Slave Owners Turner example essay topic

Mary Jenkins Black History "Nat Turner, Sword of God" Of all slave revolts, Nat Turner was without a doubt the best known. In August 1831, Turner and about seventy other black slaves began their long-planned insurrection. The charismatic slave believed the voice of God had instructed him to commence a death march across Virginia and the South to free four million black slaves. If necessary, he felt his band was justified in killing every white person who crossed his path.

Nat Turner began the killing with his own master, and then proceeded from farm to farm. Within a few days, he and his co-conspirators had raided several plantations and butchered no less than fifty-five whites. The word of Turner's revolt immediately spread across the nation, throwing the white population into a panic. Many whites packed their families into buggies and fled Virginia and neighboring states.

Haiti's successful slave revolt, which by this time was well known, made Turner's uprising white America's worst Jenkins 2 nightmare. To, slave owners Turner represented an out-of-control, avenging black bogeyman. The federal government placed the United States Marines on alert. For two full months, thousands of state reserves and militia members scoured the state for Turner's small but mighty gang of revolutionary slaves. Furious that slaves had the nerve to actually take arms against them, white vigilante mobs roamed the countryside assaulting and slaughtering free or bonded Jenkins 3 blacks.

In some cases, entire black families, women, and children included, were massacred. Business and property owners conducted economic reprisals by refusing to employ free blacks or rent them homes or farm lands Since whites controlled private property, indeed, the entire actions had serious repercussions on the black population. Turner's small army was eventually located, surrounded, and defeated. Turner and his men attempted counter-attacks, but were vastly outnumbered. After going onto hiding and eluding capture, he was finally discovered in a cave, arrested without resistance, tried, and hanged. Jenkins 4 Nat Turner had responded to the prolonged suffering of his people.

At his trial, the black warrior looked at the sea of hostile white faces. "I do not feel any guilt for what I have done", he declared". Let God judge my acts". His earthly judges found him guilty of seeking freedom. He was hanged and decapitated. Jenkins 5

Bibliography

1. Stewart, Jeffery C. "1001 Things Everyone should know about African American History" (New York: Doubleday), 1996, p. 37-38.2. web 3. web.