How Slave Rebellion Leader Nat Turner Spent His Last Night Nat Turner executed in Virginia Nat Turner, the leader of a bloody revolt of enslaved people in Southampton County, Virginia, is hanged in Jerusalem, the county seat, on November 11,. Born: 1800. Of the 460 households, 33.9% had children under the age of eighteen years living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 20.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. All Rights Reserved. But Blunt and five others had set up a defense, and the rebels scattered. In it, the Spirit tells him to "take on and fight the Serpent." Jan. 1830 [26] Males had a median income of $50,000 versus $22,031 for females. [9][11] The courthouse burned in 1767 and was replaced in 1768. These attacks were successful in terms of killing white people. [19][11][10] The railroad led to rapid growth and change in the town. Dialect Coach Dawn-Elin Fraser How do we, as allegedly enlightened auditors, reconcile the immense and systemic evils of slavery with the particular and local horrors of Turners uprising against it? [16] Mahone's Tavern, the Rochelle-Prince House, and the Rebecca Vaughan House are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There were 498 housing units at an average density of 538.5 per square mile (209.0/km2). When sentries went out before dawn to investigate a potential attack, they found nothing, but their return set off a commotion in the rebels camp. Led by Nat Turner, the rebels killed between 55 and 65 White people, making it the deadliest slave revolt in U.S. history. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. How To Unsubscribe From Emails and Push Notifications. Arthur Vaughn was the last person killed by the rebel forces. As the five conspirators tried to turn Turners inspiration into a plan, they thought about the revolt strategically. We invite you to learn more about Indians in Virginia in our Encyclopedia Virginia. While Turner took the suns strange appearance as a sign to proceed with the insurrection, its true cause was an atmospheric disturbance that could have been tied to an event nearly 3,000 miles awaythat years eruption of Mount St. Helens in the state of Washington. To the astonishment of his fellow enslaved people, however, the future rebel leader came back to the plantation after spending 30 days in the woods because, as Turner reportedly told Gray, the Spirit appeared to me and said I had my wishes directed to the things of this world, and not to the kingdom of heaven, and that I should return to the service of my earthly master., The divine message to return to his master wasnt the last that Turner would claim to have received from God. After his revolt was violently suppressed by local whites and the Virginia state militia, Nat Turner went into hiding but was eventually captured, tried, and hanged. After his arrest, Turner was taken to the seat of Southampton County, a small town called Jerusalem (present-day Courtland . Eighteen enslaved men and women and one free black man convicted of participating in Nat Turner's Revolt are hanged in Southampton County. [17], The Southampton County Courthouse was built in June 1834 in a modest version of the Jeffersonian Classical style. Turner has been most widely popularized by William Styron in his novel The Confessions of Nat Turner (1967). Recent/current development includes McCarter Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Public Theater, New Neighborhood, Rattlestick, The Lark, Arena Stage. Nat Turner executed in Virginia - HISTORY | Watch Full Episodes of Your When the conspirators selected a date to begin the revolt, initially they picked the Fourth of July. [38], The core of Coutland's business district consists of early 20th-century one and two-story buildings facing Main Street. [20] It is an example of the Two Teacher Community School, To Face East or West Only (Floor Plan No. Regional: Bad Jews (Studio Theatre, DC); Macbeth (Stratford); Peter Pan (The Grand Theatre); This Is Our Youth, Picnic, Cymbeline, Judy, By The Way Meet Vera Stark, The Seagull, As You Like It, Our Town, Richard III (Juilliard). HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. He was deeply religious, devoting [his] time to fasting and prayer, and experienced private revelations in which the Spirit that spoke to the prophets in former days spoke to him. On May 12, 1828, the spirit appeared to Turner and told him that the time was fast approaching when the first should be last and the last should be first. It also told him that there would be a sign, a prediction that Turner believed was fulfilled on February 12, 1831, when Southampton experienced a total solar eclipse. The pattern of retribution and killing in the days after the revolt posed a serious threat to the Black community and to the countys largest enslavers. When Turner revealed himself to them, he pleaded for them to keep his hiding place secret, but they ran away. Updated: February 5, 2020 | Original: May 24, 2016. Regional: The Huntington, Steppenwolf, Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare, Wilma, Woolly Mammoth, and more. on emaze During the morning, the rebels also separated into two squads: one on horseback and one traveling by foot. The plan was clearly a long shot, as the rebels understood, but given the odds against them, the five conspirators were willing to stake their lives on it. In spite of an intense manhunt, the ringleader remained hidden in the woods just miles away from the Travis farm, where