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Juneteenth and the war against slavery: 5 historic slave revolts

Nat Turner – 1831

A 19th century depiction of the capture of Nat Turner, the enslaved preacher who led an anti-slavery rebellion in Virginia in 1831 that led to the deaths of around 55 whites. The subsequent crushing of the rebellion resulted in around 200 blacks being killed.
A 19th century depiction of the capture of Nat Turner, the enslaved preacher who led an anti-slavery rebellion in Virginia in 1831 that led to the deaths of around 55 whites. The subsequent crushing of the rebellion resulted in around 200 blacks being killed. | Wikimedia Commons

Nat Turner, a Virginia slave and preacher who claimed to have divine visions, believed that a solar eclipse that had occurred in 1831 was a sign to overthrow slavery.

On Aug. 31 of that year, he and a group of around 75 slaves in Southampton County rebelled, killing approximately 55 white Virginians before his uprising was brutally put down.

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“Afterwards, Turner hid nearby successfully for six weeks until his discovery, conviction, and hanging at Jerusalem, Virginia, along with 16 of his followers,” explained History.com.

“His action set off a massacre of up to 200 black people and a new wave of oppressive legislation prohibiting the education, movement, and assembly of enslaved people.”   

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