By: Makenzie Royer
Source: http://www.teabreakfast.com
Childhood
 He was born October 2nd, 1800 in Southampton County
 Born on the Virginia plantation of Benjamin Turner
 Sold three times as a kid
 Thought he had super powers- he could describe events
before he was born
Childhood
 He was raised in a deeply religious family
 Caused him to have frequent visions from god- the
visions greatly influenced his life.
 When he was 21, he ran away from his master and returned a
month later due to a vision. From then on, he was called “The
Prophet” among his slaves.
 One vision was “the last shall rule, meaning the slaves were meant
Childhood
 Had a mom named Nancy, but didn’t know the father
 His mom raised him to hate slavery
 Was a preacher and taught slaves to read and write
Childhood
 The masters son taught him to read and write
 He was sold by the Turner family to a unsuccessful farmer.
Childhood
 Sold again to Joseph Travis
 February of 1831, a solar eclipse happened and
Nat thought it was a sign from God telling him to
escape.
Rebellion
A second solar eclipse appeared the same year and he thought it
was a sign from God, that a black man’s hand was reaching across
the sun.
 It was supposed to begin July 4th, 1831 but he got sick,
so it was postponed.
 On August 22nd he got better and the rebellion began
Rebellion
 Nat and seven other slaves killed the Travis family in their
sleep
 They ran and left the Travis family dead.
 Over time, they got weapons and killed more people
Rebellion
 Spared only those who didn’t compare themselves to
African Americans.
 Used weapons like axes and knives
 stole horses to ride.
Rebellion
 His “army” was made up of 70 slaves
Confession
 Nat confessed only to killing one person
Capture
 He hid for 2 months. Was in the Dismal Swamp area
when he was found unintentionally by a farmer October
30th, 1831.
 He was sentenced to death following a trial.
 November 1st, 1831, he was hanged.
Consequences
 200 blacks who were completely unrelated to the \
rebellion were killed by whites.
 Congress made it illegal to teach a black to read or
write.
 Blacks couldn’t gather together without a white priest
present.
Confession
 His lawyer, Thomas R. Gray, wrote the Confession of
Nat Turner.
 Contained conversations and interviews with Nat.
 A letter was written by William Styron in 1967 that Nat
and his lawyer were unrealistic.
Interesting Facts
 In 2002, Nat was named “100 Greatest
African Americans” list by Molefi
Kete Asante.
Several songs, comic books, and films have
been based on Nat Turner.
Nat Turner video