Nat Turners Fierce Rebellion essays

Nat Turners Fierce Rebellion essays The Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turners Fierce Rebellion by Stephen B. Oates in the Portrait of America Essay Book Nat Turners rebellion was the bloodiest slave revolt in Southern history, and it had a profound and irrevocable impact on the destinies of Southern whites and blacks alike. Nat Turner lived in Southampton County, which is in Virginia. In Southampton County, there were many slaves. The masters of these slaves believed that the Negroes were not any danger because they were well treated. The African Americans did get very enthusiastic about their praise meetings, in a way the whites did not understand, but the whites still believed that they were harmless. Also, white evangelists started coming in from outside the county and exhorting equality at local revivals. Again, the whites believed that their slaves were no danger, and besides a few solitary incidents that there was no danger to them. However, all was not as calm as it appeared. On August 22, 1831, a band of slave rebels led by a black mystic called Nat Turner attacked with guns and axe in the bloodiest slave revolt in Southern history. This sent Virginia, and most of the South, into paroxysms of fear and racial violence. Nat Turner was generally considered harmless, although he was intelligent and spoke of strange religious powers. Turner was accepted as a Baptist priest in the black community, even though he was never ordained. He had a wife, Cherry, also a young slave, however he was separated from her. Turner was a perceptive man and had an extensive knowledge of the Bible. Turner had decided that God would give him a sign when it was time to start the revolt. There was an eclipse of the sun in 1831, and Turner prepared to rebel. Before the rebellion, Turner told four slaves that he completely trusted about the rebellion. Their names were Hark, Henry, Nelson, and Sam. They made so many plans that Turner fell sick and the rebellion di...