Nat Turner’s Bible, 1831

This Bible was donated to the National Museum of African American History and Culture by descendants of Lavinia Francis, a slaveholder who survived the rebellion.

“On the evening of August 21–22, 1831, an enslaved preacher and self-styled prophet named Nat Turner launched the most deadly slave revolt in the history of the United States. Over the course of a day in Southampton County, Turner and his allies killed fifty-five white men, women, and children as the rebels made their way toward Jerusalem, Virginia (now Courtland).”
Patrick H. Breen. “Nat Turner’s Revolt (1831),” Encyclopedia Virginia

 

“Nat Turner’s Bible: History, Heritage, and Healing: A Family Story”
(1:03:19) NorfolkTV, 15 September 2017
Mark Person and Wendy Creekmore Porter, descendants of a slaveholder who survived the rebellion, presented a program at Slover Public Library in Norfolk, Virginia. They described how the Bible came to them and their decision to donate it to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). They also described meeting Dr. Rex Ellis of NMAAHC and Nate Parker who wrote and directed “The Birth of A Nation.”
[Note: Dr. Ellis is from Southampton County, Virginia. Nate Parker was born in Norfolk, Virginia — Leslie]

 

Revolt and Repression: Reconsidering the Nat Turner Slave Revolt
Patrick Breen delivered the Virginia Museum of History & Culture Banner Lecture.
“On August 21, 1831, seven men launched what would come to be known as the Nat Turner Revolt. The rebels swept through Southampton Country recruiting slaves to their rank and killing nearly five dozen whites, more than had ever been killed in any slave revolt in history of the United States. Within two days, whites reestablished control over Southampton County. Examining the terrible choices faced by slaves and also the deep disagreements among whites about how to respond to the rebels, this lecture will discuss new ways of thinking about Nat Turner, his revolt, Southampton County, and even American slavery itself.”
(1:00:36) Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 10 November 2016

 

Gettysburg Civil War Institute Conference: Nat Turner’s Rebellion
“Author Patrick Breen discussed his book, The Land Shall Be Deluged in Blood: A New History of the Nat Turner Revolt, at the Gettysburg College Civil War Institute’s annual summer conference.”
(1:03:06) C-SPAN, 15 June 2019