the rebellion began, for two months. [18] It continued to be the center of town's social gatherings, including a new tradition of a medieval-style tournament that featured colorful costumes, jousting on horseback, and a dinner and dance at the hotel. When one potential recruit objected that there were too few rebels to begin a slave revolt, one of the original conspirators assured him that as the rebels went on and killed the whites[,] the blacks would join them. This was just the first stage of the revolt. But Daviss version, under the stolid direction of Megan Sandberg-Zakian, is disappointingly static. Analyzes how nat turner is the main character in the book. Dead. This does not seem to have troubled him unduly. Nat Turner became known as the leader of the Southampton County, Virginia, slave rebellions in 1831. . Visit The Brief to learn about the events leading up to and surrounding NAT TURNER IN JERUSALEM. On November 11, 1831, after a rushed trial and conviction, an enslaved Black man named Nat Turner was hanged in Jerusalem, Virginia, after being convicted of leading a revolt against his enslavers. COPYRIGHT (C) 2017 - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - BLACK THEN Critics of Turners enduring legacy paint him as an evil rebel who stirred up a needless revolt in a civilized society. These men never had the chance to explain why they cast their lots with Turner. [50] The town's water is provided by a separate system. Turners men were dispersed, and the rebels were turned back from their approach toward Jerusalem. Nat Turner's Rebellion, historically known as the Southampton Insurrection, was a rebellion of enslaved Virginians that took place in Southampton County, Virginia, in August 1831. Nat Turner's Rebellion - Bill of Rights Institute In the aftermath of the rebellion, scores of African Americans were lynched, though many of them had not participated in the revolt. Regional: Girlfriend (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre), The Convert (Central Square Theatre), Southside Stories (City Theatre of Pittsburgh). While the oppressive system of slavery provides the essential backdrop for the revolt, Nat Turner described his motivation for the Southampton slave revolt in religious terms. This led to both extralegal and legal retribution against Black people suspected to have been privy to the plot. 135. Nat Turner - History for kids Broadway: Waitress; Finding Neverland. In August 1831, Nat Turner led a slave uprising that shook the conscience of the nation. [21] Belmont Peanuts, Ferdies/The Peanut Patch, and Parkers Peanuts are some of the other peanut processors in Courtland. Doomed from the start, Turners insurrection was handicapped by lack of discipline among his followers and by the fact that only 75 Blacks rallied to his cause. He was captured on October 30. James Trezvant and James W. Parker examine Nat Turner and commit him to the Southampton County jail. The rebellion was effectively suppressed within a few days, at Belmont Plantation on the . Follow Chris on Twitter @historyauthor. While The Confessions describes Turners motivations in primarily religious terms, the historian David F. Allmendinger Jr. noted that the religious signs might not have been the only thing that led Turner to undertake the conspiracy. In Southampton county Black people came to measure time from Nats Fray, or Old Nats War. For many years in Black churches throughout the country, the name Jerusalem referred not only to the Bible but also covertly to the place where the rebel slave had met his death. As Patrick H. Breen details in his book The Land Shall Be Deluged in Blood: A New History of the Nat Turner Revolt, newspapers from Georgia to New York printed accounts of the the sun shorn of its beams and shedding a grayish-blue light on the earth. Through the hazy light, a sunspot was also visible to the naked eye. . In the early 1820s he was sold to a neighbouring farmer of small means. In Virginia in August 1831, Nat Turner led the only effective and sustained slave revolt in U.S. history, during which some 60 white persons were slain. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Turner ran off to hide in . [18], With the railroad, Courtland became a center for processing and warehousing agricultural produce such as peanuts and cotton from the surrounding county. [8], In 1749, the European settlers formed Southampton County from Isle of Wight County, using the Blackwater River as the dividing line. For nearly two months, he evaded capture, until a dog happened upon his hideout and found some meat. Nat Turner is convicted and sentenced to death for leading a revolt of enslaved people. Turner recalled the conspirators thought hard about this problemMany were the plans formed and rejected by us, he noted in The Confessionsbut with little success. [13] Jerusalem was Southampton County's only town through the 18th century. Turner was born the property of a prosperous small-plantation owner in a remote area of Virginia. Many whites at the time of the revolt dismissed Turners followers as pawns who acted under the influence of their leader, as the Richmond Whig and Commercial Journal put it, but it is unclear how manyif anywere disciples of Turner. Inspired by a combination of religious, familial, and perhaps other unrecorded motives, Turner shared his idea of revolting with four other enslaved men in whom he had the greatest confidenceHenry, Hark, Nelson, and Sam. Rowan Vickers (left) and Brannon: circular discussions. [14] Jeremiah Cobb and Clement Rochell constructed the courthouse for $2,500.34. His plan was to capture the armoury at the county seat, Jerusalem, and, having gathered many recruits, to press on to the Dismal Swamp, 30 miles (48 km) to the east, where capture would be difficult. Privacy, I Saw Black Spirits & White Spirits Engaged In Battle: The Confessions Of Nat Turner, Black Thens Chocolate Scoop Submit A Scoop-Worthy Story. Courtland is in the Tidewater region with flat, sandy lands. Outside of Southampton County, the revolt had important repercussions. Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea (Steinberg/ATCA New Play Citation) (NNPN Rolling World Premiere: Skylight Theatre Company & Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble, Phoenix Theatre, Theater Alliance, Cleveland Public Theatre, Oregon Contemporary Theatre; 2014 Source Festival). The proponents and apathetic souls who exacerbated the brutal dehumanization of ancient Black America had to go; by any means necessary. Gray wants something; Turner cant and wont give it. [10] The town was accessed from the south by a wooden bridge over the Nottoway that led to Rochelle Stree, just south of the courthouse. By midmorning the challenge of recruiting was compounded by a new problem for the rebels: news about the revolt had spread, making it harder for the rebels to find white victims. http://www.natturnerproject.org. By Monday morning, August 22, they had turned toward Jerusalem, Southampton County's seat. Loaded with chains: Phillip James Brannon in Nat Turner in Jerusalem. SR 35 is designated as a Virginia Byway for its aesthetic, historical, and cultural value. Instead, white leaders made sure that the remaining suspected rebels were tried, which also meant that the white enslavers would receive compensation from the state for condemned enslaved people. NYTW debut. Nat Turner was hung in a place called Jerusalem, Virginia. [18] New warehouses were built adjacent to the tracks as early as 1888 and were available for lease to local farmers and businesses. In addition, revenge-minded white mobs lynched blacks who played no part in the uprising. They murdered Travis and his family in their sleep. Search. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. New York Theater Workshop, New YorkA new drama imagines the slave rebellion leaders final night in prison before being hanged. The court demanded properly drawn chargesit dismissed a case where the prosecutor had not properly drawn his chargesand required that the prosecutor present some credible evidence that the accused were guilty of a crime. The trials of suspected enslaved rebels began on August 31, 1831. Dead." This does not. In two days and nights, about 60 white people were killed. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Turner himself remained at large while the trials and executions were ongoing. Every one of the convictions led to a death sentence, although in twelve of these cases, the court found some extenuating circumstancesuch as youth, lack of substantive involvement in the revolt, or reluctance to join the conspiratorsto recommend that Governor John Floyd commute the death sentence to sale from the state of Virginia. Nat Turners rebellion put an end to the white Southern myth that slaves were either contented with their lot or too servile to mount an armed revolt. At Elizabeth Turners, Austen shot Hartwell Peebles, the first time that any rebel used a gun to kill someone. [9] The Hancock Peanut Company continues to operate as part of the larger Severn Peanut Company. The result is a static two-hander in which the leads fail to connect, In 1831, Nat Turner, the leader of a violent slave rebellion in Virginia, was convicted of insurrection and sentenced to be hung by the neck until you are dead! Please login and add some widgets to this sidebar. NYTW debut. At Newit Harriss even larger plantation, the rebels failed to gain a single recruit. May 12, 1828 Nat has a second vision. Virginia Humanities acknowledges the Monacan Nation, the original people of the land and waters of our home in Charlottesville, Virginia. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Which Killest the Prophets Nat Turner s Revolt and the Renaming of Jerusalem, Virginia [I]t cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. The average household size was 2.35, and the average family size was 2.96. (modern). Instead, the legislature passed a series of restrictions aimed at further suppressing Black religion and limiting the rights of free Blacks. According to The Confessions, Turner was born into slavery on a Southampton plantation on October 2, 1800. Nat Turners revolt contributed to the radicalization of American politics that helped set the United States on its course toward the Civil War, writes Breen. [37][14] The brick structure includes a Colonial Revival style pediment and four-columned portico were added in 1924. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-nat-turners-rebellion, 10 Things You May Not Know About Nat Turners Rebellion. Senator. Trezvant may have read a draft of the confession at Turners trial on November 5, 1831. To stop the indiscriminate killings of suspected enslaved rebels, General Richard Eppes, the leader of the state militia force in Southampton, proclaims martial law. Accused rebels each had paid appointed defense attorneys, and the judges made an effort to ensure that the trials were not show trials. Nat Turner's Revolt (1831) - Home - Encyclopedia Virginia