By continuing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. Gray attached a sworn statement signed by six members of the county court, certifying that the confessions were read to Turner in their presence and that Turner acknowledged the same to be full, free, and voluntary. Gray verified that he recorded the confessions of Turner with little or no variation, from his own words. As for the sincerity and truthfulness of the prisoner, Gray said he cross-examined Turner and found his statement corroborated by the confessions of other prisoners and other circumstances. Now finding I had arrived to mans estate, and was a slave, and these revelations being made known to me, I began to direct my attention to this great object, to fulfil the purpose for which, by this time, I felt assured I was intended. How did Thomas R. Gray describe Nat Turner? Faulkner who, in speaking of the differences between the North and the South, was particularly prescient: You must adopt some plan of emancipation, he declared, or worse will follow., Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter, During the mid-20th century, the Nat Turner story was revisited by many, in the course of the movement for the study of black history in schools, an attempt to remedy the fact that many mainstream textbooks glossed over or omitted major turning points in the history of the U.S. if the people involved were black. Your Privacy Rights In the Confessions, Nat Turner appears more a fanatic than a practical liberator. Nat Turner, (born October 2, 1800, Southampton county, Virginia, U.S.died November 11, 1831, Jerusalem, Virginia), Black American slave who led the only effective, sustained slave rebellion (August 1831) in U.S. history. A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. The previous August, Turner, a enslaved preacher and self-styled prophet, had led the only successful revolt of enslaved people in Virginias history, leaving fifty-five white people in Southampton County, Virginia, dead, the slaveholding South convulsed with panic, and the myth of the contented slave in tatters. How were Thomas Sankara and Fred Hampton alike? To do so, he had to establish that the confession was voluntary, that the transcript was accurate, and that Turner was telling the truth. How does Jacob Lawrence characterize American art? This, along with his keen intelligence, and other signs marked him in the eyes of his people as a prophet "intended for some great purpose." 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). These confessions were intended to create a powerful, yet vicious, image of Turner and his reasons for initiating such a devastating. Then in 1828 he became a Justice of the Peace and served as a magistrate for the first time. How did the north respond to Nat Turner's actions? How did Thomas Jefferson show civic virtue? > How did Stokely Carmichael show character? Thomas R. Gray wrote this document. October of 1830, he became certified as an attorney and was allowed to start practicing in court in December. Given the evidence, Grays representation of Turner is far from accurate. Styron fictionalized a historic character, Nat Turner, but nevertheless remained faithful to the known facts, most of which came from the 1831 Confessions of Nat Turner. On November 10th, Gray registered his copyright for the Confessions, in Washington, D.C. 10-11). Du Bois similar? Thomas Gray, a smug, oily prosecuting attorney, urges Nat to "confess" his crimes and make peace with God. 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. In an effort to make the pamphlet even more persuasive, Gray makes another very interesting move. March of 1830 he was living in town on Main Street. It ought to teach [William Lloyd] Garrison and the other fanatics of the North how they meddle with these weak wretches. Garrison, for his part, read the Confessionsof Nat Turner as a testimonial to the heroic stature of Turner. Although he is commonly thought of as Nat Turner's lawyer, James Strange French is the person listed in official records as Turner's lawyer. What were the motives for Nat Turner's Rebellion? A thirty-year old attorney, THOMAS R. GRAY, his clothes clean but frayed, speaks to the JAILER. [8] Gray then worked with Theodore Trezevant at compiling lists of the killed and the defendants. With the help of his father, Gray acquired extensive holdings in land and enslaved people. Nat Turner destroyed the white Southern myth that slaves were actually happy with their lives or too docile to undertake a violent rebellion. Baltimore: T. R. Gray, 1831. See Page 1. Although the book is a primary source, future historians and literary scholars have found bias in Gray's writing indicating that Gray had not portrayed Turner's voice as much as he claimed he did. How did Thomas R Gray describe Nat Turner? 