ANTI-SLAVERY REBELLIONS

Vi r gi ni a Revol ut i on 1831

KEY POI NTS

Led by Nat Tur ner , r ebel sl aves ki l l ed anywher e f r om 55–65 whi t e peopl e, t he hi ghest number of f at al i t i es caused by sl ave upr i si ngs i n t he Sout h.

The Nat Tur ner Rebel l i on was put down wi t hi n a f ew days, but Tur ner sur vi ved i n hi di ng f or over t wo mont hs af t er war d.

I n t he af t er mat h, t her e was wi despr ead f ear , and whi t e mi l i t i as or gani zed i n r et al i at i on agai nst sl aves.

The st at e execut ed 60 sl aves accused of bei ng par t of t he r ebel l i on.

At l east 100 bl acks, and possi bl y up t o 200, wer e ki l l ed by mi l i t i as and mobs.

Acr oss t he Sout h, st at e l egi sl at ur es passed new l aws pr ohi bi t i ng educat i on of sl aves and f r ee bl acks, r est r i ct i ng r i ght s of assembl y and ot her ci vi l

Causes of the Virginia

Revolution

Leaders – Nat Turner

Nat Tur ner was an ensl aved Amer i can who had l i ved hi s ent i r el i f e i n Sout hampt on Count y, Vi r gi ni a, an ar ea wi t hpr edomi nant l y mor e bl acks t han whi t es. Af t er t he r ebel l i on, ar ewar d not i ce descr i bed Tur ner as:

“5 f eet 6 or 8 i nches hi gh, wei ghs bet ween 150 and 160pounds, r at her "br i ght " [l i ght -col or ed] compl exi on, butnot a mul at t o, br oad shoul der s, l ar ger f l at nose, l ar geeyes, br oad f l at f eet , r at her knockneed, wal ks br i sk andact i ve, hai r on t he t op of t he head ver y t hi n, nobear d, except on t he upper l i p and t he t op of t he chi n, ascar on one of hi s t empl es, al so one on t he back ofhi s neck, a l ar ge knot on one of t he bones of hi s r i ghtar m, near t he wr i st , pr oduced by a bl ow.”

The Prophet of Cross Keys

"I hear d a l oud noi se i n t he heavens, and t he Spi r i t

i nst ant l y appear ed t o me and sai d t he Ser pent was l oosened, and Chr i st had l ai d down t he yoke he had bor ne f or t he si ns of men, and t hat I shoul d t ake i t on and f i ght agai nst t he Ser pent , f or t he t i me was f ast appr oachi ng when t he f i r st shoul d be l ast and t he l ast shoul d be f i r st .“

Nat Tur ner 's descr i pt i on of hi s 1828 vi si on Nat Tur ner di spl ayed r emar kabl e abi l i t i es f r om an ear l y age. He t aught hi msel f t o r ead and conduct ed exper i ment s i n t he manuf act ur e of gunpowder , paper and sand-cast mol di ngs. Even when he was a smal l chi l d, f el l ow sl aves came t o hi m f or hel p pl anni ng secr et act i vi t i es. Nat bel i eved he was dest i ned f or some gr eat mi ssi on. To pr epar e hi msel f , he r ef used t o t ouch t obacco, money or l i quor and spent much t i me f ast i ng and medi t at i ng. He had a r eput at i on as a hol y man--whi ch pl ayed a r ol e i n hi s abi l i t y t o or gani ze peopl e.

