Supreme Court Case Before 1865

In 1831 in Southampton County in Virginia Nat Turner, an American slave, rebelled by gathering other slaves and going from plantation to plantation killing men, women and children. It was said that the reason he did this was because of religious visions he was getting. The clan of slaves gathered more supporters as they went on but were captured when they ran out of ammunition. When Nat Turner was finally caught he was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. He and about eighteen others were hung.

The impact of this case was that supposedly it set back the slaves even more time from having their freedom. A quote from James Hammond describes this by saying “But if your course was wholly different-If you distilled nectar from your lips and discoursed sweetest music…do you imagine you could prevail on us to give up a thousand millions of dollars in the value of our slaves, and a thousand millions of dollars more in the depreciation of our lands?” From reading this and how the slaves rebel I would like to think that because they rebelled it did set back the cause of their emancipation a little bit. It makes me think that because I think back then the slave-owners were thinking that because they are causing such a disruption then why should they let them be free? If they were going to act crazy like that then should they be treated as humans?

However, I think the slaves had a right to rebel because I can see how they wanted to be free and be treated as equals. Especially after the Declaration of Independence was written I definitely think they had a right to freedom. A quote that I particularly like was by Fredrick Douglas on the fourth of July in 1852 “What to the American slave is your Fourth of July? I answer, a day that reveals to him more than all other days of the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim.” The quote goes on to say how is the Declaration of Independence applied to the slaves and if not then the celebration of independence is a sham.

I think the impact of Nat Turner’s rebellion was that even though he was sentenced to death, slaves who rebelled and tried to fight for their freedom kept the spirit and hope for their own freedom to one day come and to not give up. And they got their freedom and it still goes on today.

Nat Turner Article

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"Slavery Without Submission, Emancipation Without Freedom" text