Nat Turner: A Slave Rebellion in History and Memory

by Kenneth S. Greenberg (Editor)

Nat Turner's name rings through American history with a force all its own. Leader of the most important slave rebellion on these shores, variously viewed as a murderer of unarmed women and children, an inspired religious leader, a fanatic--this puzzling figure represents all the terrible complexities of American slavery. And yet we do not know what he looked like, where he is buried, or even whether Nat Turner was his real name.
In Nat A Slave Rebellion in History and Memory , Kenneth S. Greenberg gathers twelve distinguished scholars to offer provocative new insight into the man, his rebellion, and his time, and his place in history. The historians here explore Turner's slave community, discussing the support for his uprising as well as the religious and literary context of his movement. They examine the place of women in his insurrection, and its far-reaching consequences (including an extraordinary 1832 Virginia debate about ridding the state of slavery). Here are discussions of Turner's religious visions--the instructions he received from God to kill all of his white oppressors. Louis Masur places him against the backdrop of the nation's sectional crisis, and Douglas Egerton puts his revolt in the context of rebellions across the Americas. We trace Turner's passage through American memory through fascinating interviews with William Styron on his landmark novel, The Confessions of Nat Turner ,
and with Dr. Alvin Poussaint, one of the "ten black writers" of the 1960s who bitterly attacked Styron's vision of Turner. Finally, we follow Nat Turner into the world of Hollywood.
Nat Turner has always been controversial, an emblem of the searing wound of slavery in American life. This book offers a clear-eyed look at one of the best known and least understood figures in our history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, School

289 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Chronics · Rating 4 out of 5]

First,it should be noted this book is essentially a collection of essays on Nat Turner and his place in history, it cant really be read in the traditional biographical style of historic figures. The essays are well chosen by Greenberg to focus on the revolt from various diverging perspectives and in different contexts, as such, there is an inevitable element of repetitiveness, but this easily overcome as each essay homes in on its subject matter.

The book is divided into an introduction and three sections.
The Search for Nat Turner
Stories of the Rebellion
Communities and Contexts
Memory

Part One begins with an analysis of what we know of Nat Turner, and how much we just dont know. It is designed to make the rid the reader of any preconceptions by simply looking at most of the sources we have Turner and breaking them down till the reader can start afresh and hopefully have an open but objective viewpoint to the upcoming essays.

Part Two investigates what we do know of Turner and the stories that have passed down through the generations. These chapters focus on the actual story of Turner, his upbringing, his rebellion and the outcome of the rebellion.

Part Three see us look at the rebellion in different contexts and from different perspectives.We investigate the differences and similarities between Gabriel, Denmark Vesey's and Turners rebellion, then the net is cast wider and its compared to other Western hemisphere insurrections. The rebellion is also analysed from a local perspective of the black and whites in Virginia, as well nationally in the context of a nation reeling after the publication of David Walker's pamphlet.

Part four looks at more modern day perceptions of Nat Turner, including an interview with William Styron and another incredibly passionate interview with Dr Alvin Poussaint, one of the 10 black writers that repudiated Styron novel, in it, he explains in detail the reasons behind their rebuttal of what was, essentially, a fictional novel.

I would say this is an excellent book not only for learning about Nat Turner, but also for examining his place in American history and in the consciousness of America. It is a fairly academic and analytical read, but each writer brings their own style and take on the rebellion allowing the reader to get a comprehensive and rounded analysis of Turner's rebellion, while it does not have the easy reading flow a well written biography, it more than covers what you would expect to learn from a thoroughly researched biography.

[Kefnet · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Tatiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books is just amazing. It has great details and events during Nat Turner's rebellion. Nat Turner was a unique person during the 1800's. He saw things differently from David Walker. The the first couple of chapters are full of imagery. I just loved this books a lot. I love how they compare and have quotes from famous newspapers during that time. Its full of criticism from people's perspective of Nat Turner. This books was amazing and each chapter covering a certain point of history. I learned a lot from this book. It was a harsh tine in history for the slaves but they never gave up on their freedom.

[EuGene Byrd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nat Turner, the most famous leader of a slave rebellion. Slaves led 100's of rebellions, which you will never here about. But none caused more fear than Nat Turner.