Nat Turner's Rebellion (also known as the Southampton Insurrection) was a rebellion of enslaved Virginians that took place in Southampton County, Virginia, in August 1831, led by Nat Turner. My Account | Even though Nat Turner’s rebellion was considered unsuccessful being that it was shut down in a matter of days, it was successful in that it had a long lasting effect on slavery. Despite Gray’s considerable efforts throughout Confessions to show its veracity, many have debated how “faithful” this confession was: did Turner actually use these words? Gray depicts Turner as a religious leader who at a young age was touched by divine greatness, and whose mother concluded that “surely” he would “be a prophet.” According to Confessions, a divine spirit also dictated Turner’s otherwise unexplainable return after running away in 1825. Even when Nat Turner was captured, on October 30, 1831, the Compiler’s question had remained unanswered. Gray had witnessed the aftermath of the killings, interviewed other participants, and survivors, and had supplied written accounts to various newspapers. Thomas R. Gray’s Confessions of Nat Turner became the source for the 1967 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by another white writer, William Styron. From the collection of the American Antiquarian Society. It is told through powerful images and selected excerpts from Turner’s confession as told to Thomas R. Gray while Turner was in prison awaiting his hanging. His mother was an enslaved woman named Nancy, but his father is unknown. Kenneth Greenberg reports that the edition of fifty thousand copies, priced at 25 cents each, was published in Baltimore on November 22, 1831 (1996; 8). In Gray’s view, “He is a complete fanatic, or plays his part most admirably.” On November 5th, Nat Turner was tried and condemned to be executed; on November 9th, he was hanged. It The capture is also discussed in a well-known vintage book by Thomas R. Gray titled The Confessions of Nat Turner (1831). Home Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World ... not in father's will, public service. John Floyd. The novel is based on an extant document, the "confession" of Turner to the white lawyer Thomas Ruffin Gray. 708 * JOURNAL OF THE EARLY REPUBLIC (Winter 2007) 2. Gray first went to Richmond to print the pamphlet, but having no luck, he then went to Washington, D.C., to secure the copyright. Nat Turner on His Battle against Slavery. Selections from The Confessions of Nat Turner (Use with Lesson 1) Be it remembered, That on this tenth day of November, Anno Domini, eighteen hundred and thirty-one, Thomas R. Gray of the said District, deposited in this office the title of a book, which is in the words as following. The Confessions of Nat Turner, the Leader of the Late Insurrection in Southampton, Va. The entire text and XML/TEI source are available at Documenting the American South. Gray served as Turner's amanuensis, interviewing him over … Most Americans who know anything about Nat Turner’s Rebellion know it from this book. Local Southampton attorney Thomas Ruffin Gray asked for and was granted permission to interview Nat Turner while he awaited trial in the Southampton courthouse. We the undersigned, members of the Court convened at Jerusalem, on Saturday, the 5th day of Nov. 1831, for the trial of Nat, alias Nat Turner, a negro slave, late the property of Putnam Moore, deceased, do hereby certify, that the confessions of Nat, to Thomas R. Gray, was read to him in our presence, and that Nat acknowledged the same to be full, free, and … Home | He published The Confessions of Nat Turner, the leader of the late insurrection in Southampton, Va., as fully and voluntarily made to Thomas R. Gray in November 1831, after Turner had been executed. The Confessions of Nat Turner 20. The rebellion was put down within a few days, but Turner survived in hiding for more than two months afterwards. This electronic online edition is based on the first edition, published at Baltimore, MD, in November 1831. Gray's "Confessions" is just about the only source we have for understanding what Nat Turner was thinking. Turner reportedly told Thomas Ruffin Gray in a jailhouse interview published in "The Confessions of Nat Turner" that when he was three or four years old, he could … from the Richmond Enquirer, "The Confessions of Nat Turner" from the Richmond Enquirer →, "Insurrection of the slaves" from the Salem Gazette, "Five Hundred Dollars Reward" from the Christian Advocate, "The Bandit-Taken!" The Confessions of Nat Turner, the leader of the late insurrection in Southampton, Va., as fully and voluntarily made to Thomas R. Gray is a pamphlet published shortly after the trial and execution of Nat Turner in November 1831. What communications did Nat Turner have with the Spirit? In an important coincidence, Nat Turner was born a week before Gabriel Prosser’s … Compared to the Authentic and Impartial Narrative, the tone here is calm, though the confession does not spare some details that depict Turner as a monster: “We found no more victims to satisfy our thirst for blood.”