 Location of the rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia | |
| Date | August 21–23, 1831 |
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| Duration | 3 days |
| Location | Southampton County, Virginia, United States |
| Coordinates | 36°46′12″N 77°09′40″W / 36.770°N 77.161°W |
| Also known as |
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| Type | Slave rebellion |
| Organized by | Nat Turner |
| Outcome | Rebellion suppressed Participants tried and executed or sold |
| Casualties | |
| 56 to 85 White men, women, and children | |
| 10 to 120 Black rebels and non-rebels | |
| Part of the origins of the American Civil War and North American slave revolts | |
| Part of a series on |
| North American slave revolts |
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Nat Turner's Rebellion, historically known as the Southampton Insurrection, was a slave rebellion that took place in Southampton County, Virginia, in August 1831. Led by Nat Turner, the rebels, made up of enslaved African Americans, killed between 55 and 65 White people, making it the deadliest slave revolt for the latter racial group in U.S. history. The rebellion was effectively suppressed within a few days, at Belmont Plantation on the morning of August 23, but Turner survived in hiding for more than 30 days afterward.
There was widespread fear among the White population in the rebellion's aftermath. Militias and mobs killed as many as 120 enslaved people and free African Americans in retaliation. After trials, the Commonwealth of Virginia executed 56 enslaved people accused of participating in the rebellion, including Turner himself; many Black people who had not participated were also persecuted in the frenzy. Because Turner was educated and a preacher, Southern state legislatures passed new laws prohibiting the education of enslaved people and free Blacks, restricting rights of assembly and other civil liberties for free Blacks, and requiring White ministers to be present at all worship services.
National Museum of African American History and Culture director Lonnie Bunch said, "The Nat Turner rebellion is probably the most significant uprising in American history."[1]
- ^ Trescott, Jacqueline (February 16, 2012). "Descendants of Va. family donate Nat Turner's Bible to museum". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017.