Nat Tur ner had a ser i es of vi vi d

vi si ons, whi ch he bel i eved r eveal ed hi s

mi ssi on--t o l ead sl aves i n a war f or

f r eedom. He expect ed a f i nal si gn t el l i ng hi m

when "I shoul d r i se and pr epar e mysel f and

sl ay my enemi es wi t h t hei r own weapons.“ He

chose an i nner ci r cl e of onl y f our

di sci pl es--Henr y Por t er , Har k Tr avi s, Nel son

Wi l l i ams and Samuel Fr anci s--and even t hey

wer e not t ol d al l hi s pl ans. The gr oup

devel oped wi de cont act s among smal l f ar ms of

Sout hampt on, wher e sl ave-owner s t ypi cal l y

had t hr ee or f our sl aves. Nat t r avel ed

pr eachi ng, l ear ni ng about t he r oads and

i dent i f yi ng pot ent i al r ecr ui t s. He f i l l ed

pages wi t h maps and pl ans--of t en wr i t t en i n

hi s own bl ood--usi ng speci al hi er ogl yphs

Development

Bel i evi ng i n si gns and hear i ng di vi ne voi ces, Tur ner had a vi si on i n 1825 of a bl oody conf l i ct bet ween bl ack and whi t e spi r i t s. Thr ee year s l at er , he had what he bel i eved t o be anot her message f r om God. I n hi s l at er conf essi on, Tur ner expl ai ned "t he Spi r i t i nst ant l y appear ed t o me and sai d t he Ser pent was l oosened, and Chr i st had l ai d down t he yoke he had bor ne f or t he si ns of men, and t hat I shoul d t ake i t on and f i ght agai nst t he Ser pent . " Tur ner woul d r ecei ve anot her si gn t o t el l hi m when t o f i ght , but t hi s l at est message meant "I shoul d ar i se and pr epar e mysel f and sl ay my enemi es wi t h t hei r own weapons.“

Tur ner t ook a sol ar ecl i pse t hat occur r ed i n Febr uar y 1831 as a si gnal t hat t he t i me t o r i se up had come.

The Nature of the Revolt

The Nat Tur ner Revol t , hat ched one of t he most i mpor t ant Sout her n st at es had cl ear obj ect i ves:

St ar t ed wi t h onl y 6 men, but as he moved f r om pl ant at i on t o pl ant at i on, he per suaded ensl aved bl acks t o j oi n t he st r uggl e. Af t er mar chi ng 20 mi l es, 70 men enl i st ed i n t he cause

St r i ke t er r or i n t he hear t s of t he whi t e popul at i on

Obt ai n ar ms i n t he count y’s t own of Jer usal em

Rebel l i on

The r ebel s spar ed al most none whom t hey

encount er ed. A smal l chi l d who hi d i n a f i r epl ace

was among t he f ew sur vi vor s. The sl aves ki l l ed

appr oxi mat el y si xt y whi t e men, women and chi l dr en

bef or e Tur ner and hi s br i gade of i nsur gent s wer e

def eat ed. A whi t e mi l i t i a wi t h t wi ce t he manpower

of t he r ebel s and r ei nf or ced by t hr ee compani es of

ar t i l l er y event ual l y def eat ed t he i nsur r ect i on.

August 21, 1831

On t hi s day i n 1831, Nat Tur ner began what woul d t ur n out t obe t he deadl i est sl ave r ebel l i on i n Amer i can hi st or y. Overt he cour se of 48 hour s, Tur ner and a gr oup of r ebel sl aveski l l ed mor e t han 50 whi t es i n Sout hampt on, Vi r gi ni a.

I n August 1861, t hi r t y year s af t er t he upr i si ng and i n t heheat of t he Ci vi l War , The At l ant i c publ i shed t he f ol l owi ngdet ai l ed account of Nat Tur ner 's sl ave r ebel l i on. The aut hor ,Thomas Went wor t h Hi ggi nson, was an ar dent abol i t i oni st andsoon-t o-be col onel of t he Uni on's f i r st bl ack r egi ment . Het ol d Nat Tur ner 's st or y wi t h empat hy and under st andi ng,emphasi zi ng t he r easons why t he r ebel sl aves f el t j ust i f i edi n commi t t i ng mass mur der . Whi l e many Sout her ner s ar guedt hat whi t e pl ant er s t r eat ed sl aves wel l , Nat Tur ner 'sr ebel l i on suggest ed a di f f er ent st or y. Wr i t i ng j ust f ourmont hs af t er Conf eder at e f or ces f i r ed on For t Sumt er , i t 'sl i kel y t hat Hi ggi nson ai med t o i nspi r e r eader s t o t ake ast and agai nst sl aver y, and j oi n t he Uni on cause.

