Nat Turner's Slave Rebellion

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that Nat Turner lead the largest and one of the most successful slave rebellions in American history in 1831, long before the American Civil War took place. However, the writer points out that most of the other facts about Turner's life remain elusive in the eyes of writers and historians alike. The writer discusses that to flesh out the myths and legends surrounding Turner's complicated theology, rebellion, and psychology, 19th century American historian Stephen Oates attempts to provide a speculative history as to the context of the plantation life in which Turner was reared as a slave. The writer looks at how Turner came to view himself as a prophetic figure and lead the fierce rebellion of the title. The writer notes that Oates suggests that Turner was both an extraordinary figure, a man whose rebellion changed the South, but also an ordinary man, who showed amazing courage, intelligence, and brutality in the face of history.

From the Paper:

"In his book, Oates portrays slavery and the slave community as a totally enclosing institution, with heavy white control upon slave mobility, intellectually and geographically. This partially explains why more blacks did not rebel with Turner, he surmises. He also examines the empowering nature of slave religion, which originated as an instrument of white control upon slaves, but which also acted as a tool of empowerment for some slaves like Turner, who believed that his visions gave him prophetic status and the right to free his people. Religion and Christianity was a double-edged sword for slaves, preaching meekness when transmitted in the voices of slave-owners, but also a gospel of judgment, where the mighty would be brought low by the oppressed, in the name of justice."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Oates, Stephen B. The Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner's Fierce Rebellion. New York: HarperPerennial, 1990.

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