The Turner Thesis Summary

The Fires of Jubilee, by Stephen B. Oates, tells an account of Nat Turner’s rebellion. Beginning with Nat’s early life and finally ending with the legacy his execution left the world, Oates paints a historical rending of those fateful days. The Confessions of Nat Turner by Thomas R. Gray and approved by Nat himself is among Oates’ chief sources. Oates is known as a reputable historian through his other works, and has strong credentials however, in the case of The Fires of Jubilee there are some limitations. It is, therefore, worth analyzing Oates’ interpretation for reliability. In doing so one sees that The Fires of Jubilee, because of its weak use of citations, failure to alert the audience of assumed details and the way in which

Mayor Dinkins invited me to his office and there I revealed my initiative of renaming a street in my Dad's memory. The mayor was in my corner 100% and after going through the necessary channels to implement this, September 18, 1993, the city added the designation “The Matthew S Turner Triangle” at 122nd Street at Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. The unveiling of the street was a historic moment for our family. In May 2002, I established a foundation in his memory, The Matthew S. Turner Foundation.

How does Turner explain the recurring need for communication and transportation along the American frontier?

What I found most interesting was the story of Nelson Reinsch and his ability to keep an open mind in order to benefit from an ever-changing system of comparative advantage. Nelson worked his entire life as a cotton farmer, most of which was in the “cottonest city in the world,” Lubbock Texas. It was fascinating to hear first-hand accounts of how the cotton industry changed throughout Nelson’s life. Nelson adapted to the changing industry where farmers stuck in their traditional ways were eventually left behind. Nelson and other farmers in the region benefited from their relationships with

Turner waited until the frontier had been completely gone because his main argument was that the frontier had been influencing Americans for the entire duration of its exploration and settlement. Turner had also argued that the frontier had been the “crucible” for America’s changes and developments (Turner 34). By describing the frontier as a crucible meant that its’ location was where the changes and developments being made transformed the immigrants into a new breed of American solely due to the frontier. However, the land itself did not directly influence the people of the frontier; the land was primarily just the location at which people made their individual

Gray’s “The Confessions of Nat Turner” opened with an overview of Turner’s early life. He included a passage in which Turner said that an odd moment in his life, when he recalled events that happened before his birth, “laid the ground work of that enthusiasm, which has terminated so fatally to many” (44). By declaring his revolt as an enthusiasm, which means that it was a divinely inspired pursuit, he already ingrained the prejudice of the confessions being the one of an overly religious man. The confessions persisted with the idea of Turner being an irrational self-proclaimed prophet. He was said to have many revelations in his life which convinced him that he was “ordained for some great purpose in the hands of the Almighty” (46). The purpose, as he saw it, was to lead his people to freedom.

Books are filled with stories of colonial resistance such as the Boston Tea Party, the burning of effigies, and the Revolutionary War. There are many stories of Daniel Shay's rebellion against the young federal government. Yet one story that receives little attention is the story of Nat Turner's rebellion. This being one of the first rebellions and acts of abolition of slavery you would think that this amazing story would be in every textbook throughout the world. His story is an excellent example of how some slaves fought back and resisted their oppressors. Overall, I was extremely impressed with this work. I think Stephen Oates was truly interested in what he was researching, as this is reflected in the book. He makes important the inhumane treatment and crude conditions that a slave had to endure under their control. His skill as a writer is excellent, and he does a very good job bringing the reader into the story. Oates believes that Nat Turner's rebellion was a critical turning point in American history, especially Southern history. I was especially impressed with his ability to describe what was happening. The detail fills the mind with a well-drawn picture of the scenery, smells, attitudes, and needs of the blacks and whites of this part of the South. Lastly I would say that this book is not only enjoyable, but also an important historical work that is helpful in understanding race relations of the past and

In 1893, at the 400th anniversary of the appearance of Columbus in the Americas celebrated in Chicago , Frederick Jackson Turner presented an academic paper entitled, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History” In this essay, Turner proposes that, “The existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward explain American development.” The group dynamic that Turner champions is the farmer. More directly it is white, male farmers. While the expansion of the west by white male farmers was a factor in the development of America, it is not the only explanation for this progression. Turner fails to incorporate all of the demographics present during this expansion which were essential to the evolution of America.

     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.

In chapter two, Masur talks about the importance of Nat Turner and his Rebellion to end slavery. Turner, an African American slave was convinced throughout his life that god had put him on this earth for a certain reason. Throughout Turners life and search for why god had put him here, he started to get visions from god as he got older. These visions made Turner believe that he had to end slavery by attacking it. Turner went out killing whites the night of the eclipse and would gain more followers as he went on. The rebellion didn’t last long and it wasn't pretty either. Turner and his followers were executed and other slaves were killed because of it. Turners rebellion simply points out the lie that slavery is a benevolent institution. Another important event in chapter two is the development of abolitionism. William Lloyd Garrison was a journalist who wanted immediate emancipation of every slave and started a newspaper called the Liberator. The Liberator is what helped Garrison get his reputation of being an American abolitionist nation wide. At the time, the Liberator was a popular paper and would turn out to become very

From the years 1800-1850 the nation was full of battles and prosperity. Territorial expansion was a cause in most of the battles, but also gained prosperity for the nation. There were many impacts on national unity between those time periods, but the main impact was territorial expansion. This is true because of the Louisiana Purchase, the purchase of Oregon territory, and the Mexican War.

Nat Turner was a man with a vision that would change America forever. His vision may

The Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner’s Fierce Rebellion written by Stephen B. Oates, is a biography about a slave that lived in America during the 1800’s and the affects the institution of slavery had on him and society. Being a specialist in the nineteenth-century United States history, Oates, was a reputable history professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Oates has composed sixteen books as well as been presented with the Nevins-Freeman Award of the Chicago Civil War Round Table for his historical work on the Civil War.

The movement of people that has resulted in the settlement of America is one of the most fascinating and significant topics in the history of the United States. Nowhere else has an area of equal size been settled as a result of the initiative of small groups and individuals. Westward expansion helped stimulate the American economy.

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.