Ch 11 Nat Turner Document Analysis.notebook
March 17, 2015
Nat Turner: Hero or Madman?
ES: Analyze information from more than one point of view
Mar 17­7:59 AM
Facts about Nat Turner
• Lives in Southampton County, VA on a farm as a slave
• He was literate, extremely intelligent and deeply religious –
he devoted his spare time to fasting and praying
• Saw himself as a prophet/preacher
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Ch 11 Nat Turner Document Analysis.notebook
March 17, 2015
Three Visions
• He had multiple “visions” that inspired him to plan his rebellion:
• 1. Drops of blood on corn ­
• 2. Hieroglyphic characters and numbers on leaves
• 3. Christ visits him and tells him to slay the serpent with “their own
weapons”
• There was an eclipse of the sun and that started Turner’s planning.
• Originally supposed to occur on July 4th, but he was sick – August 22th
• On August 13 there was an atmospheric disturbance and the sun
appeared blue/green
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Order of Events
• On August 22 Nat and about 40 other slaves killed his master, the
Travis household, then marched to the local town.
• They killed 55 people in total
• In retaliation, white mobs killed 200 slaves.
• Nat Turner was captured, tried, and hanged then skinned on
November 11
• The Virginia government comes very close to banning slavery,
but does not. Instead they enact stricter laws.
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Ch 11 Nat Turner Document Analysis.notebook
March 17, 2015
Inquiry Question: Was Nat Turner a hero or a
madman? How do we know what source to
trust?
1. Read the timeline
2. Read & annotate documents A­C & answer the questions.
A – “The Confessions of Nat Turner” (1831)
B – “The Southampton Tragedy” (1831)
C – “An Address to the Slaves of the U.S.” (1843)
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The Confessions of Nat Turner
Thomas Gray
Nov 5, 1831
transcript of conversation
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Ch 11 Nat Turner Document Analysis.notebook
March 17, 2015
Turner's
opinion of Turner view of self
public opinion
opposition to Turner
Source
Transcript based on a
conversation
Hero → Destiny to fulfill
present
Turner's truth
High opinion of
himself
Timeline: Nov. 1831
Lunatic
evil
Opinion Not FACT
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The Southampton Tragedy
Editor of the Richmond Enquirer
VA: Sept 27, 1831
Newspaper editorial
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Ch 11 Nat Turner Document Analysis.notebook
Turner is a fraud
manipulative
March 17, 2015
misleading
Con­Artist
Timeline Turner still loose
hiding
Between uprising & capture
NEWSPAPER
Audience: white
slaveholders
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An Address to the Slaves of the U.S.
Henry Highland Garnet
Buffalo, NY: 1843
Excerpt from a Speech
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Ch 11 Nat Turner Document Analysis.notebook
March 17, 2015
LIFE
for
slaves
is at its
worst
Audience: anti­slavery
Timeline: 10+ years after Nat Turner
end of Underground Railroad
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Questions for Analysis
• Was Nat Turner a hero or a madman? What is your evidence?
• What other evidence would you like to have to inform your
decision?
• Why do the characterizations in Documents A­C differ?
• Which do you think is the most trustworthy?
• How does the passage of time affect how people viewed Turner?
• How do you think most people today would characterize Turner?
Can you think of any comparisons?
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