History of Nat Turner

Nat Turner was a African American leader who led the bloodiest slave revolt in the United States history against slaveholders and the institution of slavery in Virginia's Southampton County in 1831. The rebellion demonstrated to the North that the level of anger held by the enslaved, as well as the lengths freedom seekers were prepared to go for liberty. Although his revolt was an isolated event in a remote part of Virginia, it had a profound impact on white southerners.

Each October was time of toil for the blacks on the Virginia plantation which was owned by Benjamin Turner, who had twenty-five to thirty blacks who worked on his plantation; caring for six to seven hundred acres of his farm land. One day the cry of a newborn baby could be heard outside one of the several living quarters of the slaves, which was located behind Benjamin Turner's house. However, the Turners knew the care of the mother and child could be managed by the house servants who took care of each other with the guidance and assistance of a wise grandmother. Benjamin Turner looked in and asked the servants how everything was going; he felt good about having a new slave boy being born which meant he would have a strong and helpful new slave to add to the value of his estate.

However, the story tellers of long ago had talked about how the mother given the familiar Christian name of Nancy who arrived in Virginia from Africa how she had to be tied to prevent her from killing her newborn son. Therefore, the boy who like his spirited mother was given a Christian name also that of Nat, short for Nathaniel, which in Hebrew meant the gift of God. Nat Turner had been born into slavery on October 2, 1800 in Southampton County, Virginia, five days before the execution of Gabriel Prosser. Who in August 1800 led slaves of the Richmond area to an abortive rebellion, and five months after a white leader name John Brown led the 1859 raid on the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, sought to start a slave rebellion in Virginia. Nat's birth, together with these events, was as a milestone on the long journey of the blacks from bondage to freedom.

Nat's boyhood on the Turner farm did not seem to have been an unpleasant one. Turner and his father Benjamin, grandfather William, and great-grandfather Simon had used black slaves for more than half a century to develop their plantations. Therefore, the pacifying influence that the Turner's used towards their slaves for years was essential for their successful handling of their slaves. In addition, there were old slaves that Benjamin Turner had that belonged to his grandfather as well as others given to him by his father this was the Virginia way of life.

However, no one on the plantation in 1800 would have thought it possible that a combination of pagan and Christian teaching by the Turner's would be reflected in Nat's barbaric treatment of whites. Nat's mother Nancy learned quickly that the slaves had their own social distinction as well as the whites. It was the custom among the Turner's, as it was in most of the Southern households, for the white and black children to play together while the domestics went about their chores. The black children received the same advantage of instruction as the whites. There Nat came to learn to read and write. Nat had before him the opportunity to obtain all the information that was available to him. Since most Southampton plantations used plans which each master managed their own farm and place a black over each group of slaves to help their master take care of the farm land without interruption among slaves.

This system had created a feeling of pride among those slaves who did exceptional work on the farm. Slavery had been a tradition in Africa for centuries before coming of the European traders, and during its later stages which was symbolized by brutality and contempt for human life. There was a story of a black king of Loango who had brought one hundred slaves to the coast for sale. However, when he found no slaveholders at the coast waiting to purchase slaves he butchered them all in cold blood, because he thought it too be expensive to feed them. Slave ships had been moving towards America since 1619. During the colonial period England, this was the trade center for slaves.

Although, Benjamin Turner and his wife Elizabeth had a few slaves passed on to them by their parents. At least a few of the slaves who shared Nancy's company had first-hand knowledge of the harsh slave trade and brought stories of cruelty from other areas. From the beginning of slavery fear had been used as a means to control slaves. The blacks received information by underground communication, with the word being passed along by free slaves. Slaves moved from one part of the country to another, by black sailors, servants that attended church and blacks who visited the village and city markets. Nat's high spirited father left an example of disaffection. He ran away from his master and abandoned his family when Nat was still young, never to be heard from again.

By late 1810 Nat's old master Benjamin Turner died in his early fifties, Nat was only ten years old at the time and not able to work. However, the master's death brought no severance of family ties among the slaves and Nat did not lose touch with his early family or his white playmates. All the old mater's thirty something slaves were divided between Elizabeth and her five children. Nat, his mother and six other slaves whose names were Sam, Lydia, Drew, Chary, Miver and Elick were already in possession of Samuel Turner, the oldest son. He and his oldest sister Nancy Barratt had established their households one year earlier, with Nancy marrying Thomas Westbrook in 1809.

Samuel Turner had the means to become a respected and influential planter during this time, but unfortunate for his family and slaves his life would be cut short by his death twelve years after that of his father. As the only adult son and executor of his father's estate it was his responsibility to look after the affairs of his mother, two younger brothers and one younger sister. Nat never showed any desire to become a craftsman like other male slaves had. He was certain this was not his calling. Instead Nat reflected on the prophetic signs as interpreted by his elders. Meanwhile other things were taking place on and off the Samuel Turner plantation. Nat lost his second master which destroyed any hope he or any other slave may one day be set free.

An economic depression made things harder for both master and slave. Soon after 1800 cotton had taken the place of tobacco during this time as one of Southampton County's main export. Turner's death came early in 1822 as a disturbing event for most of his slaves. His will provided