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. Spreading terror throughout the white South, his action set off a new wave of oppressive legislation prohibiting the education, movement, and assembly of slaves and stiffened proslavery, antiabolitionist convictions that persisted in that region until the American Civil War (186165). The author describes Nat as intelligent because of his thinking and highly dangerous because of his actions and how Nat doesn't feel any sorrow for his actions. Nat Turner escaped until October 30, when he was caught in the immediate vicinity, having used several hiding places over the previous 9 weeks. If Styrons novel inspired lay readers to wonder about Turner, it also had a profound impact on scholarship, inspiring an outpouring of books, articles, and document collections that stress the multiplicity of perspectives on the event. His mother (Ann Gray) died before 1820 and after this his father began distributing inheritance. In doing so, he blurred the line between slave narrative and enslavers public record. Grays chilling reaction to Turners confession suggests the type of panic this document created amongst whites slaveholders throughout various parts of the United States. Turner was born the property of a prosperous small-plantation owner in a remote area of Virginia. Turner claims that, as an adult, the Spirit revealed to him "the knowledge of the elements," with the promise of much more (p. 10). On August 27, 1831, the Richmond Compiler asked: Who is this Nat Turner? At the time, Turner was hiding in Southampton, Virginia, not far from the site where he launched the most important slave revolt in American history. Nat Turner is convicted and sentenced to death for leading a revolt of enslaved people. > In Virginia in August 1831, Nat Turner led the only effective and sustained slave revolt in U.S. history, during which some 60 white persons were slain. Createyouraccount. In Thomas Gray's will he actually threatened to disinherit any of his children to make claims against his property to claim losses, since those slaves technically belonged to his children. 2014). Then, in 1967, the novelist William Styrons The Confessions of Nat Turner turned Turners story into an award-winning bestseller, which he called a meditation on history rather than a historical novel. This novel goes beyond a mere retelling of history to show how the fettered human spirit can splinter into murderous rage when it is goaded beyond endurance, raved TIMEs critic. A deeply religious man, he "therefore studiously avoided mixing in society, and wrapped [him]self in mystery, devoting [his] time to fasting and praying. Filmmaker and actor Nate Parker portrays Southamptons most famous son as a warm, encouraging preacher, in the words of the New Yorkers Vinson Cunningham. Turner pleads not guilty and is quickly found guilty and sentenced to death via hanging (p. 20). When he was in the woods, the Holy Spirit appeared to Turner and ordered him to return to the service of my earthly masterFor he who knoweth his Master's will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes, and thus, have I chastened you. When the slaves heard Turner quote the slaveholders favorite passage from Luke, the slaves themselves rejected Turners claims to prophesy. Slavery and Resistance Through History Quiz, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nat-Turner, Nat Turner - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Nat Turner - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). How did generals Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor differ? 15, Thomas R. Gray What did Frederick Jackson Turner focus on the importance of? Turners views were clearly unacceptable to the whites who controlled Southamptons interracial churches. Monroe was somewhat perplexed by this turn of events: From what he said to me, he seemed to have made up his mind to die, and to have resolved to say but little on the subject of the conspiracy. Gabriels refusal to cooperate with state authorities only raised his stature in the eyes of the press. Likewise, on August 21, 1831, Turner met for the first time rebels whom he had not personally recruited. Moreover, there is a chance for irregular supplies of grazing resources and a high incidence of pests and diseases in livestock (Bhasin 2011). [9] There were 4 revised versions of the amount dead over 4 months. Gray was deeply disturbed by the scenes he observed as the group went through the areas treaded by the rebellion. Some of them owned Bibles anyway, which could then serve as tangible reminders of the Good News contained within. How does Gordon Wood describe the Amercan colonists? Gray grew up in a wealthy family with deep roots in Southampton County and powerful connections in local, state, and federal politics. [3], In 1829 he bought his brother Roberts property - who had recently died - (giving him 800 acres of real property), he also bought a lot - a piece of land - in town with a house and got of another one. Styron, who died in 2006, recognized the cottage industry he had spurred as an ironic consequence of his own meditation on history., Encyclopedia Virginia946 Grady Ave. Ste. Before his family settled in Southampton County, Virginia they lived in Nottoway Parish, Virginia. Why was john brown viewed differently than Nat Turner? Ironically, The Confessions of Nat Turner also sparked renewed interest in the original Confessions of Nat Turner. The leader of the deadly slave revolt had a deep Christian faith that propelled his rebellious actions. 27, 1831, Turner met for the first time rebels whom he had not recruited... 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