Confessions of Nat Turner An American Slave

Some historians claim that close to seven million African slaves were transported to the New World in the 18th century alone, robbing Africa of its ablest and healthiest men and women. The black slaves worked on cotton, rice, and tobacco plantations in the Southern coast, from Chesapeake Bay of Maryland and Virginia South colonies to Georgia. Masters of the large plantations owned up to fifty slaves. The slaves faced a lot of difficulties despite offering hard labor on the vast plantations. Slave owners made sure the slaves completely depended on them, prohibited their learning to write and read, as well as controlling their movement and behavior. Seventy Turner rebels killed fifty five whites in two days amidst the full-scale war they raged in August 1831. Turner was jailed and hanged as way of punishment after he confessed to being the revolt leader, stating how he plotted and executed the plan through his preaching sessions and private meetings with his followers.

His confession led to his death, as he was convicted and hanged as punishment and a warning to the future rebels. Frederick Douglass is a famous abolitionist, whose narrative is effective up to date. Being born in Tuckhoe Maryland, he was made to believe that his master was his father. He later married Anna Murray and joined the William Lloyd Garrisons American Anti-Slavery Society as an abolitionist to plead his brethren’s pleas. Turner’s confession yielded numerous reactions among the slaveholders. The Southampton insurrection led to growth of paranoia throughout the Southern States. Turner’s goal was to instill fear and encourage fellow blacks to rebel against their masters. He did not succeed in creating the rebellion he had intended to, but he alerted the whites, by making them aware that the slaves were aware of their mistreatment and they could take action anytime.

Paternalism is what the slaveholders used to govern their slaves, but after the insurrection, the reciprocity illusions, affection and respect between the master and their slaves. The slaveholders had long believed that they were treating the slaves the right way by providing them with food, safety, religious guidance and medical aid, but Turner’s revolt made them question this doctrine. Tension between slaveholders and northern abolitionists intensified but after some years the abolitionist movement finally gripped a foothold in the fight against slavery in 1835. Unlike Turner who used force to try to end slavery, Frederick Douglass used words to fight for the black’s freedom. He used his writing skills to explain his desire for the black people’s freedom. Douglass is respected to this day, as he fought against racial inequalities and advocated for blacks civil rights.

Both Turner and Douglass, had their fair share of slavery, and both underwent a number of unpleasant encounters under their master’s watch. Douglass as a child was separated from his mother, and he was able to witness a brutal killing, while Turner had to risk trespassing plantations to see his wife and child, who were in another plantation. Although both were slaves at different times of the slave history, Douglass had a better approach towards ending slavery, which was wise sentiments through his words that led to the narration in his paper, spreading throughout America, selling numerous copies thus envisioning the abolitionist clues on a wider scope. Turner’s revolt only led to more bloodshed, since he used force which was disrespect against the masters and that is why he was convicted.