WTKR Rick Francis with another piece of history: Nat Turner's sword. Rick's brother rebuilt it, using some of the wood from the original structure. The photo below is the re-created residence of Rick's great-great grandparents Nathaniel and Luvenia. "I am only as a result of three slaves who acted independently of each other," Francis explained. He said the family that owned Nat Turner at the time of the rebellion would have included his great-great aunt Sally Francis. He has a unique tie to the rebellion: he is a descendant of the family that owned Nat Turner. Rick Francis is the Clerk of Court in Southampton County. Newby-Alexander explained.īarbara spoke with another person who provided some historical insight into Nat Turner's Rebellion. What he wanted to do was to wipe out all of the slaveholders in Southampton County," Dr. "I usually say, let's put this in context: Those children were going to be the inheritors of enslaved people. In 1831, Turner and his men moved from house to house in Southampton County and executed more than 50 white people in their wake, including children who, in some cases, were the legal owners of human property. Turner's rebellion against bondage was one of the largest slave uprisings ever to take place in the United States. He spoke of visions from God as a signal to organize a revolt. Records chronicle Turner's place in history as a preacher who was an avid reader of the Bible. "I think this is a man who is fighting for the freedom of himself, his family and those people willing to join him." "I think is a very human story, and it's a very American story," said Norfolk State University history professor Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander, who reflected on Turner's life. This study helps to shed light on one of the great events in slave history through the lives of those who felt it on the ground and whose lives were most affected.Books, films, and documentaries portray Turner as a freedom fighter, or a killer with a cause.īut are the movies and stories about Turner historically accurate? News 3 anchor Barbara Ciara sat down Norfolk State University history professor Dr. Those studies where data disagree with this one were intended to ask significantly different questions and used different sample sets. While other studies have not found results that match this study, it is important to recognize that other studies have not asked this same question. While the results are mixed, they are not surprising based on what is known from previous research, which has found strong evidence of female resistance to nutritional change. It is also possible that this is due to cultural practices and biases that allowed better nutrition – and therefore increased catch-up growth – for males. This may be due to canalization as other studies also found this average stature under similar circumstances. Females showed no drop in stature and remained consistent at 63 inches (160 cm). The males born after the revolt show a strongly statistically significant drop in stature averaging 65.8 inches (167 cm), or 1.68 inches (4.3 cm) shorter than their pre- Nat Turner counterparts who stood at 67.4 inches (171 cm). These groups were statistically analyzed using ANOVA means testing. ![]() Records were collected from five southeastern Virginia counties and are divided into pre- and post- Nat Turner groups. This change in subsistence practices dealt a serious blow to the nutritional health of those living in the area surrounding the revolt.īy examining stature recorded in the County Registers of Free Negros and Mulattoes, it is possible to quantify the effect of this loss of nutrition and quantitatively compare those born and raised before the revolt to those who were born and raised in the post-Nat Turner world. Included in this reorganization was a shift in the subsistence practice, moving away from morenutritious food grown by the slaves themselves to poor quality rations provided by the masters. This event shattered the previous paternalistic view and caused a fundamental reorganization of slave life. The Nat Turner Slave Revolt stands as a major turning point in the history of American slavery and represents a fundamental shift in the master slave relationship.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |