Nat Turner

Nat Turner Portrait by John Crawley in 1831

Nat Turner was born October 2 in the year 1800, in Southampton County, Virginia. His mother Nancy Turner was an African queen by birth, before they came and kidnapped her from Africa. His father was also a slave. Nat’s father ran away when Nat was just eight or nine years old. When Nat was only ten he taught himself how to read and write, with the master's son's help. That is when he started to read the Bible everyday and became very religious.

Nat was married to a slave named Cherry sometime in the early 1820s. Nat and Cherry had three children. But in 1821 when Nat Turner's second owner died, Nat was separated from his family. Nat was sold to a farmer named Thomas Moore. Cherry and the children were sold to another plantation owner, Giles Reese, who lived next door to Thomas Moore. During this period of time, Nat was getting visions from God, telling him to do something about slavery. He received these visions for about two years until he finally realized what they meant.

The series of visions from God convinced Nat that he should struggle against the enslavement of his people. In this vision, it was revealed to Turner that the time was coming when Nat’s visions would culminate in a slave uprising. It began on August 21, 1831. The next day Federal troops arrived in Southampton County, Virgina to stop the revolt. Once the revolt was put down, black slaves were randomly arrested.

On August 20th, 1831, an eclipse caused Nat to decide that this was a sign from God that the rebellion should start. The next day, Nat met his troops at a cabin pond, behind the Moore house. The slave rebellion was about to begin. The rebels began to march along the road, killing white people at more than Twelve plantations. The rebel slaves gained supplies at every stop. They were trying to get to the town of Jerusalem, Virginia, where they could restock and recruit more rebels. While the rebels were showing off their guns and horses to the slaves at the Parker farm, the eight men they had left on guard were taken by surprise by a group of militia. The guards were low on ammunition, and most of them were drunk. However, when the main force of the slave rebels came to the aid of their sentries, the group of militia was suddenly out-numbered by almost three-to-one. But the tide turned when more militia arrived. After the battle that ensued, Nat's remaining forces needed reinforcements. However, at most plantations, slaves were being watched by armed men. Nat's rebels were ambushed and almost all were killed. Nat was left with five men. He sent two to look for recruits. He did not know it at the time, but all four were killed. Nat was caught and hanged in Jerusalem, Virginia on November 11th, 1831.

Nat Turner was a hero because he was one of the first who ever started fighting for freedom from slavery. He had given all slaves a chance to see freedom and that it was on the way. When Nat Turner died it was a shock to almost all slaves; some were so upset that they began to try to get away themselves. Nat Turner will always be remembered as a hero!