(AURN News) — On Oct. 2, 1800, Nat Turner was born in Southampton County, Virginia.
Enslaved from birth, Turner became a preacher who believed he was divinely chosen to lead his people out of bondage. In August 1831, he led one of the most famous rebellions against slavery in American history. Turner and a group of enslaved men moved through Southampton County, killing about 55 white people before the uprising was suppressed.
The rebellion sent shockwaves across the South, where white lawmakers responded with even harsher restrictions on enslaved and free Black people. Turner evaded capture for more than two months before he was arrested on Oct. 30, 1831.
He was tried, convicted and hanged on Nov. 11, 1831, at age 31.
Nearly two centuries later, Nat Turner remains an enduring symbol of armed resistance to American slavery and white supremacy.
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