Car ol i ne Ki t chener

Suppression

"Sl aves wer e whi pped, hung, and cut down wi t h swor ds i n t he st r eet s, i f f ound away f r om t hei r quar t er s af t er dar k. The whol e ci t y was i n t he ut most conf usi on and di smay; and a dar k cl oud of t er r i f i c bl ackness, seemed t o hang over t he heads of t he whi t es.... Gr eat number s of t he sl aves wer e l ocked i n t he pr i son, and many wer e `hal f hung,' as i t was t er med; t hat i s, t hey wer e suspended t o some l i mb of a t r ee, wi t h a r ope about t hei r necks, so adj ust ed as t o not qui t e st r angl e t hem, and t hen t hey wer e pel t ed by men and boys wi t h r ot t en eggs.“

-Henr y Br own, who escaped sl aver y i n Ri chmond, Vi r gi ni a

Capture of Nat Turner

Nat Tur ner capt ur ed by Mr . Benj ami n Phi pps, a l ocalf ar mer .

The r ebel l i on was suppr essed wi t hi n t wo days, butTur ner el uded capt ur e unt i l Oct ober 30, when he wasdi scover ed hi di ng i n a hol e cover ed wi t h f ence r ai l s.On November 5, 1831, he was t r i ed f or "conspi r i ng t or ebel and maki ng i nsur r ect i on", convi ct ed and sent encedt o deat h. Tur ner was hanged on November 11i n Jer usal em, Vi r gi ni a. Hi s bodywas f l ayed, beheaded and quar t er ed. Tur ner r ecei ved nof or mal bur i al ; hi s headl ess r emai ns wer e ei t her bur i edunmar ked or kept f or sci ent i f i c use. Hi s skul l i s sai dt o have passed t hr ough many hands, l ast bei ng r epor t edi n t he col l ect i on of a pl anned ci vi l r i ght s museumf or Gar y, I ndi ana despi t e cal l s f or i t s bur i al .

Consequences

The ki l l i ng of whi t es sent pani c and shock sent t hr oughout Vi r gi ni a and near by st at es.

New measur es i mpl ement ed t o suppr ess r el i gi ous act i vi t i es.

Debat es r e-opened on Af r i can col oni zat i on. The aut hor i t i es want ed t o r ai se f unds t o suppor t t he movement of bl acks t o Li ber i a, Af r i ca

Mur der of bl acks suspect ed of par t i ci pat i ng i n t he r evol t . Tur ner and 16 ensl aved bl acks went t o gal l ows al ong wi t h 43 ot her “f r ee Negr oes”

Quotes by Nat Turner

The Confessions of Nat Turner

(1831)

“my f at her and mot her st r engt hened me i n t hi s my f i r st i mpr essi on, sayi ng i n my pr esence, I was i nt ended f or some gr eat pur pose, whi ch t hey had al ways t hought f r om cer t ai n mar ks on my head and br east .”

“I of t en saw at pr ayer s, not i ci ng t he si ngul ar i t y of my manner s, I suppose, and my uncommon i nt el l i gence f or a chi l d, r emar ked I had t oo much sense t o be r ai sed – and i f I was, I woul d never be of any ser vi ce t o any one – as a sl ave.”

Havi ng soon di scover ed t o be gr eat , I must appear so, and t her ef or e st udi ousl y avoi ded mi xi ng i n soci et y, and wr apped mysel f i n myst er y, devot i ng my t i me t o f ast i ng and pr ayer .

I was st r uck wi t h t hat par t i cul ar passage whi ch says: "Seek ye t he ki ngdom of Heaven and al l t hi ngs shal l be added unt o you.“

And about t hi s t i me I had a vi si on — and I saw whi t e spi r i t s and bl ack spi r i t s engaged i n bat t l e, and t he sun was dar kened – t he t hunder r ol l ed i n t he Heavens, and bl ood f l owed i n st r eams – and I hear d a voi ce sayi ng, "Such i s your l uck, such you ar e cal l ed t o see, and l et i t come r ough or smoot h, you must sur el y bear i t ."