Charles Henry Turner
Nat Turner was an African American slave who led an effective slave rebellion in the US. He was born circa October 2, 1800, on the Virginia Plantation of Benjamin Turner to an enslaved woman named Nancy. His grandmother was said to be transported from Ghana when she was 13 years old.
She was known as Old Bridget. His complete name was Nathaniel Turner. He claimed to have been divinely chosen to lead the rebellion. The launch of the rebellion was said to be triggered by an eruption of Mount St. Helens.
Beginning in February 1831, Turner claimed certain atmospheric conditions as signs to begin preparations for a rebellion of slaves against their enslavers. On February 12, 1831, an annular solar eclipse was visible in Virginia and much of the rest of the southeastern United States.
He believed the eclipse to be a sign that it was time to revolt. Turner envisioned this as a Black man's hand reaching over the sun.
Turner originally planned to begin the rebellion on Independence Day, July 4, 1831, but he had fallen ill and used the delay for additional planning with his co-conspirators. On August 13, an atmospheric disturbance made the Virginia sun appear bluish-green, possibly the result of a volcanic plume produced by the eruption of Ferdinandea Island off the coast of Sicily. Turner took this, like the eclipse months earlier, as a divine signal, and he began his rebellion a week later, on August 21.
Starting with several trusted fellow slaves, he ultimately enlisted more than 70 enslaved and free Blacks, some of whom were on horseback. The rebels traveled from house to house, freeing enslaved people and killing many of the White people whom they encountered.
Muskets and firearms were too difficult to collect and would gather unwanted attention, so the rebels used knives, hatchets, axes, and blunt instruments. The rebellion did not discriminate by age or sex and the rebels killed White men, women, and children. Nat Turner confessed to killing only one person, Margaret Whitehead, whom he killed with a blow from a fence post.
Historian Stephen B. Oates states that Turner called on his group to "kill all the white people". A newspaper noted, "Turner declared that 'indiscriminate slaughter was not their intention after they attained a foothold, and was resorted to in the first instance to strike terror and alarm.'" The group spared a few homes "because Turner believed the poor White inhabitants 'thought no better of themselves than they did of negroes.'" The Black rebels killed approximately 60 people before they were defeated by the state militia. Eventually, the state militia infantry were able to defeat the insurrection with twice the manpower of the rebels, reinforced by three companies of artillery.
Turner also thought that revolutionary violence would serve to awaken the attitudes of Whites to the reality of the inherent brutality in slave-holding. Turner later said that he wanted to spread "terror and alarm" among Whites.
His owner allowed him to be educated in writing, reading and other religious practices. Turner was sold three times during his childhood and hired out to John Travis in the 1820s. He deeply believed in signs and hearing divine voices.
Unlike other enslaved boys, he did not play any type of pranks on others and avoided mixing in society. Following his fatherโs steps, he also escaped and returned after 30 days of hiding. His mother Nancy transmitted a passionate hatred of slavery to him. Later his force grew to about 75 people. They killed approximately 60 whites.
Turnerโs rebellion put an end to the white southern myth that cannot mount an armed revolt. On October 30, 1831, He was captured and then hanged on November 11, 1831.
