Nat Turner Rebellion Summary

No other time in history preserved the terror of slaves owners in the 1831 from the 1831 from south of Virginia like the revolt led by Nat Turner. A group of slaves killed innocent white people. Everyone involved, including Nat Turner, were killed. Nat was the last person caught that was thought to be involved in the plot. Nat Turner was caught and arrested for his involvement. Durind Nat’s time in jail he was interviewed by Thomas R. Gray. Thoms Gray was a lawyer from South Hampton and a slave owner himself. The interview and information that Thomas Gray gathered was used in the trial of Nat Turner.

Thomas Gray talked about how this rebellion had attracted a lot of interest from people and led to lots of inflated and negative news. This was recored as the first time something like this happened in history with a revolt of the slaves. Nat Turner was caught without incident by Benjamin Phipps. Nat Turner was more than ready to let the world know exactly what had happened. Thoms Gray decided to put Nat’s words to print and publish what was told to him. This is considered a true report of Nat’s confessions. Thomas Gray was the only person that had possession over the writing. Nat Turner made no excuses for his behaviour during the revolt. Nat accepted that Thomas Gray’s portal of his admission was free and voluntary. Thomas
Gray wanted to stress certain things in his reporting of comments. Thomas Gray wanted to call attention to the whites after the rebellion.

Thomas Gray states that he visited Nat Turner in jail on November 1st.
Thomas Gray states that Nat’s confession is in the first person in hopes to replicate Nat Turner’s voice. Nat Turner starts out telling about his childhood and stories about things that happened even before he was born. Nat Turner specified that adults in his live said he would be a psychic because he was aware of things before his birth. Nat Turner’s mother told Nat often that because of his gift and marks found on his body his life will have a good purpose. Thomas Gray was fast to discredit Nat Turner’s accounts excusing the marks as being very common with
negroes.

Turner was thought by others to hold a “uncommon intelligence”. Turner was told by his mother that he was to smart to let someone control him and would not answer as a slave. It was predicted that Nat Turner would be hard to contain as he would be an intelligent slave. Nat Turner confessed to being restless and having an interest in religion. Nat Turner remembers reading from books but not being taught the skill to do it. Nat Turner would spend spare time on prayer and experiments.

Nat Turner states several times the “spirits” spoke to him which he understood to mean that he had great purpose in the hands of the Almighty. Nat Turner spoke to the other slaves that something good was going to happen. At this time Nat Turner’s master brings a new manger. Nat Turner runs away to the woods for a period of time but returns because the spirits redirected his work to his master. On Nat Turners return he has another vision of white and black spirits involved in conflict. Nat Turner declares that spirits uncover things to him with a promise of more to come. While in the fields Nat finds blood on the corn and references it to like morning dew. Nat took this as heaven sending him a message. Nat Turner thought that Christ was returning to earth in the form of dew. Nat felt he was assigned to kill his enemies with their weapons. Turner spoke of this vocation to other slaves and put a plan in action.

Nat Turner spoke of his master, Mr. Joseph Travis, as kind and good to him. This being said the slaves decided to sneak into his home at night to begin the mission. N one would be safe until they were able to get enough weapons. Nat Turner himself wanted to make the first kill and have the other follow. This is not the case as one of the other slaves kills Mr. Travis and the rest of his family with an axe. Nat Turner does not make a kill as he does not have weapons and is always arriving as the killing is done or already in the process. Nat does end up killing one woman with a fence rail to the head.

Nat Turners group grew as they travelled from home to home. Some men would even go ahead as to prevent people from fleeing and sent terror among the people. During the revolt Nat Turner and his men ran into a group of white men that were not backing down. Several of Nat Turners’s men were injured. With many of Nat Turner’s group being injuried or taken captive, Nat Turner hides for about six weeks. Nat Turner would only come out at night for water and to get any information about what was happening around. Nat Turner is soon captured by Mr. Benjamin Phipps. Nat Turner is in chains ready to await whatever will happen to him.

Now set for trial Thomas Gray’s cross examination of Nat Turner to authenticate his story. Thomas Gray finds it verified with the comparison to confessions or knowledge of others who were captured and since killed.