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The Confessions of Nat Turner and Related Documents
Careful study of the Nat Turner slave rebellion of 1831 reveals much about master, slaves, and the relationship between them in the antebellum South. The central document in this volume — Nat Turner's confession follwing the rebellion in Virginia — is supported by newspaper articles, trial transcripts, and excerpts from the diary of Virginia governor John Floyd.
148 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
April 22, 2009
I'm not sure how people are reviewing this to give it 3 stars -- they don't like the story? The style? The fact that Turner's words were recorded by a racist? All of that is historical fact; this isn't a book that can be read really as an enjoy/don't enjoy. This is a collection of primary source material, and as such is fascinating and informative. Greenburg has a short introduction which provides some important historical context (recent events, white v. free black v. slave population, etc.) and reminds readers that every following text was written by white men and mostly pro-slavery racists.
The "Confessions" itself is short and the most well known in this book, but what is most interesting are the surrounding documents: newspaper articles relating the event, a letters to the editor and editorial, excerpts from the governors diary, and an essay arguing against the emancipation of slaves, which the Virginia State assembly debated in the wake of Turner's revolt. The last, while being much less passionate or bloody than Turners "Confessions," is much more blood-chilling, as the author discusses the pro's and con's of abolition purely on finances and property: the issue of "rights" or "humanity' never enters into it, not even enough to entertain such racist arguments as "slaves aren't ready for freedom" or "the white man civilized the Africans."
Very well compiled and edited.
The "Confessions" itself is short and the most well known in this book, but what is most interesting are the surrounding documents: newspaper articles relating the event, a letters to the editor and editorial, excerpts from the governors diary, and an essay arguing against the emancipation of slaves, which the Virginia State assembly debated in the wake of Turner's revolt. The last, while being much less passionate or bloody than Turners "Confessions," is much more blood-chilling, as the author discusses the pro's and con's of abolition purely on finances and property: the issue of "rights" or "humanity' never enters into it, not even enough to entertain such racist arguments as "slaves aren't ready for freedom" or "the white man civilized the Africans."
Very well compiled and edited.
May 26, 2024
It’s good I just wish there was more of it. Very short but obviously given the time there is only so much information preserved without commentary
July 17, 2024
This is the source material that, among others, informed William Styron's writing on the subject. An extensive, scholarly, and carefully worded introduction precedes the presentation of the central document—Turner's confession. A number of related documents follow, such as reprints of contemporary newspaper articles, transcripts from the court proceedings, excerpts from Virginia Governor John Floyd's diary, and a reprint of Thomas R. Dew's 1832 anti-abolitionist essay, "Abolition of Negro Slavery." This is essential reading for anyone who is trying to process Turner's rebellion and the literature and commentary it prompted.
February 11, 2021
Greenberg's intro is so useful, and the book works brilliantly in an undergrad unit paired with Charles Burnett's doc film.
October 21, 2010
Amazing. So interesting. The history nerd in me just loves this fascinating collection of primary documents.
I don't think we have fully grasped the impacts that slavery had on our society. To see the words that were produced at the time of this rebellion is just illuminating - we try to explain and justify so many wrongs today; and people were just as adept at explaining an justifying SLAVERY previously.
This one is a really quick read, and it is just so fascinating. I recommend it for everyone.
I don't think we have fully grasped the impacts that slavery had on our society. To see the words that were produced at the time of this rebellion is just illuminating - we try to explain and justify so many wrongs today; and people were just as adept at explaining an justifying SLAVERY previously.
This one is a really quick read, and it is just so fascinating. I recommend it for everyone.
November 26, 2009
Badass slave revolt narrative.
September 25, 2021
I loved this series. They were perfectly designed for college classes.
July 16, 2025
Deze stond nog niet in mijn gelezen lijst.
Als je wil weten wat voor soort mens je had kunnen zijn tijdens deze periode dan is dit het boek voor je alle kanten staan hier in, alle kanten van mijn persoonlijkheid waren echte mensen en komen voor in dit boek.
dit boek zal totdat ik sterf een van de belangrijkste boeken zijn die ik ooit gelezen heb.
Als je wil weten wat voor soort mens je had kunnen zijn tijdens deze periode dan is dit het boek voor je alle kanten staan hier in, alle kanten van mijn persoonlijkheid waren echte mensen en komen voor in dit boek.
dit boek zal totdat ik sterf een van de belangrijkste boeken zijn die ik ooit gelezen heb.
November 1, 2019
I literally don't know how to rate this. Not something to be enjoyed, but something to read? Important to read and remember.