. Revisiting Rebellion: Nat Turner in the American Imagination, ← "Nat Turner Certainly Taken!" In discussing the much-debated question of how many of Turner's actual words appeared in Gray's 1831 pamphlet, Confessions of Nat Turner, the actor Carl Lumbly plays “Gray's Turner.” (Although properly intense, Lumbly is several decades too old to play the thirty-one-year-old rebel, just as he was too young to play the aged Denmark Vesey in 1991's Brother Future.) Styron presents an argument with the statement above that Turner was driven by sexual desire and hatred and disregards the religion aspect of the rebellion as a result of slave institution. The Confessions of Nat Turner (1831). On November 10th, Gray registered his copyright for the Confessions, in Washington, D.C. On November 10th, Gray registered his copyright for the Confessions, in Washington, D.C. > Although The Confessions of Nat Turner is supposedly the words of Turner himself, we have no way to confirm that Gray did not show the information in order to gain greater benefit from it. > Nat Turner escaped until October 30, when he was caught in the immediate vicinity, having used several hiding places over the previous 9½ weeks. “Every thing connected with this sad affair was wrapt in mystery,” writes Gray, and historians have debated how successful Gray was in unwrapping this mystery (see Allmendinger, Breen, and Tomlins for opposing views). Libraries What words does the judge use when sentencing Turner? The zero section is not long as it is the reading of the title page, but I feel there is important information that should be said here. However, like all sources, it comes with a collection of caveats. Nat Turner Document A (Modified) The Confessions of Nat Turner: The Leader of the Late Insurrections in Southampton, Va. As Fully and Voluntarily Made to Thomas R. Gray [To the Public] Thomas R. Gray: Public curiosity has tried to understand Nat Turner’s motives behind his diabolical actions. from the Richmond Enquirer, "The Confessions of Nat Turner" from the Richmond Enquirer, A Center dedicating to generating and disseminating scholarly knowledge on the slave trade, slavery, and anti-slavery pertaining to the Atlantic World. Gray opens his prefatory remarks with the observation that the Turner rebellion has “greatly excited the public mind,” and by interviewing Turner, he hopes to correct these misimpressions. In short, Nat Turner is a haunting, violent story of Turner’s insurrection on August 21-22, 1831, which resulted in the murders of 55 people. Nat Turner, Black American slave who led the only effective, sustained slave rebellion (August 1831) in U.S. history. Thomas R. Gray, see Scot French, The Rebellious Slave: Nat Turner in American Memory (Boston, MA, 2004), ch. He tells of being spoken to by the Holy Spirit, of seeing visions and signs in the heavens—”that I was ordained for some great purpose in the hands of the Almighty.” In Gray’s view, “He is a … Turner’s religiosity is not dismissed as a ruse: “He is a complete fanatic, or plays his part most admirably.” Turner’s youth was also marked by an intelligence that sets him apart from others, and in this sense, Gray portrays him as a victim. By noon of Tuesday, August 23, the insurgents had been killed, captured, or dispersed by local militia. Over the next 36 hours, they were joined by as many as 60 other enslaved and free Negroes, and they killed at least 10 men, 14 women, and 31 infants and children. His action set off a new wave of oppressive legislation prohibiting the education, movement, and assembly of slaves and stiffened proslavery convictions that persisted in … A faithful transcription of the Confessions of Nat Turner as revealed to Thomas R. Gray in 1831, just prior to his execution for murder and insurrection. Nat Turner In the Confessions, Nat Turner appears more a fanatic than a practical liberator. Why did Thomas R. Gray write the publication? Neither assertion is correct: William C. Parker was assigned by the court to represent Nat. Main Article Primary Sources (1) Thomas R. Gray, met Nat Turner in prison and recorded his account of the slave rebellion in August, 1831. This level of success can be attributed to the fact that …show more content… When Thomas R. Gray asks Nat Turner … The rebels killed between 55 and 65 people, at least 51 of whom were white. from the Richmond Enquirer, "Nat Turner Certainly Taken!" In a 2003 documentary, Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property, the part of Benjamin Phipps is played by Harry Kollatz, Jr. You can read the transcript of the documentary online. Thomas R. Gray, author of The Confessions of Nat Turner, had that power when he interviewed Turner. Contributed by Scot A. French. The Authentic and Impartial Narrative had already been published when Confessions came out, but Gray had been an eyewitness to some of the events and to the subsequent trial. He was familiar with the outlines of Nat Turner’s life and the plot, and he was aware of the intense interest and the commercial possibilities of its originator’s narrative. What was the name of Turner’s narrative describing his revolt? Thomas R. Gray was a lawyer in Southampton, Virginia, where he visited Nat Turner in jail. Gray remarks, “I looked on him and my blood curdled in my veins.” Confessions makes clear that Turner was very much the leader of the group of rebels and offers vivid details of the killings, explaining that Turner was not able to kill because his “sword was dull.” He is the one who gave orders to “halt and form” when the eighteen white men approached at Parker’s farm. So I will change what I have in my intro to say, "by Nat Turner as compiled by Thomas R. He tells of being spoken to by the Holy Spirit, of seeing visions and signs in the heavens—”that I was ordained for some great purpose in the hands of the Almighty.” In Gray’s view, “He is a complete fanatic, or plays his part most admirably.” On November 5th, Nat Turner was tried and condemned to be executed; on November 9th, he was hanged. FAQ | I shall not attempt to describe the effect of his narrative, as told and commented on by himself, in the condemned hole of the prison. Within a week his pamphlet appeared, and it is estimated over 50,000 copies were sold in the next few months. 