On 21 August 1831, a rebellion of enslaved Africans led by Nat Turner began in Southampton County, Virginia
A literate preacher and dedicated Christian, Turner allegedly had visions in which God encouraged him to take vengeance on the enslavers. A solar eclipse in the county was seen as a sign to take action.
On August 21, Turner met with a few other enslaved people in the woods to plan a revolt, after which they took farming implements to use as weapons, and headed out. They attacked farmhouses, killing the white enslavers and their families, liberating the enslaved people and growing their rebel force.
Over the next two days, around 70 rebels killed around 55 whites, until they were scattered by militia, and some arrested. Turner himself managed to escape and hide, before eventually surrendering on October 30.
Following the rebellion, Virginia lawmakers held a vote on the abolition of slavery, which almost passed. But the move failed by a few votes, and instead legislators decided to crack down further on enslaved people, prohibiting Black people from learning to read or preaching.
Nat Turner's rebellion - WCH | Stories
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