The Confessions Of Nat Turner : Resistance Against Authority

Gray was filling in the empty spots he did so in his own words, and

The story of Nat Turner’s rebellion, that took place in Southampton, Virginia, on August 22, 1831, is somewhat of a lost event. This is because this particular stand was not the most successful at first, but it resulted in the later years as an rewarding rebellion. Nat Turner’s rebellion affected racism and slavery, by being a leader, by being influential, and by showing bravery. All three of these things must be used in order to have a successful rebellion in this situation especially.

Nat is without a doubt a “freedom fighter” and although his fight ended in blood, it was necessary at the time to help to end the continuance of such a cruel and inhuman practice. Slavery in itself was much more horrifying than every white death that ensued following the rebellion combined. Oates’s assertion that Turner’s rebellion was the first war against slavery is incredibly accurate, except in one sense, one does not need to be African-American to agree with this claim. Though an African-American could view slavery as a much more personal subject, because it affected and enslaved many of their own ancestors, one does not need to be black to understand how terrible slavery actually is. Any single person who can assess slavery with an open mind and completely unbiased will see that the suggestion that one person can own another person solely because of the color of one’s skin is completely inhumane, and it’s absolutely no surprise that those who were being enslaved decided to react. Nat did in fact commit a crime, he started a

When you first contacted me about creating an exhibit for the new museum, it became a challenge to develop one. It is not as if there is not enough history to pull from. My concern was about leaving a lasting impression on the museum visitors. I wanted to show them that even in the darkest times of African American history, there were still some people who were able to see the light. Particularly, when it comes to slavery, slave revolts are a shining example of the oppressed somehow managing to find the strength to battle against their suppressor, all in the name of fighting injustice. With this exhibit I will focus on Nat Turner’s Rebellion. I find it crucial that attendees learn about this for it was a turning point in the slave era. Nat Turner and his co-conspirators did something truly incredible, although it was through extreme violence, the statement would shape slavery’s future, and their reasons behind their brutality were incredibly human.

     The Fires of Jubilee, is a well written recollection of the slave insurrection led by Nathaniel Turner. It portrays the events leading towards the civil war and the shattered myth of contented slaves in the South. The book is divided into four parts: This Infernal Spirit of Slavery, Go Sound the Jubilee, Judgment Day, and Legacy.

Nat Turner's slave revolt may have not been the greatest way to solve the problem of slavery,

The book educates readers on the difficult life slaves had in America during the 1800’s and the life of Nat Turner and the rebellion he lead. The book focuses on Nat’s life and the adversities as well as challenges slaves had to go through to survive. The psychological effects slaves had for the fault of the system they were unjustly born into or put in, affected their decision making every day; either by making them obey their masters or fight for their freedom and die, rather than continue living as a slave. In the case of Nat Turner, life as a slave caused him to lead a rebellion whose sole purpose was to kill all of the white people who lived in Southampton County, Virginia, and its surrounding areas. Unfortunately, Nat’s rebellion is what caused his death.

Nat Turner was an African American slave who was born in Southampton County, Virginia on October 2, 1800. He started working on southern plantations 1831. When he was younger, everyone thought of him as being very smart. They saw that he was smart when he was about 3 or 4 years old. While young Nat Turner was playing with some of his friends, his mother heard him tell the children about something that had happened to him when he was born. She later had asked him about what he told the children. She asked him details about the incident, and it confirmed that he knew about this past event. From that time on, other slaves believed that in addition to his unique view, his physical markings were a sign that he would be a prophet.

What was the importance of Nat Turner and where does he stand in American history? Nat Turner is an American slave, who has been forgotten about in history as well in the hearts of African-Americans. He led and organized one of the bloodiest slave rebellions in American history. This rebellion was "…the rebellion that served to change the course of American history in the three decades before the Civil War" (Goldman 10). Within this paper, it is to analyze on his impact on the nation.

Christianity was new to most slaves who had been abducted from their native country and taken to the Americas. Some were hesitant to abandon their old traditions for the Christ their white captors taught of, but after several generations of slavery, most black slaves had succumbed to relentless preaching. However, the Christianity that took hold within the slave community was often interpreted differently, conveying different messages to pockets of slave population. The use of Christianity in slavery was a double edged sword, creating not only a tool for control, but a weapon of discontent in slave communities. Examining the works of Richard Allen and the stories of Nat Turner, create a narrative of how Christianity was applied differently to slaves.

     Nat Turner’s slave revolt may have not been the greatest way to solve the problem of slavery,

Murder should never be justified with religion. In The Confessions of Nat Turner, Nat says that the Spirit said he should kill his enemies. Whether the Spirit actually spoke to Nat, nobody will ever really know, but I do not think that Nat should be able to justify his killings with religion. Some people hear God tell them to donate to the poor or something, but I do not really believe God would ever tell anybody to kill another human. As for the rest of the slaves, they let one person talk them into killing so many people.

This was shown all throughout WWII whether it was Oskar Schindler who's heroic action saved thousands of people or Witold Pilecki who single handedly volunteered to be imprisoned in Auschwitz, gathered information and later escaped. Markus Zuzak who wrote to novel "The Book Thief" portrayed a fictional yet realistic take on WWII. All of these war time heroes stood up for what was right, they felt fear yet still acted and most of all they faced suffering with dignity. They may all of feared capture yet they still proceeded to do what was right. Some where caught and some still live to tell the tale. Courage does not mean you don't get afraid. Courage means you don not let fear stop you. Courage is not the absence of fear but the comprehension of

First and foremost, too many people are too timid to go through all the trouble and pain to achieve past their limits; however, one act of bravery could make a person’s courage ascend to the sky. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. always had a dream about slavery being demolished; therefore, he worked tirelessly and accomplished his goals. Many people today are living freely because of his courageous and dauntless act of believing in something and fighting for making it a reality.

This article by The New York Times, Courage and Cowardice, explains the differences between being a coward and having courage. Using historical examples such as Charles Blondin, who walked across the Niagara Falls on nothing a zip cord. Charles the XIIth of Sweden, who said “ A man who hasn’t felt fear is a man who has never snuffed a candle with his finger”. Frederick of Prussia, who was a great military general, is know to shake with fear before battle, but it only made him fight hard. Overall, being fearless has nothing to do with being courageous, but more to do with being a coward. “The truly courageous man is he, who being sensible to fear, yet from faithfulness to duty and from self-respect conquers his fear and faces his enemy.” The whole