3. How did Thomas Gray defend Nat Turner against charges being made in the Southern press? The first section is the preface. In the Confessions, Nat Turner appears more a fanatic than a practical liberator. In the historical confessions, Turner claims to have been divinely inspired, charged with a mission from God to lead a slave uprising and destroy the white race. Gray." Turner was a violent and savage band leader, he was enthusiastic about his actions and was still “covered in … Although he is commonly thought of as Nat Turner's lawyer, James Strange Frenchis the person listed in official records as Turner's lawyer. A fantastic piece of history and a "must read". 15, Thomas R. Gray Nat Turner was born on October 2, 1800, in Southampton County, Virginia, as a slave of Benjamin Turner. ... every feature of which is strongly marked. Thomas Gray and Nat Turner, The Confessions of Nat Turner. Nat Turner hid in several different places near the Travis farm, but on October 30 was discovered and captured. Slavery had “warped and perverted” his mind, Gray writes. Paul Royster (Depositor), University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow. The Confessions of Nat Turner was not written by Turner, exactly. What signs did he see? Turner pled not guilty during his trial, believing that his rebellion was the work of God. pamphlet’s author, Thomas Ruffin Gray, that occurred while Turner was in jail awaiting trial, upon which Gray’s pamphlet drew.1But for Styron, the man revealed in those con- versations was someone with whom he wished to have nothing to do, “a demented ogre After his capture and arrest on October 30, 1831, Nat Turner was imprisoned in the Southampton County Jail, where he was interviewed by Thomas R. Gray, a Southern physician. Be hung by the neck until you are dead, dead, dead 21. It is known that the interviewer, Thomas R. Gray, was struggling financially. Thomas R. Gray, The Confessions of Nat Turner, 1831 [p. 7] CONFESSION. Unlike the Authentic and Impartial Narrative, Gray promises restraint as he “will not shock the feelings of humanity, nor wound afresh the bosoms of the disconsolate sufferers…by detailing the deeds of their fiend-like barbarity,” and yet, Turner is still portrayed as evoking considerable fear in Gray. Nat Turner (1800–1831) was known to his local “fellow servants” in Southampton County as “The Prophet.” On the evening of Sunday, August 21, 1831, he met six associates in the woods at Cabin Pond, and about 2:00 a.m. they began to enter local houses and kill the white inhabitants. Turner was allowed to learn how to read and write, and he was instructed in religious matters. Accessibility Statement, DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln, Libraries at University of Nebraska-Lincoln. About | In November of 1831, shortly before to his execution, Turner gave a jailhouse confession, to attorney Thomas Gray, to answer the question. According to Turner, he was intelligent, religious, never meant to be a slave-meant to be a prophet. There, from November 1 through November 3, he was interviewed by Thomas Ruffin Gray, a 31-year-old lawyer who had previously represented several other defendants charged in the uprising. E-Texts in American Studies Though educated in law at William and Mary early in life, he had only recently begun practicing law. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Confessions_of_Nat_Turner ... How did Gray describe Turner? As a result, Turner became devoutly religious, spending his free time reading the Bible, praying, and fasting. There is some speculation that he had lost much of his property through gambling and that is what caused him to begin practicing law, which appears to be confirmed i… Styron’s narrative of the Nat Turner rebellion is based on Thomas R. Gray’s account of Nat Turner’s rebellion. Gray seems to want to emphasize the power of whites following the insurrection, making a point of including the fact that "Nat's only weapon was a small light sword which he immediately surrendered, and begged that his life might be spared" (p. 3). The late insurrection in Southampton has greatly excited the public mind, and led to a thousand idle, exaggerated and mischievous reports. There are a number of tricky issues, but that just comes with the territory when you're analyzing primary sources. Although scholars continue to debate the legitimacy of Thomas R. Gray’s Confessions of Nat Turner—the argument being, can such a document accurately represent what Nat Turner said, when it was written by Gray, a white man with his own unknown agenda?—there is some consensus among them about how the uprising unfolded. Turner begins his story by describing his childhood. The next day he was delivered to the county sheriff and lodged in the county jail in Jerusalem (now Courtland), Virginia. Gray had been part of the militia that organized the first morning of the rebellion, and he served as counsel for four defendants’ trials prior to Turner’s.
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