January 4, 2024
The part I enjoyed the most was the supporting documents at the end of the book to show the rebellion in more context, including an early pro-slavery philosophical argument. I was intrigued by Nat's story and was curious about the issues around the only real evidence of a planned revolt.
October 20, 2017
This book gets more interesting each time I read it.
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March 3, 2020I had to read this for school and, going into it, I knew nothing of Nat Turner beforehand. Because of this, it was quite surprising to read once I started.
August 28, 2020
fascinating study of nat turner, primary sources, and the very nature of history. the documents i found the most disturbing aspect, an unflinching insight into the nature of our country...
November 23, 2023
not sure how to rate this. glad to have read it but can't say its something you "enjoy" reading.
January 2, 2024
The only audiobook on my shelf I could finish in a 2 hour car ride. I will never accomplish this much at 31.
October 10, 2024
interesting to read in conversation w fanon
October 18, 2019
I can't recommend it. Just a series of various reports, official charges and newspaper articles pertaining to Nat Turner's uprising.
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June 30, 2020Nat Turner was an exceptionally intelligent young man who had the misfortune of being born a slave. He learned to read at an early age, and was soon impressing black peers and white masters alike with his eloquence and religious zeal. He was a preacher, and lived like an ascetic. He saw visions, and he came to believe that the spirit of God was commanding him to lead an uprising against the whites. In August 1831, having received a sign in the form of a solar eclipse (a black shadow overtaking a white sun), he embarked with some trusted men on a series of night raids on neighboring farms. As many as 65 white people were killed, many of them in their sleep, and many of them women and children. But the element of surprise didn't last long: the alarm was soon raised, militiamen and volunteers were deployed, and in a day's time the rebellion was effectively over. All but Turner (who eluded capture until late October) were caught or killed, and approximately 200 unaffiliated black people were murdered by vigilantes in the ensuing days. Turner himself was tried and executed within two weeks of his capture.
As he awaited trial, Turner was visited by a white attorney--not his own--named Thomas R. Gray. Gray, who recognized a lucrative opportunity when he saw one, undertook to record the by-then-notorious man's "confessions" and publish them as a pamphlet. The resulting document is short, stark, and undetailed, just Turner recounting (with emendations, no doubt, by Gray) the broad strokes of his unusual life. The impression he gives is one of near-total emotional detachment, and absolute certainty of the justice of his actions:
"It was then observed that I must spill the first blood. On which, armed with a hatchet, and accompanied by Will, I entered my master's chamber, it be being dark, I could not give a death blow, the hatched 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, not one of them awoke; there was a little infant sleeping in a cradle, that was forgotten, until we had left the house and gone some distance, when Henry and Will returned and killed it; we got here, four guns that would shoot, and several old muskets, with a pound or two of powder." (pg. 49)
How much of this is Turner's actual account and how much the work of Gray (who, in his introduction, refers to the rebels as a "fiendish band" and a "band of savages" just a paragraph after his assurance that he is presenting Turner's words "with little or no variation") is anyone's guess. This uncertainty, along with the vague nature of the narrative itself, makes any sort of useful analysis difficult. And yet the confession is also an invaluable resource, being as it is the only thing we have approaching a firsthand document from Turner himself.
The collection of sources in this book was intended for history students' research, and it should serve that purpose nicely. The introduction by Kenneth S. Greenberg is enlightening, and some of the other documents (which come mostly from newspapers and court documents of the day) are compelling in their own right. The hypocrisy of Turner's white contemporaries is astounding: many of them recognized that slavery was not ideal and that it should be abolished eventually, but were nonetheless shocked that any slave should be so unhappy with his lot that he would resort to violence. Several sources make much of the fact that there was no obvious inciting incident for the uprising; the institution of slavery itself was not, apparently, serious enough to count as a cause.
As he awaited trial, Turner was visited by a white attorney--not his own--named Thomas R. Gray. Gray, who recognized a lucrative opportunity when he saw one, undertook to record the by-then-notorious man's "confessions" and publish them as a pamphlet. The resulting document is short, stark, and undetailed, just Turner recounting (with emendations, no doubt, by Gray) the broad strokes of his unusual life. The impression he gives is one of near-total emotional detachment, and absolute certainty of the justice of his actions:
"It was then observed that I must spill the first blood. On which, armed with a hatchet, and accompanied by Will, I entered my master's chamber, it be being dark, I could not give a death blow, the hatched 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, not one of them awoke; there was a little infant sleeping in a cradle, that was forgotten, until we had left the house and gone some distance, when Henry and Will returned and killed it; we got here, four guns that would shoot, and several old muskets, with a pound or two of powder." (pg. 49)
How much of this is Turner's actual account and how much the work of Gray (who, in his introduction, refers to the rebels as a "fiendish band" and a "band of savages" just a paragraph after his assurance that he is presenting Turner's words "with little or no variation") is anyone's guess. This uncertainty, along with the vague nature of the narrative itself, makes any sort of useful analysis difficult. And yet the confession is also an invaluable resource, being as it is the only thing we have approaching a firsthand document from Turner himself.
