Nat Turner- Religious Superstition and Rebellion (Part 2 of 2)

Continuing from our last discussion, does Turner rebel?

The answer is yes, yes he does. In 1831 using only knifes, axes, and hatches Turner and his rallied men set out to kill any white slave owners they could find. They ended up killing non-slave owners too, including women and children (Herbert, 1966). Throughout the night, Turners group of rebels grew; first a dozen, then possibly grew as high as 80 rebellious slaves. They killed approximately 60 people on their crusade. The rebellion ended after two days when a local militia with twice the manpower defeated them. In the end, as many as 200 African-Americans were killed and later, 56 African-Americans were executed by the state (Herbert, 1966).

As for Turner? He escaped only to be found hiding in a cave. He was put on trial and pled not guilty, not because he did not do it, but because he felt no remorse for his actions. Later, Turner was executed and hung.   

We see a continuous theme throughout history that is linked to religion. While religion can be empowering and give believers a since of purpose, it can also be misleading. In this instance, Turners beliefs fueled his plot to overthrow slave owners and free all slaves. Many people, then and now, would agree this needed to be done. However, was murdering innocent women and children in the process necessary? This conspiracy is a classic example of how religious dogma, such as Turners visions of God talking to him, can be misunderstood. He contemplated and executed this plan without considering how the children were innocent because his religious beliefs clouded his judgment.

- Savannah Fillion

Missed part one of this blog? No problem, click here: http://hi360conspiracy.blogspot.com/2018/02/nat-turner-religious-superstition-and.html

Work Cited

Herbert, A. (1966). Nat Turner’s Slave Rebellion. New York: Prometheus Books