Methodists were strongly in favor of abolition in most of the United States, and, though that message was watered down in the South, the fact is that the Turner was being taught the same religious doctrines that led white Methodists in the north to conclude it was not Christian to keep people in bondage. Turner was inspired by a religious vision in which he believed that Jesus was going to bring about judgment day. Turner believed he had a religious duty to fight against the oppression of slaves. However, the main precipitating event for his rebellions was when Turner witnessed a solar eclipse, which he believed was a sign from God that he was to rebel. The actual rebellion was triggered by a similar sign, when the atmosphere appeared an unusual color. I think it is impossible for a free person to disapprove of the way that Turner conducted his rebellion. Yes, whites who had not personally participated in harming black slaves were hurt or killed in the rebellion. However, to label these whites innocent is to display tremendous ignorance. The whole system of slavery would have been unsuccessful without the legal ability to use tremendous force against slaves to keep them in bondage. The selling of family members, the consistent deprivation of liberty, the constant subtle threat of force, up to and including deadly force, means that slaves were akin to kidnapped persons. White people, even those who did not own slaves, profited from this system of racial oppression. Turner advocated indiscriminate slaughter of white people in order to be able to use fear as a tool in his rebellion; blacks outnumbered...
However, Turner did not engage in indiscriminate slaughter; his troops spared members of some white households. This may have been a tremendous tactical error, because a white militia eventually defeated the rebels, and that may not have occurred if Turner had taken lots of white hostages. Despite that, I still think that in a country that advocates the premise of "live free or die," one can hardly take issue with how Turner mounted his rebellion.
4 As to Nat Turner's rebellion occurring at the wrong time, William Lloyd Garrison, the quintessential abolitionist who firmly believed that moral persuasion would convince slaveholders in Virginia to recognize their sinful ways regarding slavery, flat out condemned Nat Turner and his rebel followers. Garrison also warned the South that "if slavery were not abolished peacefully, more insurrections like Turner's rebellion would be inevitable." 5 Also, some historians have argued
Turner was captured on October 30th, tried and found guilty six days later. Turner was hung on November 11th, and then his body was skinned, helping establish a tradition of mutilating blacks accused of wrongdoing, which would survive well into Jim Crow era of the 20th century. Haiti At first blush, it seems difficult to comprehend why Virginia whites would be so distraught about an ultimately unsuccessful slave rebellion. Yes, Turner and
Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner's Fierce Rebellion In Stephen B. Oates's The Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner's Fierce Rebellion, Nat Turner was the Black American slave who led the only useful, unrelenting slave rebellion (August 1831) in U.S. history. Spreading terror throughout the white South, his action set off a new wave of oppressive legislation prohibiting the education, movement, and assembly of slaves and stiffened proslavery, anti-abolitionist convictions that persisted in
Therefore, he approached the issue from the point-of-view of the common man, and was able to inspire people to the idea of revolution. Nat Turner is the historical person of which I most disapprove. Turner led the largest antebellum slave rebellion in the United States, which included the slaughter of white civilians. It is not that I disapprove of Turner's actions. As a man wrongfully deprived of his natural right
Still it is not completely unheard of for a name to be derived from a longer epitaph of Nat, property of man, Mr. Turner. This is how many people's last names resulted in ending with "man." Nat Turner was born a slave in Virginia in 1800 and grew to become a slave preacher. He did not use tobacco or liquor and maintained a clean, disciplined life. He was very religious
Slavery Insurrections and Revolutionary Wars Revolutionary Wars vs. Slavery Insurrection Uprising is a common thread throughout history. Whenever one group is oppressed by another the inevitable outcome will be a revolution. In fact, the very term revolution is defined as, "a radical and pervasive change in society and the social structure, especially one made suddenly and often accompanied by violence." (Dictionary.com). Throughout history there are many examples of various violent overthrows. Among
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