Taught to read and write at an early age, Turner devoted himself to prayer and study and, over time, separated himself from society with his fellow enslaved laborers. Perhaps for similar reasons, when blacks referred Turner at the trials, they called him Captain Nat or General Nat, instead of alluding to his religious position as a preacher or a prophet. His "Confession," dictated to physician Thomas R. Gray, was taken while he was . Last Updated on October 26, 2018, by eNotes Editorial. This horrific image of Turner was intended to shape the minds of the public in such a way that their minds would be made up before even reaching turners actual confessions. PDF Nat Turner Timeline: 1831 Turner always understood his revolt in religious terms. Browne points out that by assuring the reader of the texts veracity and by designating the monstrous motives that drove him to such deeds, Gray prefigures not only the narrative to follow but establishes the readers preferred stance toward it, which given the events is a negative one (Browne, 319). Even though Turners situation was a unique one, slave owners at the time had to recognize the potentiality for violence iven the peculiar mix of social, psychological, and racial tensions shaping life on the antebellum plantation thus required a certain logic with which threats to that way of life might be explained (Browne, 316). The Confessions of Nat Turner - SuperSummary Gray depicted Turner as an exceptional figure, distinguished from his followers by his honesty, his commanding intelligence, and his firm belief in the righteousness of his cause. In an effort to make Turner appear more sinister, Gray described Turner as being a gloomy fanatic revolving in the recesses of his own dark, bewildered, and overwrought mind, schemes of indiscriminate massacre to the whites (Gray, 3). Both Gabriel and Nat Turner were expected to confess their guilt, provide information on means and motive, and, if necessary, help put idle rumors to rest. The wording and overall structure used to describe the events may very well have been those of Gray, who held a law degree. Nat Turner - Rebellion, Death & Facts - Biography Turner claims that, as an adult, the Spirit revealed to him "the knowledge of the elements," with the promise of much more (p. 10). Any suggestion of a voluntary collaboration between Turner, a Black slave accused of insurrection, and Gray, a white lawyer with a keen interest in maintaining the Southern social order, struck Fabricanta practicing lawyeras naive and dangerously misleading. Each of these texts has demonstrated the power of print media to shape popular perceptions of historical fact, even as each raised critical questions of accuracy, authenticity, and community control over historical interpretations of the past. Works Consulted: Goldman, Steve, "The Southhampton Slave Revolt," HistoryBuff.comA Nonprofit Organization, accessed 23 Oct. 2010; French, Scot, The Confessions of Nat Turner (1831) Encyclopedia Virginia, Ed. The Confessions of Nat Turner, the Leader of the Late Insurrection in Southampton, Va. How did Thomas R Gray describe Nat Turner. > All Rights Reserved. Styron defended himself admirably, for he had made a close reading of the historical record and knew exactly where he was taking liberties with history, and he was supported by several historians. Many errors were made in this endeavor, sometimes naming survivors on the list of the dead by accident. These critics saw Styron as usurping their history, much as white people had usurped the labor and the very lives of their ancestors. Thomas Ruffin Gray, an enterprising white Southampton County lawyer, assumed the task of recording Turner's confessions. Styron also gives readers imagined insight into Turners spiritual development, beginning with his teaching himself to read and then his relentless study of the Bible. Fascinated most centrally with the prophets of the Old Testament, particularly Ezekiel, Turner comes to fancy himself a prophet whose God-appointed destiny is to lead his people out of bondage. My Account | The negroes found fault, and murmurred against me, saying that if they had my sense they would not serve any master in the world.. Gray hoped to replace a thousand idle, exaggerated and mischievous reports with a single, authoritative account of the event. Dont know where to start? Gabriel used the promise of a confession to secure his safe transportation from Norfolk, where he was discovered hiding aboard a ship, to the state capital in Richmond, where he was to stand trial on charges of conspiracy and insurrection. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Turner reportedly answered, "Was not Christ crucified? INSURRECTION IN SOUTHAMPTON, VA. As fully and voluntarily made to. Turner pleads not guilty and is quickly found guilty and sentenced to death via hanging (p. 20). The final pages of the narrative include a list of the men, women and children killed during the insurrection, followed by the names of the people charged with participating (p. 22). (1) Thomas R. Gray, met Nat Turner in prison and recorded his account of the slave rebellion in August, 1831. Turners reported answer: Was not Christ crucified?, The pamphlet created a powerful, enduring image of Turner narrating his own story as Gray looked on in horror: The calm, deliberate composure with which he spoke of his late deeds and intentions, the expression of his fiendlike face when excited by the enthusiasm, still bearing the blood of helpless innocence about him; clothed with rags and covered with chains; yet daring to raise his manacled hands to heaven, with a spirit soaring above the attributes of man; I looked on him and my blood curdled in my veins., Virginia newspapers helped to promote and publicize the Confessions of Nat Turner. Turner immediately understood this peculiar event as a signal from God that the time to begin the revolt had arrived. Some of the reaction to that book, at least as expressed by TIME, now reads as dated: the magazines review of the responses called the black writers blinded by their own racism against Styron, who was white. "The Confessions of Nat Turner - Summary" Literary Essentials: Christian Fiction and Nonfiction If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original A series of divine occurrences in Turners childhood confirmed his belief that he was intended for some great purpose and that he would surely be a prophet (Gray, 5).
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