Summary
The most famous slave revolt ever witnessed was led by Nat Turner on the 21st of August 1831. Nat Turner orchestrated this well-known slave rebellion in Southampton, Virginia. Nat Turner was born in slavery and received far more than any other slave. His slave owner and other slaves knew him well enough to be a preacher. He traveled around the country and spoke with people of colour, promising them better days. Even though he didn’t realize the irony of his message to his brother and sister, he discovered that it was necessary to change. He saw the need for change through a message that he received from God in a dream. This was a slave rebellion against the white men. The slave revolt was led by Nat Turner’s fellow slaves. However, Nat Turner and his group were overthrown at a checkpoint in the middle of a white group. Nat Turner survived and was on the run for two months. He was captured and hanged on November 11, 1831.
“Though it’s painfully clear that most Negroes don’t want to be bothered, they are often filled with fury. And the flattery that covers and protects that fury can only be described as self-preservation. Nat Turner was a leader in a rebellion that caused panic among the white population and gave rise to the 1831 year. Nat Turner was a strong advocate for what he believed to God’s call to him to act. Nat Turner was captured in rebellion and executed. Nat Turner is a symbol of hope and tragedy. Nat Turner’s father, believed to be a slave in the household, fled from the plantation as a young man. Benjamin Turner of Southampton County, Virginia owned the plantation Nat Turner was brought up on. Nat Turner was a rare child. His owner gave him the chance to learn to read and to write. Benjamin Turner died in 1810. Nat Turner was handed to Samuel Turner, his oldest child. Nat Turner received his consent and used every opportunity to learn more about religion and his knowledge. He became so obsessed with religion that he read and studied the Old Testament. He grew up almost following the instructions of the prophets and reached manhood. As he grew older, he began to be confused about his status as a slave and not as a freedman. He believed that he knew more than the vast majority of slaves he saw. Even though this belief was true, he was still considered to be a slave. Nat Turner did not give up and continued to grow his faith. Turner once said that he soon realized he was great and had to make it so. Nat Turner became a preacher soon and began preaching to slave owners. Nat Turner was seen travelling with Samuel Turner, his master, to preach and control unruly slaves. Samuel was financially strapped and saw the potential for financial gain from Nat Turner’s preaching. Nat was horrified at the way his sisters and brothers were treated while he traveled to preach to them. The atrocities committed against Nat Turner and his fellow slaves inspired him to stand up for the rights he believed in. Although the movie doesn’t prove that it was a true story, it is still a sign of what Nat Turner believed to be his mission. Do you feel that God is trying to reach you through your dreams? Nat Turner felt this way throughout his preaching. He heard the Spirit say to him that he would receive all things if he could just “Seek ye heaven,” and he did. He started believing what was being said to him, and he tried to figure out the meaning of each dream. Turner was able to preach better, which made him more recognisable in the county. It also helped him get to know Southampton County much quicker. Turner has more freedom to move.
Nat Turner ran for his plantation in 1821. Nat was allegedly whipped by his master and punished, causing him to want freedom. However, he did not return to his master’s house. His voluntary return, despite any possible consequences, was not received well by his fellow slaves. Nat Turner replied, “And they found fault, but murmured against my,” Turner later told Turner, “and they said that they thought they were serving a wrongeous master.” He saw himself as working for Jehovah, the angry and vengeful God Israel. Cherry, a Cherry-named woman was allegedly Nat Turner’s wife later on. Nat is seen convincing Samuel to buy her. She stated that she would make a strong, valuable woman. After being initially opposed to living on the plantation and wanting a runaway, Nat met her and they were soon married. This was not considered to be a legal marriage, as the marriages of slaves, unlike those between whites or free men, were not recorded. Samuel Turner died in 1822 shortly after his marriage. Cherry and Nat Turner were then sold to other plantations. Cherry was eventually sold to Giles Reese. Nat Turner went to Thomas Moore. While they could see each other occasionally, it caused them immense pain and symbolized the suffering of living as slaves.
