100 Days Until Totality Blog Series: 65 Days Left – The Rebellion Eclipse

Antes de convertirse en un hombre que luchaba por la libertad, Nat Turner era un niño religioso y estudioso que había nacido en la esclavitud. Cuando Turner era joven y estaba creciendo, su madre y su abuela le habían inculcado que había nacido para la grandeza y que no estaba destinado a pasar su vida bajo las manos de un hombre blanco.

In 1825, Turner had a dream in which he saw a battle between black and white entities, and took this to mean God was telling him that change was coming. Turner had grown by now, and had been preparing to be the catalyst for this change. Several years later in 1831, an annular solar eclipse appeared in the sky. When Turner observed this, he interpreted it as white and black entities again struggling for power. It was time to fight for the thing he’d been wanting since childhood: freedom. He then rallied other slaves, took up arms, and led his supporters into a battle that still stands as one of the most violent and tragic slave rebellions in American history.

Se cree que 55 blancos habían muerto cuando terminó la violenta lucha. En otra pelea cerca de una plantación de Jerusalén, Nat Turner se enfrentó a un grupo de hombres blancos armados. Siendo superado en número y armado, Turner se vio obligado a huir y esconderse durante los siguientes 30 días. Durante ese tiempo, los hombres blancos tomaron represalias matando hasta 200 personas afroamericanas en su ausencia.

Eventually Turner was caught and tried, but he did not sway. He believed God had told him it was the right thing to do. Turner was sentenced to hang in November of 1831. However, his legend did not die with him, but instead he became a symbol for the Civil Rights movements of the 1960’s and opened the minds of others to equality and freedom.

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