Analysis Of The Fires Of Jubilee By Stephen B. Oates

“The fires of Jubilee” is written by author Stephen B. Oates, a book about Nat Turner’s slave rebellion. Oates graduated from The University of Texas in 1968. He is considered to be very well educated on 19th century history and on the civil war. He was a professor at The University of Massachusetts Amherst. The title “The Fires of Jubilee” is referring to when slaves would set the barns and haystacks on fire to signal that their revolt had begun. August is the month of jubilee, this is when there was very few chores and the crops had been laid. This book was so astonishing, because it goes into so much detail of the events leading up to, during, and after Nat Turner’s revolt. People of Virginia allowed their slaves to preach and interact with each other even though it was against the law and they thought their slaves were happy, but this

He believed that “only the Almighty could have given him such powers of recollection” (12). Nat took the solar eclipse as his sign from God to start his attack. Nat’s attempt to free himself and others from slavery consequently caused innocent blacks to be killed. The black population might have been better off if Nat had not caused such an uproar. Oates wrote, “For white vigilantes—and some militiamen—had gone on a rampage, shooting and axing every Negro they could find, women and children included. Some of these whites were boiling mad and wanted to avenge the atrocities they had found” (99). When Nat and his men killed the White slave owners and their families—the black insurgents made it worse for their fellow slaves that had been left behind. Around 60 whites and 200 blacks were killed during this rebellion. It is hard to see what was accomplished when so many lives were lost. Before Nat is brought to his death he said, “Was not Christ crucified?” (Quoted. in 122). Even in the end Nat still regarded himself as the prophet. He believed that he was being crucified like