Skip to content
Advertisement

Black History Fact of the Week: Nat Turner

Advertisement

On Oct. 2, 1800, one of the most highly regarded leaders of his time, Nat Turner, was born enslaved on a plantation in Southhampton County, Va. A deeply spiritual man, he engulfed himself in study, prayer and fasting on a regular basis. His mother and grandmother were brought from Africa to America and maintained a deep-seated hatred toward slavery.

Turner was an intelligent man and in his youth he developed the same view of slavery. At an early age, his family believed he was chosen by God to lead his people out of that peculiarly brutal institution.

Turner believed he heard messages from God, and often took action according to supernatural signs.

In 1821, Turner ran away, but returned 30 days later because he saw a vision. According to accounts, he was told to return to his earthly master. The following year, Samuel Turner, the plantation owner died. After being sold to Thomas Moore, the young man saw a sign in the sky and prayed to find out what it meant.

Documents describe his revelation: “… while laboring in the field, I discovered drops of blood on the corn, as though it were dew from heaven, and I communicated it to many, both White and Black, in the neighborhood; and then I found on the leaves in the woods hieroglyphic characters and numbers, with the forms of men in different attitudes, portrayed in blood, and representing the figures I had seen before in the heavens.”

On May, 2, 1828, he had a third vision. From it, he knew there would come a time when he needed to “fight against the Serpent,” and signs in the sky would let him know when to “commence the great work.”

By February 1831, Turner was living at the plantation of Joseph Travis, the new husband of Thomas Moore’s widow. Turner described him as kind and had no complaints about the man.

During an eclipse of the sun, Turner believed it was the sign he was waiting for and shared his plan with four men he trusted dearly. They were to hold an insurrection on America’s Independence Day, July Fourth. But when it came time to put the plan into action, Turner was sick, so it was postponed.

On Aug. 13, there was an atmospheric disturbance in which the sun appeared bluish-green. This was Turner’s final sign.

On Aug. 21, Turner and six men met in the woods to discuss their plans, and at 2 a.m., the group set out to the Travis house where they killed the entire family while they slept.

They continued from house to house, killing all the Whites in their path. The group turned into 40 enslaved Africans, most riding on horseback. By midday Aug. 22, word has spread about the rebellion and state and federal troopers captured several and killed one of the group. Turner escaped.

In the end, at least 55 Whites were killed.

Turner remained free until Oct. 30, when he was discovered and captured. A physician recorded his confession while he was imprisoned.

Then on Nov. 5, Turner was tried and executed. He was hanged and skinned on Nov. 11.

The events went down in history as one of the bloodiest slave rebellions in America.

Advertisement

Latest