oppressive force. Plans are revealed to, “hold a separate service on Sundays for [the slaves’] benefit,” in which pointed sermons were to be delivered to the slaves (Jacobs 57-58). One such sermon is inherently accusatory and meant to instill fear in its slave audience. Statements such as “God is angry with you,” “You tell lies. God hears you,” and “God sees you and will punish you” serve to foster a sense of guilt and fear within the slaves, casting disobedience in any form as an affront against God, one that merits divine punishment (Jacobs 58). The sermon creates an emotional tie to profitable slave behavior – obedience stemming from fear – which it goes on to enforce as the will of God: “If you disobey your earthly Master,” the preacher claims, “you offend your heavenly Master” (Jacobs 58). What is presented to the slaves as religious tenet is merely
The Confessions of Nat Turner is divided into two parts: the rush of evil and violence and the calm after the storm. The story of the insurrection is told in flashback as Nat analyzes his actions from his jail cell. Throughout the rebellion, Nat defends himself by saying that God has commanded him to rid the world of white people. However, as he continues through his meditation, he realizes that God may have not been there after all, prodding him along. His first revelation comes when he finds he cannot pray in jail. Though he attempts to do so, the words do not come and he does not feel God's presence. Only after he thinks over the entire ordeal can he begin to talk to God again.
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.
Frederick Douglass was one of the foremost leaders of the abolitionist movement, which fought to end slavery within the United States in the decades prior to the Civil War. A brilliant speaker, Douglass was asked by the American Anti-Slavery Society to engage in a tour of lectures, and so became recognized as one of America's first great black speakers. He won world fame when his autobiography was publicized in 1845. Two years later he bagan publishing an antislavery paper called the North Star.
The point that I am trying to prove with my historical investigation is: How did Nat Turner’s rebellion lead to the commencement of the Civil War in the United States thirty years after the insurrection took place. In order to answer this, one must comprehend why the Southampton Insurrection occurred, the influence it left on people and the history of the United States, and the reasons as to why the Civil War was fought. After extensive research, two of my most valuable sources I used were Scot French’s historical book The Rebellious Slave Nat Turner in American Memory and the Rebecca Vaughan House’s project on Nat Turner/1831 Southampton Insurrection Trial & restoration of the Rebecca Vaughan House, located on the Museum of Southampton History.
Nat Turner was an enslaved African American who led what was called the “Nat Turner’s Slave Rebellion” where slaves and free blacks who were located in Southampton County, Virginia. This rebellion took place on August 21, 1831, and as a result at least fifty-five whites were murdered. All of those who took part in this rebellion were to be executed, including Nat Turner. While Nat Turner was awaiting execution he was interviewed for two months by a man named Thomas Ruffin Gray, a wealthy lawyer and slave owner himself. Thomas Gray’s purpose for writing “The Confessions of Nat Turner” was to put what Nat Turner said into writing and for it to be published.
The rebellion began on August 21st 1831 after Nat Turner had two experiences that gave him motivation. It was on February 12, 1831 when Nat Turner first experienced a sign from god. It was solar eclipse that was occurring but he saw it as a “black man’s hand…reaching across the sun.” The second solar eclipse took place in February of 1831 that convinced him to lead a revolt against slavery. The objectives of the rebellion were to convince the African Americans that they have the same rights as though who are white and to bring pain and suffering to those who forced them to the terrible conditions they had to experience. On August 21st, Nat Turner and his group of rebels killed 55 white men, woman, and children. They showed these individuals what it was like to hurt, suffer, and endure pain. The rebellion was successful because groups all over the world, followed Nat Turner and believed that they are equal those of white skin color. It helped lead to other African Americans rebel against the whites. These events helped lead to the civil rights movement.
...understanding of freedom. By exposing the wrongs done to slaves, Douglass greatly contributed to the abolitionist movement. He also took back some of the power and control from the slaveholders, putting it in the hands of the enslaved.