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Nat Turner Facts & Worksheets

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Nat Turner was an African-American slave born in Southampton County, Virginia. He led the most famous slave rebellion against the white slave owners in 1831.

  • Nathaniel Turner was born on October 2, 1800, in the county of Southampton, Virginia. The plantation owner, Benjamin Turner, and his brother Samuel, owned Nat’s mother. His grandmother, known as Old Bridget, was said to be transported from Ghana to America at the age of 13.
  • As a young boy, Turner was intelligent. He was fortunate compared to other slaves. His owner allowed him to be educated in writing, reading, and religion. He spent most of his time reading the Bible and preaching to his fellow slaves.
  • After Benjamin’s death, he became Samuel’s slave before he left for the woods. After 30 days of hiding, he returned to the Turner’s plantation. Nat became the slave of Thomas Moore and John Travis after Samuel’s death. His return made him realize that he was the prophet of God. His fellow slaves believed that he had seen visions of God.
  • On August 21, 1831, after series of divine signs, such as solar eclipses, he urged a number of slaves to join him in a rebellion. The supporters began their revolt with the killing spree of the Travis family.
  • The rebels killed 60 white men, women, and children. Nat Turner’s rebellion was considered as one of the bloodiest slave rebellions in America. They gained horses and weapons from the white families that they killed.
  • Turner’s group faced the armed white men before they reached Jerusalem’s armory. The chaos led Nat to flee into the woods.
  • The white men took their revenge and killed 100-200 African Americans in Southampton, Virginia.
  • After two months of hiding, he was discovered by Benjamin Phipps. In the trial, he was represented by the attorney of enslaved people, Thomas Ruffin Gray. He pleaded not guilty because he believed that the rebellion was a work of God. On November 11, 1831, he was sentenced to death for rebellion. Nat was hanged in Jerusalem, Virginia, along with the conspirators.
  • The incident resulted in harsher laws for the slaves as it ended the emancipation movement in the south. A law was passed prohibiting slaves to be educated. Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison published an article in the newspaper The Liberator, supporting Nat Turner.
  • By 1960, he became an important icon of the black power movement fighting against white oppression. In 1967, he was the subject of William Styron’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Confessions of Nat Turner”. Scholar  Molefi Kete Jersey included him as one of the 100 greatest African-Americans in 2002. In commemoration of his bravery, Nat Turner Park was established in Newark, New Jersey.
  • The 2016 film, The Birth of a Nation, was a depiction of Turner’s rebellion, encompassing the social and political issues during his time.

Nat Turner Worksheets

This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use Nat Turner Worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about Nat Turner who was an African-American slave born in Southampton County, Virginia. He led the most famous slave rebellion against the white slave owners in 1831.

Download includes the following worksheets:

  • Nat Turner Facts
  • The Confessor
  • Famous Abolitionist
  • Slavery Resistance
  • Wanted
  • Color Me Black or White
  • Turner’s Rebellion
  • Greatest African-American People
  • Pictionary
  • The Birth of a Nation
  • I Learned that…

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