In 1831 in Southampton county, a slave named Nat Turner did something so revolutionary that to this day it is still an uncomfortable subject for a small town in Virginia. With very little documented history, Stephen B. Oates tells how one slave turned the entire southupside down on one hot August Sunday. Oate’s own struggle in finding the truth about the pastwas something that this small town of Southampton was tying to forget.As a child Nat, allowed to play with the white children, didn’t fully understand what itmeant to be a slave until he was a teenager and was separated from the white kids. As the whitekids were going to school, Nat was going to the fields to labor. At this moment in his life, Natcame to realize what the word slave meant. When holidays would come, the slaves wouldcelebrate the day with dancing and drinking. Nat on the other hand, took this time to read thebible. With the markings of a prophet on his face and his ability to read and write, all the slavesknew that Nat was very special. While reading the bible more and more, Nat began hearingvoices. “Seek ye the kingdom of heaven and all things shall be added unto you”. Nat felt hehad been chosen for some purpose but was not quiet sure what this purpose was. About this timeNat started holding praise meetings and seeing visions of a revolution. Keeping these visions tohimself and his loyal followers, Nat waited for a sign to start the revolution. In 1831, an lunareclipse occurred, Nat took this as the sign he had been waiting for. July 4, the day for therevolution came and went. Historians are not quite sure why, but it is believed that Nat wasunsure that this was the sign he had been waiting for so long. On August 13, 1831 a black spotappeared on the sun, which at the time was a very odd phenomenon. Nat knew it was time forthe revolution. Sunday, August 21, Nat and his other close followers began plotting their first move onth...