Nat Turner saw the way white people treated black women and men. Slaves owners treating their slaves with total, and udderly, benevolence. They sold Negroes to whip-happy owners and denied education to black men and women. He was increasingly annoyed by the treatment he received from his people. He began to see the world through a different lens, and his imagination began to drift towards incandescence. Nat started having apocalyptic, bloody visions near Jerusalem’s woods Southwest. He later stated that he saw black and white spirits fighting each other. Nat wanted to reach “Trueholiness” because of this. Nat Turner began to notice how his surroundings were being affected and decided to tell his sisters and brothers that something important was about to happen for their benefit. Nat told his brothers and sisters about strange happenings in his life recently, as well as how a white spirit had granted him the power to change the seasons. Although many people today may not believe it, slavery was looking for freedom at that time. They believed what he was telling them, and they all did. They believed he could heal and control the weather. Despite seeing many visions, however, he was still unsure of his mission.
Nat recalled that on May 12, 1828, he heard a loud sound in the heavens. He then saw the Spirit and realized what his mission was. “I should stand up, prepare myself, and kill my enemies using their weapons.” He kept his mouth closed until then. However, this would sometimes prove difficult as he would often write and tell others about the freedom he should have. He might get whipped and tortured sometimes. Jehovah’s sign was the final, so there was nothing more. This allowed him to return back to daily life. Joseph Travis, a local roadwright, married Moore’s widow the next year. The couple moved in with Moore’s house near Jerusalem. Nat Turner saw Travis as a ‘kind master’ and placed ‘the greatest trust’ in him after he was switched.
Nat Turner was given a sign in February 1831. This was an eclipse. He saw it as the sign he was waiting for. Nat saw a dark spot during the eclipse and realized that it was God’s signal to him to get up and move. On August 13, another sign appeared. This was a disturbance that caused the sun to appear darker and could be viewed directly. Nat Turner saw that his people needed to be free.
Nat Turner, his sister and brother-in-law met near Travis’ house in the woods. They were just a few miles from a “Cabin Pond” where they feasted. Nat met two other recruits. These men were known as Jack and Will. Jack was Hark’s Crony, while Will was simply Will. Will was an individual who was ready to fight for freedom in any way necessary. This task required Will to risk his life in order to complete it. The night passed in preparation for the mission to come. They left around two in early morning the next morning. They eventually passed by Cherry’s home. Giles Reese, Cherry’s owner, owned the place. They would then head to Travis House to begin their first target.
Nat Turner was the first to enter the Travis household. He set up a ladder and opened a window. Will followed him. His followers followed him throughout the house, searching for their next victims. Nat was a black messiah and everyone wanted him to be killed. Nat shot at Travis’ head, but he lost his sleep, and Travis woke up to find Will following him with an axe. Then, he started shouting and yelling at his wife before Will’s instinct to kill kicked in. Will approached Travis to sever his arm and cut him with the axe. Soon after, the four other whites in the house were killed. These included Mrs. Travis as well as Putnam Moore, Nat’s legal owner at the moment. Nat is seen struggling to understand the loss of their younger son. It was painful for him to hear that his child had been killed by the cause of his cause. But he could not help but feel some freedom. Nat became “General Nat” after that.
Nat led his men through the attack, sharing his knowledge with them. Somebody had noticed that the Travis baby was still present on the farm. Henry and Will were inspired to try and kill the baby from his cradle.
As they went from farm to farm, they did not use firearms in killing people. They did, however, take horses and other weapons along their journey. Despite traveling so far that night, Nat Turner hadn’t killed anyone. Nat Turner’s followers grew steadily as they carried on their quest for freedom. Nat Turner eventually had 75 followers. 11 farms were destroyed within 24 hours of the rebellious start. 55 people were murdered by the mob after this incident. Nat and his friends felt closer to freedom and continued their killing spree. Reports are quickly spreading about killings. This is especially true when the victim is a group or slaves that are controlled by an intelligent slave.
To stop Nat Turners and his followers from being stopped, the Governor created a militia. Due to the fear in the county regarding who might be the next victim, many white people joined the militia. Nat decided to abandon attacking the plantations in rural areas and instead move forward marching straight to Jerusalem. They wanted to kill all residents and burn down this area. The Governor organized a massive, heavily armed militia to block Nat’s route. The sight that their weapons was revealed caused slaves to panic, and they fled. The majority of slaves were killed and captured apart from those involved in the rebellion. Even innocent slaves weren’t linked to the rebellion were killed because of suspicion. Although many slaves were caught, Nat Turner was able to escape from the militia. He hid for around two months in the forest before being found on October 30th. Benjamin Phipps a farmer found Nat in hiding behind fence rails.
