The Nat Turner Rebellion
Use the following web sites to answer the 8 questions below, which are due at the end of class. You can type them or hand write them. Either way, complete sentences are NOT necessary. You should spend about 30 minutes reading both pages and answering the questions. Then, complete the writing assignment described at the bottom of this page. This part is due for homework.
Go to this link
- What inspired Turner to lead this rebellion?
- What actions did Turner and his followers take?
- What effects did this rebellion have? Short term and long term
At the bottom of the page, click on the Richmond Enquirer on Nat Turner’s rebellion
At the top of the page, click on “Click here for the text of this historical document”
The page that comes up includes articles about the revolt from a Virginian newspaper. Read the articles and answer the following questions.
4. What was the white emotional response to this revolt?
5. List at least 8 words/phrases the newspaper uses to describe Nat, his followers, and/or the revolt itself.
6. According to the articles, who / what is to blame for the fact that this revolt occurred? (Besides Nat himself)
7. What would the author suggest should be done in order to prevent another such revolt? Be specific
8. According to the articles, how did slaves who were not involved in the rebellion respond to news of the rebellion? How does the author explain that response? What do you think really accounts for their response?
Article
These articles obviously showed a biased interpretation of the events. Your task now is to write a 400-450 word newspaper article looking at Nat Turner’s Rebellion from the viewpoint of an African-American living in the north. This article would have been published in a black newspaper in a northern city.
You can use other links on the PBS web site for more information IF you wish. Nat Turner’s Confession might be useful.
The article is due the next time I see you.
Grading – This will count for 30 points
10 Points Accuracy – Content is accurate in terms of the events described
10 Points Authenticity – The voice is authentic in terms of person and time period, and the formatis authentic (does it read and look like a newspaper)?
10 Points Interpretation – The author’s interpretation of the events is credible