How Did Nat Turner Impact Slavery

Nat Turner’s Impact on Slavery The History of slavery in Virginia can be traced to 1619, soon after the founding of Virginia as an English colony by the London Virginia Company. The company established a headright system to encourage the colonists to transport indentured servants to the colony for labor. The indentured servants would sign a contract committing to work a set number of years in return for passage to the country and their freedom. Once the contract was fulfilled the servants would be released from the contract and allowed the same opportunities as whites to live on the land. However, in years to come the way of life would soon change for African Americans. Slave laws were passed denying their freedom. Although, this would eventually

Turner’s father escaped slavery by retreating North when he was a young child, while Turner and his mother remained on the plantation as slaves. Turner was very known throughout the local slave community and his relatives as being a unique and remarkable child. Turner’s slave owner saw his intelligence and encouraged him to learn how to read and write. Gaining these skills allowed Turner to seek and educate himself even further about information being withheld from slaves. Turner began to read the Bible regularly and he soon became a very religious man. He realized that slavery was a sin against God and his teachings. He began to see signs from God, and over time the signs became unavoidable. Turner saw the signs as a request from God to put an end to slavery. He constructed a plan with the other slaves to rebel against the white

A white farmer named Benjamin Phipps discovered Turner hiding in a hole on October 30, 1831. Turner was captured and turned in to the authorities. Following a five-day trial, Turner was convicted and sentenced to death. He was hanged on November 11, 1831 in Jerusalem, Virginia. Turner's corpse was flayed, beheaded, and quartered. Fifty-three people, including Turner were arrested. Twenty-one were acquitted, twelve were transported out of state and nineteen were hanged. Following the rebellion, close to two hundred black people were killed by white militias and