AP Success - AP US History: Nat Turner's Rebellion
The Confessions of Nat Turner is a document written in 1831 by Nat Turner, an enslaved African American who led a slave rebellion in Virginia in 1831. The excerpt describes a religious vision Turner had and his murder of his master and his family.
And now the Holy Ghost had revealed itself to me, and made plain the miracles it had shown me--For as the blood of Christ had been shed on this earth, and had ascended to heaven for the salvation of sinners, and was now returning to earth again in the form of dew--and as the leaves on the trees bore the impression of the figures I had seen in the heavens, it was plain to me that the Saviour was about to lay down the yoke he had borne for the sins of men, and the great day of judgment was at hand... And on the 12th of May, 1828, I heard a loud noise in the heavens, and the Spirit instantly appeared to me and said the Serpent was loosened, and Christ had laid down the yoke he had borne for the sins of men, and that I should take it on and fight against the Serpent...And by signs in the heavens that it would make known to me when I should commence the great work...I should arise and prepare myself, and slay my enemies with their own weapons. On which, armed with a hatchet, and accompanied by Will, I entered my master's chamber, it being dark, I could not give a death blow, the hatchet glanced from his head, he sprang from the bed and called his wife, it was his last word, Will laid him dead, with a blow of his axe, and Mrs. Travis shared the same fate, as she lay in bed. The murder of this family, five in number, was the work of a moment...
The Confessions of Nat Turner, 1831
Question 1
Identify one historical development in early 19th century America that contributed to Nat Turner's Rebellion.
Question 2
Describe one factor that Nat Turner and the slaves used to justify their rebellion.
Question 3
Explain one way that the white slaveholders in the American South reacted to Nat Turner's rebellion.
Teach with AI superpowers
Why teachers love Class Companion
Import assignments to get started in no time.
Create your own rubric to customize the AI feedback to your liking.
Overrule the AI feedback if a student disputes.