© 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 by Sarah N. Roth,

Meredith College

Created with Wix.com

THE NAT TURNER PROJECT

  • HOME

  • SETTING

  • REVOLT

  • AFTERMATH

  • IMPACT

  • More

    Insurrection Scares

     

    In the months following the Southampton revolt, whites in various southern localities suspected that the slaves in their communities were likewise plotting to kill their white owners. Numerous counties in Virginia experienced insurrection scares, as did several North Carolina towns and various Low County districts in South Carolina.

     

    In Spotsylvania County, Virginia, slaves were tried in September for plotting a rebellion for the previous July 4, the same day Nat Turner had originally set for the Southampton revolt. Several slaves in Duplin and Sampson Counties, North Carolina, were put on trial in November, and some were summarily executed.

    Background Image:

    Thomas Moran's painting Slave Hunt depicts the Great Dismal Swamp, a refuge for runaway slaves near Southampton County.

    Virginia

    Richmond Compiler, September 3, 1831

    Richmond Enquirer, September 20, 1831

    Niles Register, December 10, 1831

    William Drewry, The Southampton Insurrection, 1900

     

    North Carolina

    Edenton Gazette, August 31, 1831

    J. Pearsall to S. Langdon, September 19, 1831

    National Intelligencer, September 19, 1831

    Niles Register, September 24, 1831

    Gov. Stokes (NC) to Gov. Hamilton (SC), November 18, 1831

     

    South Carolina

    Charleston Courier, October 4, 1831

     

    Georgia

    Richmond Enquirer, October 18, 1831