Nat Turner was born in 1800 in Southhampton Virginia. He was taught how to read by his master's son and over the years he became very religious and served as preacher for the slaves in the area. Nat Turner felt that God had called on him to lead his people out of slavery. A solar eclipse in 1831 was God's sign to him that the time had come to strike the blow for freedom. Being an intelligent precocious, bright, creative and artistic man, Nat devised a plan that would be the biggest slave uprising in U.S. history.
Here are the facts:
October 2, 1800 Nat Turner born
1822 Nat Turner was sold to Thomas Moore after Samuel Turner, his owner died.
1825 Nat Turner had his first vision about freedom
August 13, 1831 Signs in the sky appeared that suggested to Nat Turner that he should prepare for the rebellion
August 20, 1831 Nat Turner asks Henry Porter and Hark Travis to help plan the revolt
August 21, 1831 Hark Travis, Henry Porter, Samuel Francis, Will Francis, Nelson Williams meet at a pond and cook a pig. They are joined by Nat Turner at 3 PM. They are prepared for war by Nat Turner. He assumes the title of General Cargill. Henry Porter becomes paymaster.
August 22, 1831 They leave around 2 AM to begin their attacks. They ride their horses at breakneck speed to create terror and to prevent escape from the slaveowners’ homes.
August 22, 1831 By noon, Nat Turner had sixty mounted men, ready to march on the village of Jerusalem. They killed 61 whites including women and "children". They met first resistance from armed whites.
August 23, 1831 7AM Turner’s forces met armed slaveholders, more than 100 white men.
August 23, 1831 By 9 AM men are leaving Nat to return to the plantations. Many of them would later be killed.
October 30, 1831 Nat Turner was captured
November 5, 1831 Nat Turner was tried and found guilty.
November 11, 1831 He was executed and his body mutilated. More than 200 black's were killed by whites in the aftermath.
Simply put, Nat Turner saw the white slaveholder as the enemy of justice, peace, and humanity his struggle was for freedom. Freedom against a corrupt, rotten, brutal system of degradation. Turner’s vision meant death to the racist. His interpretation of his situation was more Fanonian than Freudian in the sense that he understood that violence against the slaveholders would show his humanity because it was human to have rage at evil and seek to overcome it. Imho, Nat Turner's slave rebellion continues to raise new questions about the nature of terrorism and other forms of violent resistance to oppression.
Question:
Was Nat Turner justified in the killing of helpless children? I would like some feedback on this.
Merc'