Slave Rebellions

“Slave owners had the right to beat, whip, brand, or imprison slaves for petty offenses or for attempted escape. Owners vied with each other in creating imaginative punishments, as historian Kenneth M. Stampp relates: A Maryland tobacco grower forced a hand [slave] to eat the worms he failed to pick off tobacco leaves. A Mississippian gave a runaway a wretched time by requiring him to sit at the table and eat his evening meal with the white family. A Louisiana planter humiliated disobedient male field-hands by giving them “women’s work” such as washing clothes, by dressing them in women’s clothing, and by exhibiting them on a scaffold wearing a red flannel cap” (Streissguth 13). How did slaves react to the cruel treatment of slave owners? The severe actions of slave owners towards their slaves led to several revolts and rebellions. Of all the slave revolts, one of the most notorious and successful was the Nat Turner Slave Rebellion of 1831.

Before the Civil War, an abundant amount of slaves lived a life with harsh labor and treatment. The living conditions of slaves resulted in several revolts against slave owners. All the slave rebellions resulted in the capturing of the slaves and hanging them, or cruel punishments such as being whipped or branded. “Most plantation slave’s actions were typically short-range, direct attempts to deal immediately with their material environment: to fill his hunger, ease his fatigue, or to get revenge on an overseer or master” (Mullin 36). Slave owners had advantages over slaves because they had almost no hope of escaping. “A countless number of slaves were psychologically unprepared, believing that the whites were unbeatable” (Bisson 59). Also, slaves were not familiar with the places they were living in, and could often be betrayed by fellow slaves that they confided in. Although the slaves had little assurance in escaping or rebelling, they did anyways. “Runaway slaves were widely advertised in newspapers, and masters would whip or torture runaways to set a frightening example for those who remained behind (Streissguth 136).

Although a large amount of slave rebellions were ineffective, a slave by the name of Nat Turner organized and led one of the most triumphant revolts in American history. Nat Turner was born into slavery on a plantation in Southampton, Virginia. “As a young child, Nat Turner and his family always felt he was surely a prophet, and was intended for some great purpose” (Goldman 13). As an adult, Nat Turner was a considered to be a mystical slave preacher. He was well respected as a slave because he had received a decent amount of education when he was younger and had more advantages over other slaves such as being able to read. By having more advantages than other slaves, he was able to leave on Sundays, as everyone thought he was a mystical slave-preacher. As others thought he was preaching, he was actually spending time planning his revolt against slave owners. Nat Turner planned a revolt for ten years before it actually occurred. Even