The collection of sources in this book was intended for history students' research, and it should serve that purpose nicely. The introduction by Kenneth S. Greenberg is enlightening, and some of the other documents (which come mostly from newspapers and court documents of the day) are compelling in their own right. The hypocrisy of Turner's white contemporaries is astounding: many of them recognized that slavery was not ideal and that it should be abolished eventually, but were nonetheless shocked that any slave should be so unhappy with his lot that he would resort to violence. Several sources make much of the fact that there was no obvious inciting incident for the uprising; the institution of slavery itself was not, apparently, serious enough to count as a cause.
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April 3, 2016Though some may find the legal language of several primary sources dry, the subject matter itself is compelling. Little documentation of the Nat Turner rebellion survives, in part due to efforts by the white elite to keep it hush-hush to preserve the institution of slavery in antebellum Virginia. Additionally, little is known of the details of Nat's life prior to the revolt besides a confession partially turned fiction by the lawyer who represented him, Thomas Gray. The most telling aspect of these documents is how the immediate aftermath of the revolt was swift and brutal retribution against the participants, and yet even quicker after that the governor insisted that the prisoners be kept safe with armed guards and be given trials by jury. The white elite of Virginia strived to make themselves look civil and almost merciful in commuting the sentences of some of the fifteen-year-olds also sentenced to death. It was crucial that they not respond with more violence, because that in turn would expose the violence of the institution of slavery. The narrative of the benevolent slave owner is still with us today, in part because it defends the position that slavery was not "so bad" and that slaves were "treated well for the most part." We know this isn't true and perhaps the upcoming film will touch on these themes and bring them to light. I recommend this work for anyone interested in the upcoming film about Nat Turner. Readers be forewarned that the language contained includes racial slurs of the period as well as disturbing language involving slavery, as these are newspaper clippings, court records, and similar print materials of the period - 1831.
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July 22, 2009. The historical context provided in the introduction was very significant to the reader. It gave great insight on the economic, demographic, and geographic features of the time and events that took place. Most importantly, it provided the reader with the knowledge that these events were journaled by racist white men who were mostly pro-slavery.
The documents surrounding the event included excerpts from the governor’s diary, newspaper articles relating to the event, an essay arguing against the emancipation of slaves, and letters to the editor. Nearly all of the articles depicted Turner as a fanatic, remorseless scoundrel. In short, the book loudly portrayed the bigotry of the time. The most well known of this book, although very short, are the “Confessions” of Nat Turner himself. Although his bloody accounts questioned his sanity, he bravely awaited his fate. My assessment of the author’s (Thomas Gray) thoughts are concerning. His reflection on the revolt wept of the helpless innocent white men whose lives abruptly ended to the hands of ignorant fiends, whose sole purpose was to gain finances and property. There seemed to be no understanding of the intention of “rights” or “humanity,” or even the horrors brought about by slavery.
The documents surrounding the event included excerpts from the governor’s diary, newspaper articles relating to the event, an essay arguing against the emancipation of slaves, and letters to the editor. Nearly all of the articles depicted Turner as a fanatic, remorseless scoundrel. In short, the book loudly portrayed the bigotry of the time. The most well known of this book, although very short, are the “Confessions” of Nat Turner himself. Although his bloody accounts questioned his sanity, he bravely awaited his fate. My assessment of the author’s (Thomas Gray) thoughts are concerning. His reflection on the revolt wept of the helpless innocent white men whose lives abruptly ended to the hands of ignorant fiends, whose sole purpose was to gain finances and property. There seemed to be no understanding of the intention of “rights” or “humanity,” or even the horrors brought about by slavery.
November 28, 2017
2017 Reading Challenge - A book with an unreliable narrator
"The introductory essay serves several purposes. Overall, it places "The Confessions of Nat Turner" and related documents in the larger historical contexts suggested by the best recent scholarship. It also alerts students to the difficulties associated with interpreting the "Confessions" as a historical document. Given the circumstances of its creation and publication, it is a source which needs to be read and analyzed with extreme care."
