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A Rebellion To Remember: The Legacy Of Nat Turner

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In the paper, there is the presentation of information surrounding the Nat Turner rebellion as well as its significance to the course of the black people during the time. It can be established that Nat Turner's rebellion is among the most significant rebellion by slaves ever in the history of the United States of America. It is a war considered to have also played an important role in the emergence and development of an antebellum slave society. The society could subsequently engage in the American civil war that occurred between 1861 and 1865, where the abolition of slavery was the leading cause. In the case of the Nat Turner war, it happened where there were armed black men who moved systematically from plantain to plantation, murdering white slave owners and their families. They started from Nat Turner’s own master, where they killed all the facility members. It occurred in Southampton County. It led to the quest by the whites in Southampton county to prevent further revolt through the installation of many armed white militias, who arrested and killed the blacks, both free and the enslaved, alongside being put in subservient positions. Nat Turner, a slave, led such a rebellion and initially consisted of six armed men, whose number increased to fifty-six in the end. In the end, fifty-six white people had been killed, while militias intercepted Nat Turner's group as they headed to Jerusalem in the execution mission. The insurrection led to the development of its waves to Virginia and North Carolina. It is where the blacks, even those who had not taken part in the rebellion, were murdered mercilessly by the white mobs for fear of getting attacked by them. It can be established that Nat Turner’s rebellion, which consisted mainly of the black people championing for the end of slavery, was of importance to the course of the blacks at the time, as further explored subsequently.

First, it can be observed that during the Nat Turner rebellion, many white slave owners were murdered. In this case, the main course of the black people was to obtain freedom from slavery induced to them by the whites, while the whites aimed to maintain slavery for their economic benefit of cheap labor. In such a scenario, it occurred that as Nat Turner and his team planned for the execution of the white slave owners, the people who were to benefit in the end were the black slaves. It occurred that Nat Turner and his team of black people moved from one plantation to another, systematically murdering the owners and their families consisting mainly of the white people. During the murder, there was the killing of fifty-five white people, who were slave owners. Their slaves could then benefit since they could enjoy some freedom following the absence of the rude and ruthless owners. It is during such a time, where the slave owners had been murdered, where the blacks could have some freedom. Such freedom entails making their own decisions and implementing them as guided by their instincts and not forcefully demanded by external forces from their bossy masters. Also, the slaves could move around freely, such that no one could pile pressure on them regarding only the places where they should be present. Therefore, the murdering of the white masters during Nat Turner's rebellion provides some degree of freedom to the black people since their masters could be rendered absent.

Additionally, there is an aspect of health for the lacks, more especially the enslaved ones. In such a case, it can be observed that Nat Turner and his armed group, in 1931, moved from plantation to plantation in a systematic manner to murder the Whites who were the owner, and hence set free their slaves who had been subjected to work under harsh conditions by their masters. In such a scenario, it is worth noting that the environments in which the slaves operated were not recommendable for a healthy human being. Thus, they posed human health threats and problems that could detriment the lives of the slaves. Such environments include working in the cold since their masters did not matter much about their wellbeing. They only minded about the assigned works being completed by the concerned slaves, and not their health matters; also, the slaves did not have proper clothing to orient them from cold, hence further exposing them to dangers of contacting cold-related infections, such as pneumonia. In the event such diseases persisted in the patients, they were also exposed to death since no proper medications were provided to them by their masters. Also, the fact that their masters were murdered in the rebellion meant that they could, for some time, can access healthy food for the betterment of their health, since they contained a balanced diet that is suitable for healthy individuals in the long run. In the normal periods when their masters were present, they could not have the right to access better foods since they were considered of less value when it comes to the treatment of fellow human beings. The fact that racism took center stage meant that they were marginalized by their white counterparts and thus treated poorly in terms of the healthy lifestyles, characterized by eating healthy foods required of a human being. Thus, the slaves had faced marginalization of greater magnitude, and their taking of a balanced diet was inexistent. The opportunity for them to get treated as humans with healthy foods arose during the Nat Turner rebellion, and they could access whatever food they wanted since the limiting rules of their masters were temporarily halted during their killings. Also, they could effectively shelter themselves as necessary, depending on the nature of environmental conditions, hence shielding them from the effects of bad weather elements such as rain, cold, intensive exposure to sunlight, as well as working for long hours in humid conditions, that could expose the slaves to contract such ailments as gangrenes. Also, due to the temporary absence of their masters, the slaves could afford to rest after working, which is recommendable for the healthy development of individuals. The slaves could also afford to interact with one another, an aspect that promotes socialization that is known for its fitness in the healthy development of people. Thus, Nat Turner's rebellion contributed to the healthy living of the slaves at the time, hence important.

