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Nat Turner: A Slave In American History

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Nathanial Turner was a slave that lived from 1800 to 1831. According to legend, his mother was so determined not to subject him to a life of slavery that she tried to kill him as soon as he was born. She was tied to her bed and held away from him until she calmed down. After that brief moment, however, Nat’s mother lavished love and affection on him. While Nat was very young, his parents and grandmother searched his head and body for bumps and marks that were, in African religion and folklore, signs of prophecy. (Bisson, Terry pg.15) He knew he was meant for something, and this rebellion was it. He was the only slave to lead an effective slave revolt against whites. Nat Turner was the riskiest slave in American history.

He was born on the Virginia plantation of Benjamin Turner, who allowed him to be instructed in reading, writing, and religion. Sold three times in his childhood and hired out to John Travis in the 1820’s, he became a fiery preacher and leader of African-American slaves on Benjamin Turner’s plantation and in …show more content…

Everyone was captured … except me. I was hiding for a time span of about 6 to 8 weeks. Someone found me, rose their gun, and forced me to surrender.

I was thrown in Southampton County Jail until my trial approached. Before my trial, a man who described himself as a “historian,” named Thomas Gray came in my cell and asked me about my thought process and plans for my rebellion. I told him about everything. The signs that led me to begin the rebellion and my childhood prophecy. I told him all of the plantations I have been to and my all of the masters I have had. We talked for while about everyone my rebels killed and all of my rebels. The historian looked frightened as he spoke to me, but he wrote notes down about what I said, and recorded my words as I said them. “Do you find yourself mistaken?” the historian said to me about the rebellion. I replied, “Was Christ not crucified?” (Burnett,

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Stephen B. Oates writes about a slave named Nat Turner, who led a rebellion against slavery in the book “The Fires of Jubilee”. Turner was born on October 17, 1800 in Southampton County, Virginia. His mother Nancy was bought by a man named Benjamin Turner in 1795 and was transported to America. Nat’s father was never named, but was married to Nancy.

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The Fires of Jubilee written by Stephen B. Oates is a book written about a young slave life from prepubescents to adulthood, or better yet a young smart boy to an older anarchy inducing man. The setting of the book takes place in Southampton County Virginia around the 1800’s. The main protagonist being a young slave called Nat Turner. The author very briefly gives details about Nat’s life as a newborn, mainly giving a brief summary of who his mother is. His mother was purchased to be a slave by a man named Benjamin Turner, a wealthy tide water planter.

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The Fires of Nat Turner In the book The fires of Jubilee, we notice and go through a lot of Nat Turners violent “rebellion” as a former slave in order to get back at what they have gone through. Nat turner takes a complete different approach than what we saw with our letter from Hammond. Nat Turner with the help of a few other former slaves, have created the highest fatalities during his “rebel” from any slave up rise ever recorded. The book was written from a man who has caught his first ever taste of what freedom was like, which is what initially fueled his need for the rebellion.

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Nat Turner and John Brown are both noted, as being symbols of American reform. Leaders of abolitionist groups, who went on a killing spree believing they were given “extraordinary powers from above” and were executed for their strong beliefs of anti-slavery. Their gruesome murders could easily attract followers and spark interest in others to write their biographies. John Brown and Nat turner both came from strong religious backgrounds.

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The Infortunate is an autobiography written by an indentured servant named William Moraley. In his memoir, he talks about how he became an indentured servant, as well as some of the experiences he has encountered throughout his voyage into the New World. Through his words, readers are able to understand the hardships that indentured servants and slaves have gone through, and to capture what freedom is like for them during the 18th century. However, editors named Susan E. Klepp and Billy G. Smith were able to prove that Moraley has exaggerated several instances, which makes us question if his story is a valid primary source. This also makes us think about what could possibly be his intention in writing this memoir, or what he wanted people to take away from his story.

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Paper Topic 1 After reading Confessions of Nat Turner (1831) in the course packet, and watching the film Birth of a Nation (2016) I was able to notice some key takeaways and differences between the two. The film Birth of a Nation was directed by Nate Parker, he also played the main role in the film acting as Nat Turner.

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Nat Turners Rebellion became monumental for many people of color, he was idolized and respected for his courageous actions. The rebellion created fear that spread through the South, even those in favor for abolishment now wanted stricter laws for slaves. Turner was “recorded on the list of dishonor” for the organization he had lead (“An Address To The Slave Of The united Slaves”). There had been an interview by Thomas R. Gray, defending and slightly sympathizing with Turners actions, many rejected the validation of the interview and felt as if he just wanted “to trick, confuse, and overwhelm the slave’s minds.” (“The Southampton Tragedy”).

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Nat Turner was born into slavery on October 2, 1800 in Southampton County, Virginia. His slavemaster from the time he was born up until he was ten was Benjamin Turner. When Benjamin Turner died in 1810 Nat became the property of Benjamin’s older brother Samuel, who was portrayed in the book. Nat Turner spent his entire life on the Southampton

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Do you ever feel as if you can not express yourself as you wish? Well so do these people in this story. The people and their stories you're about to hear are from people who couldn’t defend themselves like they wanted to. The stories that you hear today throw light on the american slave system. Do you ever want to bring something to the light?

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Booker T. Washington was born on April 5th, 1856 in Virginia as a slave. North Americans insisted that slavery was abolished, while the South wanted to keep; it called the Civil War of secession, which originated emerged very bloody days. Booker Washington relates that when the news of the final victory of the North arrived in the city in which he, still a child and slave, lived with his mother and siblings, all equally slaves, were called home from the master. The entire family of this one was leaning on the balcony; an army officer read out the glorious new: they were all free. Ending the American Civil War and his family travels to West Virginia, where he began working in coal mines to help her family with the salary.

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“Yes, sir, he gives me enough, such as it is.” The colonel, after ascertaining where the slave belonged, rode on; the man also went on about his business, not dreaming that he had been conversing with his master. He thought, said, and heard nothing more of the matter, until two or three weeks afterwards. The poor man was then informed by his overseer that, for having found fault with his master, he was now to be sold to a Georgia trader. He was immediately chained and handcuffed; and thus, without a moment’s warning, he was snatched away, and forever sundered, from his family and friends, by a hand more unrelenting than death.”

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