The Nat Turner uprising is the rebellion of a group of slaves in Southampton, Virginia. The leader of the rebellion was Nathaniel Turner also known as Nat or Nat Turner. Nat Turner was under the ownership of Benjamin Turner in the 1820’s, until he was sold to John Travis. During the time he was owned by John Travis he became a pastor. Nat Turner’s time as a pastor led him to an epiphany that he should lead himself and other slaves out of bondage. Nat’s plan of rebellion took place on August 21,1831.
The night the rebellion began Nat and his fellow rebels on the plantation axed the Travis family to death. The start of the revolt was marked by the Travis family killing. As the revolt continued the rebels ravaged and attacked the homes of many whites, took their weapons, and killed them. The rebellious group began with a small number and continued to grow into seventy five people. The ravaging and downfall of the rebellion began when other whites in the neighborhood began to spread the news that a rebellion group was ravaging through Southampton, Virginia. As the news spread through Virginia white people began to retaliate causing further casualties. The casualties caused a fear in Nat Turner that he would get caught and be put to death. Nat decided to avoid death for as long as possible, so he hid away in Jerusalem, Virginia. He was able to stay hidden for a few months, before he was caught on October 30, 1831.
The aftermath of Nat being caught led to him being put on trial and convicted of conspiring to rebel and making an insurrection. He was sentenced to death on November 11, 1831. The death of Nat Turner was peculiar to say the least. Research states that after his death he was skinned for souvenirs and his body parts were given to doctors to dissect. The story of Nat Turner’s legacy lives on in his book The Confessions of Nat Turner. The legacy of Nat Turner will go down in infamy as one of the most influential slave revolts. His rebellion was important for the fight against slavery. It helped ignite the abolitionist movement.
The lasting effects of Nat Turner’s rebellion was the lynching of black people who may not have been part of the rebellion. They were seen as collateral damage. The collateral damage from the Nat Turner rebellion led to laws being passed to enhance limitations placed upon slaves. They were prohibited from reading and writing or any activity that may lead to another rebellion. The laws were passed, however it did not change the determination of slaves who would learn to read and write in secret. The importance of learning about Nat Turner’s rebellion is to teach people how events in history affect the state of the world. It also taught many people how events shaped America and disadvantages that people of color dealt with. In this day and age it is important to take note of these previously mentioned events and make sure history does not repeat itself. Everyone should look at history from an outside perspective and see how far society has come but understand more development is needed.
Sources
Breen, Contributor: Patrick H. “Nat Turner's Revolt (1831).” Encyclopedia Virginia, 2 Oct. 1800, https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/turners-revolt-nat-1831/.
Gibson, Christine. “Nat Turner, Lightning Rod.” AmericanHeritage.com /, 11 Nov. 2005, https://web.archive.org/web/20090406063535/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/web/20051111-nat-turner-slavery-rebellion-virginia-civil-war-thomas-r-gray-abolitionist.shtml.
History.com Editors. “Nat Turner.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2 Dec. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/nat-turner.
“Nat Turner.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 14 Jan. 2021, https://www.biography.com/activist/nat-turner.
10 Things You May Not Know About Nat Turner’s Rebellion - HISTORY
No comments:
Post a Comment