Furthermore, the occurrence of the Nat Turner rebellion served to show the might and capability of the black people to fight for their rights. In such a case, following the killing of fifty-six white people by Nat Turner and his team in 1931, the governor of Southampton County was concerned to the extent of mobilizing a regimen of white militia to combat the insurgents. The insurgents, who were fifty-six in number, got intercepted by such militia as they tried entering the city of Jerusalem to continue with the killings of the white people. The militia was far much large in number, and was heavily armed, compared to the group of Nat Turner, which had few members with less harmful equipment, and also not trained members of the armed forces. It served to show the mighty combative force that black people can form. Also, such black people could boldly attack the white people in their plantations, away from their original homeland, which also served to express the wrath that had been developed by the black people following the injustices meted on them by the white people during slavery practices. Also, following the insurrection, white people began living in fear of the black people, such that they formed groups/mobs that started descending on the black, in Southampton, Virginia, and North Carolina. It resulted in the murder of more than 300 black people by the irate mob of white people for fear that they could wedge another insurgency on them. Such also shows the extent to which the force of the black people had reached in demanding for the freedom rifts, and which had been consistently withheld by the white people. Also, it led to Virginia beginning to start legislation meant to abolish the slave trade. Such indicates that they might have witnessed how disruptive, destructive, and dangerous the bent-up anger of the black people could be following their denial of freedom rights, as witnessed in the killing of fifty-five whites in their respective plantations, famously referred to as Nat Turner rebellion. The voting out of the bill, and the subsequent imposition of more stringent rules on the blacks where they have had more limited freedom of movement, education, ownership of property, acquisition of money, marrying, and cohabitation came as a result of the white people in fear that the blacks could have more power to re-strategize and reorganize to carry out another even severe insurrection. Also, they could access their rights and finally champion for equality, as aided by the constitutional dictates (Tomlins & Nat, 38). In such a case, there was a light for the blacks that had the capabilities of spearheading even more aggressive protests and rebellion in the run to fight for the abolition of slavery and finally obtaining freedom, as the white people do. Also, following Nat Turner's rebellion, there spread the rumors even in North Carolina that the black people were plotting to initiate an uprising, forcing the white mobs to kill most of them, with others being arrested. Also, some of them were tried in the end, followed by the execution of a few of them. It is because of the fear of the black people that had developed amongst the white people, which again serves to indicate the mighty nature of the black people’s uprising that can be destructive. In the county, there was also the passing of legislation similar to those of Virginia, where the various elements of the blacks were restricted. They include their freedom of movement, the abolition of rudeness wedged by the black people on the whites, the prohibition of gun-carrying by the blacks, their prohibition from hunting in the woods, their limitation from cohabiting with their fellow black people, and their prohibition from preaching: as also done in Virginia. In the end, the blacks had realized their potentials in fighting for freedom.

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Moreover, the Nat Turner revolution was suitable for the black people since it lead to a series of activities by the white people, that involved the suppression and oppression of the black people in Southampton, whereby later between 1861 and 1865, the people from the north could identify how cruel the people in the south got oppressed, leading to them wedging war on them and eventually saw the abolition of slavery, hence freeing the black people in the long run. Such was the ultimate success of the fight for the freedom of the black people that began back in 1831 during the Nat Turner revolution. The series of events that lead to the ultimate attainment of freedom by the black people in 1865, as began by Nat Turner in the revolution of 1831 are explained subsequently.

