Slave Revolt of Nat Turner

Paper Summary:

This research constructs a narrative of the slave revolt led by Nat Turner in 1831, with reference to documents produced at the time of the event. The research sets forth the context in which the Turner rebellion occurred and then discusses the motivation of Turner, the causes of the revolt and the goals of the rebels.

From the Paper:

"By the time Nat Turner and other slaves killed more than 50 white people in and around Southampton, Virginia, in August of 1831, the slaveholders of the South had little experience that might have prepared them for the realization that the institution of slavery could place their lives in jeopardy. A conspiracy led by Denmark Vesey, a free Negro living in Charleston, North Carolina, had emerged in 1822, partly out of public discourse over the Missouri Compromise (1821), which settled the geographical boundaries of slavery in the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. When a "faithful retainer" revealed the plot, Vesey and 35 others were hanged, and another 34 were exiled (Wiltse 71). By 1831, public discourse of slavery and antagonistic North-South debate had heightened with the appearance of Garrison's abolitionist newspaper The Liberator. Nevertheless, Nat Turner's slave rebellion was not anticipated, and this fact is supported by the commentary that contained a good deal of speculation about the revolt's causes and Turner's motives."

More papers on Slave Revolt of Nat Turner:

• Analytical Essay # 148635 : "The Significance of Nat Turner's Rebellion"
• Persuasive Essay # 133472 : "Nat Turner: Slave Resistance and Revolution for Freedom"
• Book Review # 118020 : "Fires of the Jubilee: Nat Turner's Fierce Rebellion"

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