On May 12, 1831, Nat Turner "heard a loud noise in the heavens, and the Spirit instantly appeared to me and said the Serpent was loosened, and Christ had laid down the yoke he had borne for the sins of men, and that I should take it on and fight against the Serpent, for the time was fast approaching when the first should be last and the last should be first". In February 1831, Nat planned a rebellion along with “four in whom (he) had the greatest confidence”, his friends Henry, Hark, Sam, and Nelson. They planned to hold the rebellion on July 4th of that year, but they were unable to because Turner fell ill. However, on August 21st, something happened. It was an atmospheric disturbance that made the sun appear bluish-green. However, Nat saw it as a sign for the revolt to begin. He gathered his friends, hosted dinner in front of a campfire, and set off for the house of his new master, Joseph Travis. He grabbed the axe in the front yard from when he was chopping firewood, broke down the door, and murdered the Travis family. He then rallied the Travis’ slaves, who gathered their own weapons from the house, and then moved on to the next house. They kept repeating this process until they had amassed an army of about seventy, leaving fifty-one white men, women, children, and infants in their
On May 12, 1831, Nat Turner "heard a loud noise in the heavens, and the Spirit instantly appeared to me and said the Serpent was loosened, and Christ had laid down the yoke he had borne for the sins of men, and that I should take it on and fight against the Serpent, for the time was fast approaching when the first should be last and the last should be first". In February 1831, Nat planned a rebellion along with “four in whom (he) had the greatest confidence”, his friends Henry, Hark, Sam, and Nelson. They planned to hold the rebellion on July 4th of that year, but they were unable to because Turner fell ill. However, on August 21st, something happened. It was an atmospheric disturbance that made the sun appear bluish-green. However, Nat saw it as a sign for the revolt to begin. He gathered his friends, hosted dinner in front of a campfire, and set off for the house of his new master, Joseph Travis. He grabbed the axe in the front yard from when he was chopping firewood, broke down the door, and murdered the Travis family. He then rallied the Travis’ slaves, who gathered their own weapons from the house, and then moved on to the next house. They kept repeating this process until they had amassed an army of about seventy, leaving fifty-one white men, women, children, and infants in their