Following the Nat Turner revolution of 1831, the counties in the south, including Southampton, Virginia, and North Carolina passed stringent laws that saw to it that the black people went through much oppression in their slavery compared to the period before Nat Turner Revolution. In such a case, they were denied basic human rights enjoyed by the white people, including the right of association with their fellow black people, the right to hunt using guns in the woods, the right of free movement, and even the right to cohabitate with fellow blacks, the right to own properties and livestock, the right to carry around guns in public, as well as the right to speak their mind to the white people, as well as the right to earn money from various activities. It is because they were then feared than before, and any opportunity and material could empower them even more; hence, they were denied such aspects. Thus, they were subjected to more severe laws. Such could be observed by other counties who, as time went by, had resorted to reducing their severity on slaves, hence feeling them in the end.

Thus, it occurred that the North, also referred to as the Union, engaged in what got termed as the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865. In such a case, they fought with the South, also referred to as the Confederacy soon after Abraham Lincoln became the president. The war began mainly because of the ensued and long-standing disagreement between the North and the South regarding the enslavement of the black people. The North was against the idea of continued slavery as cherished by the South. Thus, the war between them broke out in the year 1861. It can be established that the North, following the inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln, was in support of the constitution document that laid a fairground for all, while the South was in favor of the states’ rights that could facilitate the upholding of slavery, hence the continued oppression of the black people. Thus, again, the black people were beginning to experience new dawn as their rights were then being fought for by the white people in the North, as they fought the South. Also, there was a high probability of success since there was a change in the country’s political system, such that there was one resident, and there was also the need to rule by the laws of the land entrenched in the constitution. The North, the Union, in support of the need to have the constitution that spelled equality for all in the land was entailed of eleven states, as compared to only seven states of the South. Thus, there were also high chances of the North winning in the run to have the constitution as a guiding tool in the country’s political landscape. The stance of the South to have continued use of slavery was strengthened after the Nat Turner rebellion of 1831, which had become conspicuous as an outlived way of life still adopted by the South after the passing of their stringent laws on the harsh treatment of the blacks thus, the Nat Turner rebellion played a role in the observed fight of the South by the North in the need to adopt the constitution that could then provide freedom for the blacks, an advantage for them in the long run Chaney.

During the long civil war between the North and the South, it occurred that the South involving the Confederate states were not diplomatic, and were thus not recognized as any joint entity by the government of the United States of America that was ruled by the constitution. Also, no country across the world ever recognized the Confederate states. In most cases, the Union and the South fought in the South, hence leaving most of its people dead, property destroyed, and peace affected. It saw a region of 500,000 people dead in the South. Thus, the South that held onto slavery was being afflicted by the North, consisting of the fellow white people, to the happiness of the backs that could be freed in the south. Also, there were sanctions across the South hence depriving it of the basic resources from other parts across the world. Therefore, it can be observed that the Nat Turner revolution of 1831 led to the South holding more into slavery, a move that could alter attract its enmity with the North, and finally being fought on behalf of the blacks hence their success.

The civil war between the North and the South ended in 1865, following the surrender of the army generals of the South to the ones of the North. It is because the infrastructure of the South had been ruined during the war. It led to the collapse of the Confederacy, leading to the abolition of slavery. It saw a region of four million slaves being freed. It was followed by the reconstruction period where there was the restoration of national unity, with the national government expanding its powers. Since the slaves had been freed, mainly composed of the black people, they were also granted civic as well as political rights after the amendment of the constitution alongside federal legislation. Thus, in the end, the blacks got freedom, where they enjoyed equal rights as white people. Such had been the dream of Nat Turner and his team in 1861 when they wedged war on the blacks. Thus, in the end, Nat Turner’s goal of abolition of slavery in the country had been achieved, to the benefit of the blacks at the time.

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A Rebellion To Remember: The Legacy Of Nat Turner. (2022, February 26). Edubirdie. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://edubirdie.com/examples/a-rebellion-to-remember-the-legacy-of-nat-turner/
“A Rebellion To Remember: The Legacy Of Nat Turner.” Edubirdie, 26 Feb. 2022, edubirdie.com/examples/a-rebellion-to-remember-the-legacy-of-nat-turner/
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A Rebellion To Remember: The Legacy Of Nat Turner [Internet]. Edubirdie. 2022 Feb 26 [cited 2024 Mar 28]. Available from: https://edubirdie.com/examples/a-rebellion-to-remember-the-legacy-of-nat-turner/
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