The above excerpt is why I chose this book as one with an "unreliable narrator". Although Thomas Grey presents it as a confession, it is peppered with his judgement, bias, and assumptions. It is also highly unlikely that Nat Turner was open and willing to share his innermost thoughts with someone so clearly in opposition to him.
This particular compilation of documents that include the "Confessions" is well worth reading. It gives nuanced interpretations of the texts and places it within it's historical context. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in a critical review of the "Confessions" and would like to further their understanding of the political climate surrounding it and the debates surround abolition in that era.
"The introductory essay serves several purposes. Overall, it places "The Confessions of Nat Turner" and related documents in the larger historical contexts suggested by the best recent scholarship. It also alerts students to the difficulties associated with interpreting the "Confessions" as a historical document. Given the circumstances of its creation and publication, it is a source which needs to be read and analyzed with extreme care."
The above excerpt is why I chose this book as one with an "unreliable narrator". Although Thomas Grey presents it as a confession, it is peppered with his judgement, bias, and assumptions. It is also highly unlikely that Nat Turner was open and willing to share his innermost thoughts with someone so clearly in opposition to him.
This particular compilation of documents that include the "Confessions" is well worth reading. It gives nuanced interpretations of the texts and places it within it's historical context. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in a critical review of the "Confessions" and would like to further their understanding of the political climate surrounding it and the debates surround abolition in that era.
September 28, 2023
I found this in a local tiny library and decided to take it since it falls in step with what I've been reading over the past year or so. I was already familiar with Nat Turner's failed rebellion, and like the events at Rosewood, it's a historical event that hasn't been presented accurately within our culture. Both were much more horrific than any treatment we've seen on film and obscured by melodrama and inaccuracies.
The events surrounding Turner's rebellion are here as well as his confession and a bunch of historical contexts concerning his life, the political climate and slave resistance. It isn't an easy read but important all the same. You can't deny that slavery in the U.S. mirrored the enslavement in the Bible and Turner viewed himself as Moses, a chosen one born to free his people. It didn't happen, but was a significant example of how oppression leads to desperation and violence. If there hadn't been so much suffering in the first place, Turner never would have felt compelled to plot an insurrection, carry it out then die along with his victims, cohorts and countless others.
It's a lesson that's difficult to forget.
The events surrounding Turner's rebellion are here as well as his confession and a bunch of historical contexts concerning his life, the political climate and slave resistance. It isn't an easy read but important all the same. You can't deny that slavery in the U.S. mirrored the enslavement in the Bible and Turner viewed himself as Moses, a chosen one born to free his people. It didn't happen, but was a significant example of how oppression leads to desperation and violence. If there hadn't been so much suffering in the first place, Turner never would have felt compelled to plot an insurrection, carry it out then die along with his victims, cohorts and countless others.
It's a lesson that's difficult to forget.
March 13, 2008
An important book--it's an account of Nat Turner's slave rebellion, billed as a "confession" by Turner from his jail cell. It was, however, written by a white, pro-slavery Southerner, who very much distorted Turner's story, and attempted to make Turner look like a monster, not a man fighting for his freedom.
April 2, 2013
Hit me with A POW. Slave revolts, cool. That's about all I thought (apart from the brutality that came with Nat Turner's revolt!!!) I don't like the fact that some white man is writing on behalf of Nat turner (for how trustworthy is he) and that we readers can clearly see how the writer portrays Turner to be like.
September 3, 2021
The last of history's required reading for the semester. The history of the slave rebellion and Nat Turner's confessions made for a very interesting read. The latter half of the book the "related documents" was a painful labor to read. Various newspapers with different stories of the same event, court summaries, diary entries not much excitement in 1830's Virginia lawyer speak.
January 21, 2009
How am I supposed to rate The Confessions of Nat Turner on a scale of how much I like it? This text is an important historical document, but I don't want to reduce it to how entertaining or pleasurable Nat Turner was to read.
February 21, 2015
A good primary source read! I appreciated how a diverse selection of documents was included with only minimal opinion added by the editor, leaving me to draw my own conclusions about just what really happened and why.
August 14, 2007
Pretty gruesome, and some very weird sexual tones.
August 23, 2007
Reading this, you just wish you could have been there in the jail cell as Gray interviewed Turner and listen to his unmediated account.
June 4, 2008
Was an assigned reading in my college history class. Was interesting but gruesome and ridiculous.
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